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Re: Re: True Story(Cont.#8) |
| Name: |
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Troy |
| Date Posted: |
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Sep 12, 05 - 12:44 PM |
| Email: |
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tulroy09@yahoo.com |
| Message: |
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The local missionaries from Tarawa Island, being trained by the white missionaries from the London Mission Society were used to convert the people through out the Gilbert Island chain of Islands. They were sent to Ocean Island, as they called Puakonakai, to convert the stubborn islanders. This again did not cause the old King to convert but several of his warriors did. This caused many problems for the King. Being unable to roust the King from his religion, the mission headquarters in Tarawa asked for help and the response from the British Governor Campbell was to send a British Man-O-War ship with heavily armed crew to remove the King, his family and loyal followers/commoners that remained loyal to the Polynesian customs. They were taken by force to an island 650 miles to the west and dumped off on the King of that island, Kosrae-Kusie. Needless to say, this was not pleasing to the King of Kosrae, King George Kaunka. Kosrae was under the German rule at this time and Ocean Island was independent yet under English missionary influence.
The old King’s children had not married yet and his workers wives’ and children were all loyal to the original Crown. The Puakonakai King, his children and workers were bigger and better fighters than the Kosraens and were able to settle on apiece of land over looking the Kosrae King’s Island Lelu. Lelu is a small island located in the harbor of lelu. The main island was reached by walking the reef from Lelu Island and is made up of four Municipal’s (Tafunsak, Lelu, Malem and Utwe). Fighting occurred on many occasions, one of those being an attack on the Puakonakaians. One of the Kosrae King’s men had come too close to the old King of Puakonakai. The King turned the sacred turtle stone toward the attacker, chanted and the man fell on his belly, crawling away like a turtle. This scared the remaining Kosraean warriors away who never again made an attempt to get close. Kosrae was at this time in history under the umbrella of the Germans as was the Marshall Islands, Nauru and the rest of the Caroline Islands. The Gilbert and Ellis Islands were under the British traders rule but Puakonakai was still considered a useless, remote of no value to the traders. Therefore, not acquired in 1892 amongst the Gilbert or Ellis Island colonies by the British. The missionaries were busy converting the native of Puakonakai without interference from the King. By 1898, the Old King, Tisiniriak, about 90 years old at the time, died on Kosrae Island. As always, the custom was to bury him under his home on the point called Joaunif. His remains are there today, in an unmarked grave. The Kosrae King talked the Captain into getting rid of the Puakonakaians from Kosrae. The workers and the two sisters of the now King, Tinterunga, just wanted to go home, even if it meant converting to Christianity. They were taken back to Nauru where they stayed with the Harris family until another ship could take them back to Puakonakai. Their brother, a very big strong man had fallen in love with a Kosraen girl thereby remaining in Kosrae.
He traveled to Nauru, Puakonakai and back every time a ship going in the east direction came to Kosrae. Most of the trips were up through the Marshalls east to Tarawa, down the Kiribati chain and back west to Ocean Island. Te’Moi Tinterunga kept the Royal Crown, the stone turtle, at his home and was respected as a King. However, he did not actively rule the people. His two sisters lived near Ooma and were respected as Te’Moi Family, they were Princesses. Tekoniti lived with other women, not liking nor taking a man. Karianna II married Karpaku and they have no children, adopted a young Gilbertese girl named Ieremia. The land until 1899-1900 was still Royal Crown property as it was since 1790 |
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