Pohnpeian men carrying yams in woven coconut basket dressed in ceremonial grass skirts. Seidos, far right
This skit imitated a feast for Wasahi Samuel Hadley (later Nahnmwarki of Madolenihmw) to have an occasion for an American anthropologist, Dr. Saul Riesenberg (Smithsonian Institute) to do photo shooting at Pahnkedira, Nan Madol in 1963. You can find some photos in his book “The Native Polity of Ponape” (1968), which is downloadable at https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/1326. This photo collection was held at the Micronesian Seminar. We would like to thank our volunteer, Ms. Grace Hunt Sui, for uploading them here and the Micronesian Seminar, especially Fr. Francis Hezel, for allowing us to share them here.
Pohnpeian men carrying yams on woven coconut basket dressed in ceremonial grass skirts. Seidos, far right
men on canoe full of local food on their way to a feast
Pohnpeian men gathering food together for the feast at the ruins.
procession with sakau
cleaning and preparing to pound sakau
preparing hibiscus for the sakau
twisting the hibiscus-bast strainer to wring out the kava
line of men handling sakau
line of men handling sakau plants for piling
men preparing sakau
men preparing sakau
Masao Hadley or Kesner Hadley, Nahmadau en Idehd in Madolenihmw, Pohnpei
Koropin David, Nahnsauririn Kitti
Wasahi Samuel Hadley (later Nahnmwarki of Madolenihmw)
Wasahi Samuel Hadley (later Nahnmwarki of Madolenihmw) with his family
Wasahi Samuel Hadley (later Nahnmwarki of Madolenihmw) with his family. Master of kava ceremony handing cup of kava to chief’s servitor
Combing out the bast strainer with the fingers to prepare it for laying on the stone so that maceraed root fibers can be placed on it before twisting
Pohnpeian men piling up sakau plants before pounding
Saul Riesenberg holding roasted dog in ceremonial wrapping
Canoes filled with local crops for the rituals
More canoes filled with local crops and people to carry them and perform the rituals
Men in grass skirts ready to carry the offering of local crops for the offering rituals before the survey
Men carrying a basket full of yams and taro for the offering rites
Man preparing the roasted dog
Roasted pigs and yams in a basket for the offering
Wasahi Samuel Hadley (later Nahnmwarki of Madolenihmw)
Nahnmwarki’s family sitting on the platform
Nahnmwarki’s son holding a flower
The serving of sakau to the royalty
Sakau plant brought to be offered
Pounding of sakau
More pounding of sakau
Squeezing of sakau with inner bark of hibiscus tree
Hibiscu bark used for squeezing sakau
Men in ceremonial grass skirts
Pond
Area for the archaeological survey
Area for the archaeological survey
Archaeological survey area
Survey team
Sakau stone being moved to a leveled platform
Survey team at the ruin’s entrance
Nan Madol’s walls of basalt rocks
Meggers far right at the wall
Local guy sitting under the rock walls
Basalt rocks of the ruins