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featuro of an atoll is that there is usually a pass or break between
some of the islands, thus providing access to an excellent protected
harbor.
The import of this information becomas clear when I tell you that
.
Killi, the present hone of these people, is an island, a single island,
nov part of an atoll, and not inked to any other island in any way,
Thus, all those advantages of‘atoll life are missing.
small enough on an atoll, is much less,
The land area,
There is no protected fishing
Tes
areca, but only open ocean and surf pounding against a coral rock shore.
ah.
Even when the surf is not too rough and the men are able to cet their
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fragile canoes past the breakers and into the open sea, the results are
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‘often disappointing or disastrous.
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I saw a canoe broken by the sur?
one day when a storm came up suddenly,
,
are available here,
No turtles, lobster, or clams
Thus these people are reduced to a slim diet of
fish, rather than the rich seafood diet they previously enjoyed.
The second major aspect of the problen concerns the ability of these
people to receive goods,
The lack of a legoon means the lack of the
provected harbor which enables most Marshallese to unload their goods
wo,
from-the field trip ship with comparatively. Little difficulty.
Again
the Killi people are at a disadvantage. They must unload their goods
on the open sea and negotiate them to shore through the breakers.
In
general, the ships! captains are reluctant e
« ven to Stop at Killi
‘because of the danger to their sinall boats and outboard motors used
fox unloading goods. -My husband and I lost
at least $15 worth of our
Supplies because the boats were swamped several times on the day we
.
arrived.
I am not exaggerating when I say that these people have lived
unhappy ‘Lives for twenty years, longing for the day when they might
return to Bikini,
Their lives have even been temporary in the sense that
. they -felt no urgency to improve their homes or to maintain their school
and other buildings. There has always been the fecling that the very
nexs day they might get word that they could return to Bikini.
A lack
fa real sense of the future and a parallel lack of real understanding
- of the intentions of the United Statesin revard to their home atoll
have increased their confusion ‘as this. state of affairs has not been
resolved.
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