Masoaa nei gai au e lodo e tala hanu dagodo donu oogu i ogu mee malangilangi ai, aama vaasu ai, aama de lodo ai. Tahi go de nui mangalua o Nukuoro. Dahi laangi gai au ne hano gi modu. Ga dae huu au gi modu, gimaadeu ma dogu daina go Ermicki ma Roy, tae huu gimaadeu gi modu gai gilaau ga hai au gi gage. Au ga gage, au ga gage ga gage ga hano hano gu dae gi lote mangalua. E baa mai gi de au o de nui mangalua, gai au gu malangilangi kona i de hagallongo danuaa hiidinga au gu maua i de noho ga hannagi dogu dua ga hau dahi- ga hau de haa mangalua laa gi magoaa luu ogu vae gai au ga noho, kii ange dogu baba danuaa ange denga nui angeange hugadoo oogu e hano ma e gage aagena go lodo haa hugadoo oogu e hano ma e noho baba ai gai de nui mangalua, au e noho baba ai magoaa o de nui ma dono laa. Gai au ga tolo age gu dae age gi de lua mangalua, gai denga haamee paamai au, gai au ga hagi, hagi ga tili iho gi gilaau hanu, gai dahi gai au ga hagi ga tugi ga unu, de idi au, gu lodo gai de masoaa oogu ne unu ai ga bosu gai au gu lodo e seni. Au gu lodo au gu langona iho gu lodo loo au gi maua i de seni lote mangalua o de nui, mangalua i Balaiasi. Denaa ai huu, de abo donu.

So now I want to tell some things about me, some things I’m happy about and I like and I love. First, it’s the coconut tree with two branches on Nukuoro. One day I went to the islets. When I reached the islets, me and my brothers Ermick and Roy, when we reached the islets they encouraged me to climb, so I climbed and climbed and finally reached the two branches. The branches of the tree were close to me and it made me happy, I felt so good because I could sit and lean with my back on it with the palm fronds between my legs and I sat and it was so comfortable, more than any other coconut tree that I had climbed. I went under all the leaves and sat comfortably, I sat comfortably among the tree and its branches. Then I crawled up and reached the two branches and there are coconuts close to me so I picked them, picked them and dropped some down to them, but I picked one and hit it open and drank it. When I drank it I was satisfied so I wanted to sleep. I felt like I wanted to be able to sleep in the branches of the coconut tree, the two-branched tree on Balaiasi. That's all, thank you.

Mee nei go dogu daalanga i dogu tahi sailago gi abasasa, Aameligaa, US. Au ne malanga i Pohnpei matali hanu ogu soa, gilaadeu ne loomai gi Pohnpei e hai ai dahi hegau hagamogomogo. Gilaadeu ne loomai i de hagabuulinga e hagaingoo ange bolo go de Living Tongues mai i de college of Swarthmore, Swarthmore College. Gai au ne hano matali gilaadeu kona i de hagamalangilangi i hiidinga se momme ni oogu e lodo au gi hano gi aagena gai au e dee maua i de hagau gai de abo donu gai gilaadeu ga hagau dogu tigede, gai au ga hano matali gilaadeu, gimaadeu ne maalanga i a suunu de madaanga hulu ma siva, hulo ga tae gi kilaa, tae gi hauai i de madalua ga lava ga tae kilaa i de ahiahi i de boo de laangi laa, ga hulo ga maalanga i de momme doga monilele ga hulo gi de college ga sseni de boo laa ga ahoage i taiao ga hai denga hegau saaele llanea gu momme ne hano ai gilaadeu, ne kave au ga hagadaahoo saaele ai, ma de hai ai amaadeu hegau saaele laa abasasa. De abo donu ange de gau nei i delaadeu abo donu mai gi de au ga bale mai au ga maua ai au i de hano gi dae gi de momme nei. Gai au gu malangilangi hogi hiidinga gilaadeu gu bale mai au ga kave ai au gi South Carolina ga hano ga tilo dagu damaahine ma dogu mogobuna ga gaamai gilaau matali au i dogu ahe mai i kilaa. De abo donu.

This is the story of my first trip to the states, America, U.S. I left from Pohnpei with some of my friends, they came to Pohnpei to do some important work. They came as a group with the organization called Living Tongues from the college of Swarthmore, Swarthmore College. So I went with them, it made me so happy because it was a place I always wanted to visit but I could never afford it, and I am so grateful that they bought my ticket. So I went with them, we left on June 19th, went and got to Hawaii on the twentieth, we arrived that evening that night on the twentieth and went and left from the airport and we got to the college and slept that night and the next morning, we did all kinds of work and went to lots of places. They took me sightseeing and we did our work in the U.S. Thanks to those people for their kindness to me, their help enabled me to reach this place. I was also happy because they helped me and took me to South Carolina to go and see my daughter and my granddaughter and brought them with me back home. Thank you.

Iai nei gai au e lodo hogi e tala dahi hai o denga diba hegau a denga daane Nukuoro go de hai denga goloa haangoda, gai de muna abo donu go de hai de biho haangoda. Au e ada mai aage denga daane e hili denga duu gima ma duu baa ga gaamai. Gilaadeu ga soaa ga tuu denga size, aabego denga hagabaaunga o de nui aabe maasei olaadeu e lodo ai. Gilaadeu ga solo ga solo ga solo gu lava aabe sugi i mua. Gilaadeu ga sugi naa ga hao ga hao gu lava ma sugi naa huu gilaadeu ga solo gi malali ga hagaduu ai de biho o de nguu, se biho nguu laa. Gilaadeu ga lava naa huu gu lava i de solo ga hagamalili gu lava, gai gilaadeu ga gaamai denga hulu manu. Gilaadeu gu lava donu de poo denga gaago ma gu vvele gu nusi alaadeu hulu manu i de gaago e hai ai alaadeu biho. Gaamai naa donu huu gai gilaadeu ga hau, ga hau denga hulu manu ange gi de biho laa, ga lava naa huu gai kona i de tilo danuaa mee donu be se nguu laa ga gaange naa huu gi de uga haangoda ga tili gi lausedi gai ga dada gai e gidee ange donu mee be se nguu laa e savini i lote lausedi. Deenei de hai a denga daane nukuoro e hai ai alaadeu goloa haangoda bei de biho. Gai deenei dagu hai e maua i de tala gai au e lodo bolo go ai angeange e maua i de bale gi balea hogi de hai e tala ai gi kii ange de molomolo danuaa. De abo donu.

So now I want to describe one of the men's roles in Nukuoro which is the way to prepare fishing gear, or actually, how to make the fishing lure. I remember the men selected from the clams and the black pearl shells and they brought them to me. They sawed and cut the size, or the hagabaaunga, big or small that they wanted. They ground and ground until they drilled through, they drilled and drilled and drilled until it was done, and after they drilled, they sanded them to smooth them and make it into the head of the squid, like the head of the squid. When they finished, finished sanding and smoothing, then they bring the feathers. They caught the chickens and plucked feathers from the chicken to make their lure. They brought them to me while they tie the feather to the lure, and when they finish they examine it closely to make sure it looks just like the squid, and when we put it on the fishing line and drop it in the ocean and then pull, it looks just like a squid is running in the ocean. This is the way that Nukuoro men make their fishing tools, like the lure. This is how I can describe it, and I hope that whoever else is able to help can also help to explain it and make it more clear. Thank you.

Mee nei go de mouli o de gau nukuoro, e mouli- delaadeu hai e mouli ai i Nukuoro. Gai au e lodo e tala dahi hai olaadeu e mouli ai i de baasi o de haangoda. De ingoo o de haangoda aagu e lodo e tala go de dugi de lodo. Dugi de lodo, dagu hai e adamaia age ai, gimaadeu ma denga gauligi daane dogu moou e hulo ga ogo amaadeu unga laa uda. Gai gimaadeu ga hulo ga kave omaadeu moni vaaligiligi ga gabegabe ga hulo gi lote lodo i dai, ga ssala ai denga manu i de lodo, manu i lote lodo dahi momme haangoda manu a Sauligi, manu i ngaage aama denga manu i dai ngaiho ma dai modu i ngaiho ma denga manu i dai modu i ngaage. Tugi amaadeu unga ga hagalulu ga hagalulu ga aanggee i kilaa gai gimaadeu ga daamada de haangoda. Hanu masoaa gai gimaadeu e kave amaadeu hadu ga hulo gi dai modu i ngaage aabego dai de henua ga ogo amaadeu hadu, gai gimaadeu ga kave ga, masoaa amaadeu e tugi ai amaadeu unga, ga lava ga saabini, hau ange gi de hadu, ga tili. E dahi kaini hau e hai ange bolo go de hau e… e hau laa ga dada gai gu madala. Gai de masoaa naa huu e tili ai laa de hadu, de maainu gu hagalau ange gi de maadau gai denga hagalulu e hau ange hogi i lote maadau. Ga tili gai gimaadeu ga dada, ga dada naa donu huu gu de ssele gu madala, gai de hadu gu doo, gai denga maainu gu malili saaele, ga madoha saaele gai de maainu gu pigi i de maadau ma e dagodo, gai deelaa de maainu a de mamu e humai ga gai ga gai naa huu gai gimaadeu ga hudi age, hudi gu lau naa huu, gai gimaadeu gu hudi age ai loo denga mamu. Gai gimaadeu ga haangoda ai belaa gu dae naa huu gi de masoaa amaadeu e kumi age ai bolo gimaadeu ga aahe age gimaadeu ga aahe age ai loo gi omaadeu hale nnoho dai modu omaadeu e haangoda ai aabego dai de henua donu huu omaadeu e haangoda ai. Gai haangoda nei tai dahi be lua, dolu aaoa omaadeu e haangoda ai, gai gimaadeu ga aahe mai gi omaadeu hale, aahe mai naa huu ga dunu denga mamu i daho omaadeu maadua i omaadeu hale. Deenei de odi dagu hai e maua ai i de tala de haangoda e hagaingoo ange laa go de haangoda dugi de lodo. Gai be go ai naa huu e maua i de tala ga hagalaanui ga hagadanuaa gai ia ga bale hogi de hagalaanui ma de hagadanuaa de haangoda nei.

This is the Nukuoro way of life, the way we live in Nukuoro. So I want to describe one traditional skill, which is our fishing method. The name of the method that I want to describe is dugi de lodo [hit the lagoon]. Dugi de lodo, the way I remember it, me and the other young boys my age went to collect hermit crabs on the eastern side of the island. So we go and take our little canoes and paddle to go into the west lagoon and search for the reef beds in the lagoon, reef beds inside the lagoon, the reef bed where Sauligi fishes, the reef beds to the north and the reef beds to the south of the lagoon and the reef beds by the south islets and by the north islets. We hit the crabs with stones to soften them and soften them and anchor there, then we started fishing. Sometimes we would take our stones and go to the northern islets or to the north side of the main island and collect some stones, then we take them. After we hit our crabs, then we wrap leaves around them and tie them to the rocks and drop them (into the water). There’s a way of tying called the tie… it's tied so that when pulled it becomes loosened. So then when it's time to drop the stones, the bait hangs from the hook and the bait that attracts the fish is also tied to the hook. Once the stone has dropped then we pull. When we pull it, the knot is loosened and the stone drops, so the bait scatters around and spreads out, and the bait attaches to the hook and stays there and this is the bait that the fish come and eat. When they eat it that's when we pull the rope, pull to see if it's hooked, so we pull up the fish. Then we fish like that until it reaches the time we decide that we want to return, we return to our houses. If it was the further islets that we were fishing at or close to the main island that we were fishing at, this fishing takes almost one or two, three hours that we were fishing, so we return to our houses. When we return we cook the fish with our parents at our house. This is the end, this is my way of explaining the fishing that’s called dugi de lodo fishing. If someone is able to explain and make it bigger or better, they should help also to make it bigger and better.

Masoaa nei au e lodo e tala de hai o de gau Nukuoro e mouli ai hogi i de hai denga gai. Gai au e lodo e tala de hai e pelaaini ai denga gulu, de gau nukuoro gilaadeu e pelaini gulu ga gai hogi. Gai delaadeu hai e hai ai, gaamai denga lolo aabego denga gilisi biigi ga hai de ahi ga hagamahana, ga lava ga gaamai de gulu ga hangahanga ga lava ga salu aau de hune gu lava hui gi danuaa i lodo vai gai gilaadeu ga selesele ga duuduu gi vaaligiligi gi lligi. Gu lava, masoaa naa huu gu danuaa ai laa vvela denga gilisi abego denga lolo i honga de ahi gai gilaadeu ga tili ange, ga lava, ga pelaaini. Pelaaini e dee duu de lua minede gai gu mmoa, gai gilaadeu ga langa, gaamai ga gai. De abo donu.

So I want to tell the way that Nukuoro people live and their way of preparing food. So I want to describe the way to fry breadfruit, Nukuoro people fry breadfruit and eat it. So the way they prepare it they bring coconut oil or pig fat and make a fire and heat it, and then they bring the breadfruit and cut it open and then they pare it, remove the inside, and then clean it well with water and then they slice it thinly and cut it up thinner and thinner. Then, when the grease or the coconut oil is nice and hot on the fire then they throw the breadfruit in to fry it. The frying doesn't take more than two minutes, then it's cooked and they take it out and bring it and eat it. Thank you.

E lua moouli o de gau Nukuoro aagu e lodo e tala go de hai o de hale. Gai au e dee dohu loo e dee maua ngau de tala alodahi mee, gai go de baasi donu huu de odo o de hale aagu e maua i de tala. De odo o de hale, gilaadeu e hai ange bolo de hale, e odo ni inage hale olaadeu e haaede ai de looloa o de hale. Gai de hai e hai ai dangada e hulo ga duuduu mai alaadeu langadala ga aahe mai ga llanga. Gai denga daane ga duuduu mai denga laagau e hagaduu ai de hale. Gai gilaadeu ga hagaduu naa huu de hale, ga langa age gi honga duludulu. Lava naa huu de langa age ga hau naa donu huu de hale gu lava gai gilaadeu ga langa age gi honga duludulu. Gu lava naa huu de hau o de hale, gai gilaadeu ga langa age gi honga duludulu. Gai gilaadeu ga kage age, gilaadeu ga kage age gi lunga gai gilaadeu ga daamada de noanoa denga liholiho. Gilaadeu ga daamada i de odo age i lalo, odo age gi daamada i de abitala o de hale ga odo age ai gi lunga i tahuhu. Taalodo o denga... langadala e odo ai dahi inage hale, e hai gi de laumalie o de hale. Deelaa ai hanu dangada alaadeu hale e tai vaaligi, hiidinga go taelodo o denga langadala e hai, e hau ai aabe odo ai de hale, gai hanu dangada e nnui olaadeu hale hiidinga denga langadala e odo ai de hale e llanea. Gai gilaadeu ga odo naa huu de hale, hanu e noho gi lalo e gaavage ai gilaadeu e hai ange e vage ai denga langadala. Gilaadeu e magamaga age denga langadala gai denga daane e odo, e sigo denga langadala ga odo. Gilaadeu ga odo naa huu ga odo ga odo ga dae gi tahuhu. Ga odi naa huu ngaadahi luu baasi i de odo age gai gilaadeu ga loomai ga kage gi lunga ga lava ga gaavage langa tahuhu gu lava de langa tahuhu ga gaavage gai gilaadeu ga gaavange tahuhu, ga velo ga lava ga ui tahuhu o de hale gu lava naa huu de ui tahuhu o de hale, gai delaa de lava o de hale. Meenei go ngaadahi luu baasi o de hale gu lava i de odo ma luu bido ngaadahi o de hale gu lava i de odo. Deenei dagu hai e maua ai i de tala de hai e hai ai de hale.

There are two cultural lifestyles of Nukuoro that I would like to share, one is the making of houses. So I do not know enough to tell everything but it’s the aspect of thatch roofing of houses that I am able to share. The thatching of the house, they call it de hale. For the thatching of houses, they use the number of layers to measure the length of the house. So to do it, people go and collect coconut leaves for thatch weaving and they return and weave. So the men go and bring back the wood to build the house. After they put the thatch on, they pick up and put it on the posts. After they pick it up, after they finish tying the house, they pick it up and put it on the posts. After finishing the tying of the house, they pick it up and put it on the posts. So they climb up, they climb up on top and they begin the joining of rope. They start with the thatch from the bottom to the top, begin from the abitala [bottom] of the thatch and they keep building towards the tahuhu (top of the thatch). Numbers of coconut leaves are needed to thatch a layer of thatching, it depends on the size of the house. That’s why some people's houses look small because of the number of thatchings that are tied or woven on the house, and some people have bigger houses because there is plenty of thatching woven to the house. So when they tie on the thatching some people are below to pass thatching up to them, it's called vage langadala. They throw up the thatching and the men tie it, they catch the thatching and tie it on. So they tie it and tie it and tie it until they reach the top of the roof. When they are done tying thatching to both sides of the roof, then they come and climb to the top and then bring up the weaving for the top, they finish weaving the top part and bring it up to them, bring up the gahuduna, and when they finish covering the top of the house, then the house is complete. These are the two sides of the house, and they finish thatching the front and back of the house. This is what I know about the construction of a traditional house.

Au e lodo e tala de masoaa nei de hai e doo ai de nui, de hai o de gau Nukuoro e doo ai de nui. De gau Nukuoro ga doo naa huu alaadeu nui taamada gilaadeu e gaa mai ga dugu e haga- hai ange- ga dugu ga hai gi somo ga hai ange bolo ni mee osi. Dae naa huu de masoaa e somo ai laa denga mee ga maatua go ga galoange gu maua i de doo, gai gilaadeu ga kave ga hulo gi momme alaadeu gu paba laa bolo e doo ai alaadeu nui gai gilaadeu ga tuu denga muli o denga nui. Tuu denga muli o denga nui gu lava, ga aau mai somo gai gilaadeu ga geli de geelinga ga doo. Ga doo naa huu de gaadinga, alaadeu nui gi lote geelinga gu lava gai gilaadeu ga danu ange ga dugu, de masoaa naa huu de nui gu lava i de doo ange gi lote geelinga, gai tangada gu- ni aana de nui ga dagi tilo ai loo dana nui e tilo gi sula danuaa ange de laa, hai gi dee muimui luu baasi, hai gi malaelae danuaa gi maua ai gi somo danuaa ma de hua danuaa o de nui.

I want to describe right now how to plant coconut the way the Nukuoro people plant the coconut. When the Nukuoro people plant their coconut trees they begin by bringing and leaving there, it's called, they put it and let it grow and it's called mee osi [seedlings]. And when it reaches the point when they’re growing and seem mature then they can be planted. So they take them and go to the place they've prepared to plant their seeds and they cut the ends off of the coconuts. Once they've cut the ends of the coconut, they remove the coconut apple and they dig a hole and plant it, plant the coconut. When they put the coconut in the hole they bury it and leave it there, when the coconut is planted in the hole, then the person whose coconut it is will monitor his coconut tree and make sure it has sunlight, make sure there are no weeds around it, keep it clear, so it can grow well and bear good fruit.

Masoaa nei gai au e lodo hogi e tala dahi hagadaahoo o denga gauligi madagidagi Nukuoro kona i de lodo e hai i honga de henua. De hagadaahoo nei e hagaingoo ange bolo go de hai tibidibi aabe badubadu tibidibi, badu tibidibi. Denga gauligi Nukuoro madagidagi, gilaadeu e gaamai naa denga lau mmasa, gai gilaadeu ga llanga, llanga tibidibi go gilaadeu e iloo be deehee maa de laumalie aabe deehee maa de maasei olaadeu e lodo ai. Gilaadeu ga llanga naa gu lava, gai gilaadeu ga loomai gi lote gulando aabego tai duu malaelae, ga tuu ga holi age ga hai be se hagaholi age gilaadeu gai dahi dangada e duu i teungaa lodo. Gai tangada- ga laumalie naa huu delaadeu laaini tuu ai, gai gu lua dangada e nnoho i lodo e nilaau de loo ange gi denga mee e loo ange laa gi lodo masoaa o tibidibi e hanange ai gi lodo, gai luu dangada nei ni laau de loo ange ga badu. Gai de hai e hai ai de hagadaahoo nei e hai gi dee maua gi doo aabe gi noho tibidibi gi lote moana donu huu ga hano iho gi lote moana donu huu ga hano iho. Gai ga doo naa huu gai gilaadeu ga hagaahe age angeange gai gilaadeu ga badu naa donu huu gai gilaadeu ga baabaa olaadeu lima beenei, “dahi, lua” ga lava ga hagaahe age badu angeange ga lava ga, “dahi, lua, dolu”, deenei de leo o tibidibi e hai donu gi hano gi lunga, “dahi, dahi lua, dahi lua dolu” ga lava ga hagaahe ange, “dahi, dahi lua, dahi lua dolu”, ga hagaahe ahe ai donu huu belaa e hai donu gi dee doo tibidibi. Ga lava naa huu, gai gilaadeu alodahi gu malangilangi. De abo donu.

Now I want to also describe a traditional Nukuoro children’s game that we love to play on the island. This game is called tibidibi, or badubadu tibidibi, kick tibidibi. Nukuoro children, they would bring their dried pandanus leaves and they would weave, weave tibidibi and they would decide how big or how small they want to make it. When they've finished weaving it, they come to the playground or open area and stand in a circle, they all make a circle and one person stands in the middle and it's their job to get anything that falls in the middle. Then it’s two people’s turn to come and kick. Then the way to play this game was to not stop or to rest so the tibidibi goes up into the sky and down and up and down and when it stops, then they'll bring it back and do it again, and while they kick it they clap their hands, “One, two” and then it goes up again, another kick, “One, two, three”, you have to make this sound when the tibidibi goes up, “One, one two, one two three” and then again, “One, one two, one two three” and they go again and again like that so that the tibidibi never stops. When it’s done, then all of them become happy. Thank you.