26
RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP OF ENEWETAK ATOLL
had been obliterated.3! The map of one ofthe islands of Enewetak Atoll
(Medren) showing wato division lines appears on Figure |-28.
One facet of Enewetak Atoll culture that differed from that of other
Marshall Islands was the system ofland tenure and inheritance. In the rest
of the Marshalls, matrilineal is the rule. The land tenure system at
Enewetak was, in ideal and in practice. a bilateral one. [n most cases, a
married couple divided the land which each had inherited among their
children, and a child usually received some tand from both his father and
mother. As the younger islanders matured, they worked the land with
their parents. As the parental generation died and as membersof the next
generation married and produced children, the process was repeated with
parents allocating land among their offspring.32 Every individual possessed
rights to some land on islands away from the settlements of Enewetak and
Enjebi. All land in the atoll was held by someone. with the exception of
one parcel on Enewetak Island which was donated for the location of a
church.
The people resided on their landholdings on Enjebi and Enewetak
Islands. In most cases, households were headed by males and were
situated upon land held by them. Ideally, residence was patrilocal, i.e.,
upon marriage, females moved to their husband’s households, although
—~ @—,
exceptions to the rule did occur.33
LEO
TORKED |
aNEVAL?
CINEGA
acoeN
~ GIKEY Aa TALES
CISRET
ALMIRA
LOKOIENE
/
LIMANWA
FIGURE 1-28. MEDREN ISLAND SHOWING NAMES AND BOUNDARIES
OF WATOS.