“Waa'gey Planning & Partnership Tour a Success”
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Waa'gey's Larry Raigetal and Curtis Loftis Treasurer of South CarolinaLarry Raigetal of the Community Based Organization “Waa’gey” has returned to Yap, Micronesia following a planning and partnership tour in the United States.Raigetal met with a range of public sector officials and private citizens across several states, the District of Columbia and the Territory of Guam. “It was great to talk with policy leaders, philanthropists, cultural aficionados and others. I was surprised by
Lessons From Hawaii
/By: Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner
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Lesson Number 1:
FUCKIN MICRONESIANS!
that’s my seventh grade friend
cussin at the boys across the street
rockin swap meet blue t-shirt
baggy jeans
spittin a steady beetlenut stream
yea one of them’s related to me
You know, you’re actually kinda smart
for a Micronesian
And that’s my classmate
who I tutor through the civil war
through the first immigrants
through history that always
seems to repeat itself
LESSON NUMBER 2:
Micronesian
MICRO(nesian)
as in small. tiny crumbs of islands scattered
across the pacific ocean. different countries/nations/cultures no one
has heard about / cares about too small
to notice. small like how
i feel
when lady at the salon
tracing white across my nail
stops and says
you know you don’t look
Micronesian.
You’re prettier!
LESSON NUMBER 3:
Prettier as in not
ugly like those
other Micronesian girls
walking by the street smiling
rows of gold teeth like they got
no shame with hair greased and braided
cascading down dirt roads of brown skin, down
shimmering dresses called guams and neon colored chuukese skirts
and i can hear
the disgust
in my cousin’s voice
Look at those girls! They wear their guams
to school and to the store like they’re
at home don’t they
know?
This isn’t their country this is America see that’s
why everyone here hates
us Micronesians
LESSON NUMBER 4:
I’ll tell you why everyone here hates Micronesians
It’s cuz we’re neon colored skirts screaming DIFFERENT!
Different like that ESL kid
whose name you can’t pronounce
whose accent you can’t miss
Different like walmart/7-eleven/mickey D’s parking lot kick its and fights
those long hours
those blue collar nights
Different like parties
with hundreds of swarming aunties, uncles, cousins
sticky breadfruit drenched in creamy coconut
coolers of our favorite fish
wheeled from the airport
barbequed on a spit
my uncle waving me over
Dede a itok! Kejro mona!
Dede come! Let’s eat!
LESSON NUMBER 5:
It’s actually
NOT Micronesian
It’s Marshallese/Chuukese/Yapese/Pohnpeian
Palauan/Kosraean/Chamorru/Kiribati/
but when Hawaii insists
on lumping us all together
when they belittle us and tell us we’re small
when they tell us our people are small
when they give you a blank face
when they give you a closed door
when so many in Hawaii hate
Micronesians, when so many hate
us
LESSON NUMBER 6
That’s how I learned
That’s how I learned
That’s how I learned
to hate
me.
IMF Ends Assessment of FSM's Economic Health
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The IMF concluded its evaluation of the FSM's economic standing. Their evaluations are conducted annually and reports indicate the FSM's economy is on a "steady growth path".Of note in their evaluation:
1. "The FSM economy is highly
Memorial Scholarship Renewed by Midwestern Family
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Orpha Hapdei: Habele Scholarship Winner
A Midwestern family has renewed their support for a Micronesian girl attending a small private school thousands of miles away in the State of Yap.
Orpha Hapdei is a seventh grade student at Saint Mary's School in Colonia. Her family is from the Atoll of Ulithi, a remote outer island of Yap, Micronesia.
Orpha began attending St. Mary’s in 2011, through the Leona Peterson (1926-2011) Memorial K-12 Scholarship. The scholarship pays for
Storied Canoe Returns Home to Micronesia 70 Years Later
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James Hapdei holds a model canoe in Yap, Micronesia. The model was a gift from his father to Francis Wilson, Chief Pharmacist’s Mate, who helped treat a Yaws epidemic during World War Two(Colonia, Yap) A two-foot long model canoe has returned to Yap, Micronesia, where it will be restored and preserved by a local group of carvers. Included in the group is the son of the man who first made the model for a special US Sailor seven decades ago.
The canoe has traveled thousands of miles on its journey home. It was carved as a gift for a US Navy sailor who served in the Pacific during World War Two. Chief Pharmacist’s Mate Francis Wilson was one of a pair of sailors who
Palau: Typhoon Bopha Relief Efforts
/As of December 5, 2012. 
- A State of Emergency has been declared.
- Congress has been asked to appropriate US$10 million for response and recovery efforts.
- Current priorities are shelter, water, sanitation and power. 92 houses have been completely destroyed and 59 houses have major damages. Initial Damage Assessments are continuing, with results still pending.
- No casualties or major injuries have been reported.
- The hospital and clinics will resume normal operations as of today.
- A Recovery Task Force has been established
Tribute: Keitani Graham (Feb. 1, 1980 - Dec. 7, 2012)
/Keitani Graham was an early believer in The Fourth Branch. A contributer, mentor and influence to our cause. A supporter since our inception.
A leader in example, a teacher through life, a brother in memory and a Champion for all Micronesians.
Our first interview:
Our second interview:
High Tech Meets Traditional Tech in Yap
/Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Navy Seabess & Waagey Canoe
Contact: Habele
Colonia, Yap
US (803) 586-2358
FM (691) 952-5005
njm@habele.org
High tech met traditional tech when a group of US Navy Seabees pitched in to help the Waa’gey traditional canoe project in Yap, Micronesia.
The sailors, stationed on Yap as part of a construction civic action detail, used their
Read MoreNavy Seabess & Waagey CanoeContact: Habele
Colonia, Yap
US (803) 586-2358
FM (691) 952-5005
njm@habele.org
High tech met traditional tech when a group of US Navy Seabees pitched in to help the Waa’gey traditional canoe project in Yap, Micronesia.
The sailors, stationed on Yap as part of a construction civic action detail, used their
Charity Wraps Up Successful Listening Tour in Yap
/Monday, Novermber 12, 2012
Habele Directors Meet With Habele Scholarship Winners and Families
Contact: Habele
FSM (691) 952-5005
USA (803) 586-2358
njm@habele.org
"Charity Wraps Up Successful Listening Tour in Yap"
Habele Directors and supporters just completed their 2012 “Listening Tour” in Yap State, Micronesia. Meetings were
Applying For College
/Hosted by the: Office of Multicultural Student Services (OMSS) at the University of Hawaii, Manoa.
Helpful tips for college. (In Marshallese and Chuukese languages)
Guam Signs International Prisoner Transfer Bill Into Law.
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Guam Governor signs into law a bill that allows the, "transfer[] [of] those serving sentences on Guam to their home of origin". While this may be great for Guam, it may be harmful to the FSM. According to Guam Vice-Speaker, BJ Cruz in a report from the Pacific News Center: FAS (Freely Associated States) citizens make up "[a] full one third ofWorld Ocean’s Day in Delap (RMI)
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By: Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner
World Ocean’s Day in Delap
MAJURO, Republic of the Marshall Islands –
Refrigerators, tires, car parts, washers, cans, and plastics weren’t the only waste collected during the morning hours of World Ocean’s Day this past June 9th. After 3 hours of roaming the beaches of Delap,
YAP/ETG: Speaker Henry Falan and Yap Governor Sebastian Anefal
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Read a summary of this issue in the form of a debate: "Is the Yap/China Memorandum of Understanding a Good Thing?"
View a petition started by concerned citizens of Yap: "Yap ETG Petition".
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The following letter is from the governor of Yap, Sebastian Anefal, to the Speaker of the House, Henry Falan. The letter is in regards to the ETG investment agreement. The response to this letter is included.