24
RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP OF ENEWETAK ATOLL
compact village on small Aomon Island which, as indicated earlier, fej
within the domain of the Enewetak [sland chief. After several months. the
people of Enjebi moved to the adjacent Bijire (Tilda) Island which way
within the domain of their own iroij. With these relocations. the dri-Enjeb;
and dri-Enewetak were no longer separated by the atoll’s lurge lagoon.
and, while retaining their dual political structure. they had, in fact, become
a single community.-+.25
The consolidation of the population into one community and the new
compact settlement pattern were continued with the transfer of the
islanders to Ujelang Atoll in 1947. This atoll has only one sizeable island.
Ujelang Island, and the entire population was settled there. Navy officials
established a dividing line at the midpoint of the island and allotted the
western half to the people of Enjebi and the eastern half to the people of
Enewetak Island. A compactvillage was constructed in the middle ofthe
island with the Enjebi and Enewetak people occupying houses on their
respective sides of the dividing line. Later, each group divided the land on
its portion of the island. Ata still later date, other islands in the Ujelang
Atoll were divided among membersof the two groups. 26.27
During the first few years on Ujelang, the traditional political structure
remained intact. The chiefs functioned in their accustomed roles and
resisted American efforts to introduce democratic institutions. It had been
intended by American planners that each atoll population be governed by
an elected governmental council of elders headed by an elected magistrate,
but this was not acceptable to theiroijs. By the early 1960’s, however, some
change was observable. Both chiefs were, by then, quite aged men, who
had matured in an earlier era. Some of the contemporary problems
required that the decision-making process be opened to include younger
men who had attended schools and/or had some other experiences with
the American administration. Meetings of all males were held
occasionally, and some decisions about community affairs were decided by
a majority vote. The authority and status of the chiefs declined further in
the later 1960’s when the old Enjebi chief died and was succeededin office
by his younger brother, who was also elderly and suffered the additional
disadvantage of frequent poor health. 28
These events precipitated a major transformation of the political
structure. The chiefs yielded to younger men who desired, and had been
gaining; a greater voice in communityaffairs. In 1968, a magistrate and a
council of 12 men were elected. Reflecting the traditional division of the
population, the people of Enjebi elected six councilmen from amongtheir
ranks, and the people of Enewetakelected six from theirs. Themagistrate
became the head of the entire community, and the council bécame the
legislative body governing the people's affairs. In a later election, the 12
councilmen wereelected from the population at large, not equally from the