Islands Lost Again to Radiation Coatinned from Third Page Tan and his land overndes the concept of nationality. “To say, ‘I'm Marshallese,’ that is a Joreign concept,” Kiste sad “Weslermera named those islands the Marshalis. So ‘Marshallese’ has less meanmg than ‘I'm Biluman' And among themselves, they speak not of bemg Bikinians, but say, ‘I'm a n of this parucular piece of land’ Land is an expression of who | am—of individual idenuty.” Or. a3 fellow anthropologist Jack. Tobin, another academic expert with tong expenence un the Marshalls, expressed it:ts “In those islands, a man without land is no man.” By a split vote of the atoil's teaders, the Bikimans chose to go to Rongenk Atoll, 123 mules east of ther home aloll The Navy, which put out press reieases at the ume indicating that “uve nauves were delighted” by the move, was only slighily more restraned a year later in its official history of Crossroads, “Bombs at Bikins.” “The Bikunans, convinced that the (A- bomb) tests would be a contribubon to world peace, indicated their willingness to evacuate,” the Navy hustorian wrote. and churned out of the blue-green lagoon, the people gathered on the main deck [0 sing traditional songs of farewell The next morning they were untoaded at Rongerik. On the morning of July {. a 5-29 bomber called Dave's Dream dropped a “nominat yield” 20-kiloton (the equivalent of 20.000 tons of TNT) atomic bomb over theflcet of 70 obsolete U.S. and captured Japanese and German warships moored just off Bikami Island. It expioded 500 feet atave Uhe fleel, sinking five ships, twisting and crushing otherslike cheap toys— and initiating the radiation poisoning of Bikim. Among the 42,000 observers of the awesome blast was Chief Juda, watching as a guest of the Navy from the deck of the amphubious command \ asaS eae They stand. Severe food shortages developed during the winter of 1946-47. In spring of 1947, fire destroycd a third of Rongenk’s coconut trees. The people pressed for a return to Bikini. but a radiological survey indicated thatit was too “hot’ for permanent accupancy and would be for many ycars. they could bear up under the hardships of Rongerik. BEN,TM It wasn't quite thal way, according t Tobin, emeritus professor of anthropology at University of Hawau. “They did not go willingly,” Tobin swd “They were foreed to go... They agreed because tncy had Lo,just as Uncy had agreed lo do things when ue Japanese had bayonets in the back groynd. “Put yourself in thew shoes: You've deen told what to do by the Japanese for a quarter-century. . . and told by the Japanese military the Americans were weak. So when the Amencans wiped out the Japanese. . . all those Amencan ships appearing, the natural reaction. . . would be to go along with what they are told.” On the afternoon of March 7, 1946, the 166 men, women and children of Bikins were loaded aboard Navy LST 1108. As the awkward landmg craft hacked off the beach at Bulani island uw tcat camp at Kwajalein. In September, the Bikintans voted to resettle on Kal, and in November, they were finally settied on Kili and began building a new and bigger village than they had had on Bikini Kil was without question better thought scemed to be little to Bikini itself. The trees were sti standing, still bearing coconuts. But the radiation, invisible, was not something he couid under- than Rongerik. But it also was small and, worse yet. it had no lagoon. The island was constanily pounded by the Pacife, Fishing was far more difficult ship Mt. McKinley, severai miles away. The Navy used more than 10,000 mstruments to record Lest data. Chet Juda’s reaction was not recorded. The next day he rejoined his peopie at Rangerik. In October, the Navy announced that the Bikinians would de relocated on Ujclang. But two monthslater, the Pentagon announced a new series af Nuclear tests would be held, this ume at Eniwetok, another atoll in the Marshalls. The Eniwetok people would go to Ujelang instead of the Bikinians. The Bikinmans had to wail. Andrew Jakco remembered the Rongenk period well. “I was a big man then,” he said, “but I got sainny.” He held up the ttle finger of his feft hand. “Skinny hike this. One old woman dicd from hunger... . Fora year and a half, we did not havo enough food. (somctunes) got our food by cutting open the coconut tree and eaurg the heart of the tree. This killed the tree.” Jelacnk Jakeo, Andrew's 48-ycar-® old brother, was a leen-ager on Ren-genk. “It was termblc,” he rememRonzerk was a disaster. IL was loo bered. “We ate things that were nol small There was too little food And, Rood. gathered coconurs that fioatca according lo legend, it was haunted in from the sca. Bad food, we got sick. by an evti witch named Liborka, who Arms and \cgs sweiled up, ind we got isoned the fish of Une lagoon. In bislers on the arms and we had diaract, certain fish of the lagoon were thea.” ysonous which was why Rongenk Late in January, 1948, the Navy ad been uninhabited for years. dispatched anthropologist Leonard Bul it was clase to Bixini and the Mason, now of the University of Hapeople had chosen it for that reason. wan, to investigate. He found the exThey thought they could bear up un- ies at the point of starvation, living der the hardships until they went on raw flour diluted with water. back to ther home atoll. That, they In strong terms. Mason recomwere convinced, would be in a couple mended that the peopie be removed of years al most. from Rangerik as soon as possible. He Chief Juda had returned from the also recommended Kili Island, alfirst bombtest (the second, an under- though he admitted it had many diswater shot, was held July 25, 1946} lo advantages, as the best available tell his peopie unat while there had place to relocate the Bikamans. In March, 1948, they were moved to been great damage to the ships, there than at Bikim. Supply ships could neither land food nor lake away copra dried coconut, the only cash crop— for months at a time because of the heavy surf Sometimes six months passed before a ship could unicad. Jn an attempt to relieve the isolauon, the Navy turned over a 40-fool power whaleboat to the Bikimang IL sank in high seas in 1951. th the same year, the Navy turned over admimustration of Micronesia— and the problems of the Bilunians—to the civilians. A high commissioner was appointed by the Prendent to work with and through the U.S Departmentof the Intenor. Matters did not improve mght away. But under pressure from the United Nations, the high commissior er pushed a communily developme:.¢ plan lo improve agricuilure on Kilt In addition, the Trust Termury turned over a copra trade baai to proPlease Tura to Pege 9, Col. 1