Evening star., 1948-09-05
Bikini Refugees Wait
For Second Attempt al.
Settling New Island
By George Weller
Foreign Correspondent Of The stor and
the chicoao Dolly News


KWAJALEIN ATOLL, Marshall
Islands, Sept, 4.-The waits of Bikini
are camped by themselves at the
Tlshbone end of this atoll, waiting
for their next move. The dark
skinned displaced persons of the
Pacific are ready to make a second
try at resettlement after their
second uprooting.
walked along the reef today with
Judah, chief of the 1876 refugees of
Blkini, and asked him why his
people had left Rongerik.
There was not enough food to
live here" he said The cocoanut
palms were too few and the fish
were poisoned"
Rongerik was almost the twin of
Bikini as an atoll and should have
furnished an ideal copy of the
islanders lost home. The fish were
poisoned, Judah explained, not by
the atomic radiation, but by an
ancient curse.
Old Curse Explained.
Evil hands once threw an old
woman into the sea at Rongerik,
said the chief, q middle-sized, snag-
toothed man of 47 wearing blue navy
dungarees. Ever since then the
fish have been poisoned. We knew
of this curse before We we're taken
there. We found 1t was true"
The Bikini people were lifted from
tat nf hn
northwest Marshalls to nearby
Rongerik, which was mysteriouSly
deserted. In 81 months there they
Jumped in numbers from 166 to 1874,
but they grew thin and under
nouriShed. The Navy, under Rear
Admiral Carleton Wright and the
island governor, Capt, J. P. w. Vest,
moved to find new home.
The aim throughout the Mar
shalls is to make the natives eco
nomically independent But an atoll
archipelago is always short on land
and long on water. Capt. Vest
brought the harassed Bikinis to
Wajalein, the compressed metrop-
Oils of the MarShalls. He set about |
feeding them back to health and
recharging their hopes.
Moves Now Successful.
Since the Rongerik blunder the
Navy had carried out successful
in moving the natives
of EniWetok, also atomic refugees, .
to Ujelang Instead of move by
command. however, they had Sc
cured a maximum of consent. They
showed the EniWetok leaders the
new island beforehand-some al
ready knew it-instead of moving
them like chattels.
While the Bikinis were fed and
here with series of
Wild west movies by their favorites
Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. new
plan got underway. Judah and 10
men of Bkini'S II adults were taken
for two week trips to Wotho and
Kill, where they camped out to test
these new islands.
While Bikini, in the world of the
MarshallS, is located near Butte,
Mont, Wotho is around Kansas
City and Kill is around Dallas.
Furthermore, the Northern Mar
Shallese are conservative, inbred
hillbillies of the sea, the Southern
ers. early hosts to both whalers and
missionaries, are more worldly and
knowing Wotho is an atoll like
Bikini. but Kill is high island
with M Sheltered lap0on
Choice Put to Vote.
The Navy suggested the BikiniS
put the choice to vote. At first
the Bikinls were timid; they wanted
the Navy to make the decision.
The Navy put up photographs of
Wotho and Kill, and authorized
women as well as men to vote This !
step was less daring than It sounds,
because women have powerful voice
in MarShallese affairs.
With every one over Is years old
voting, the county was three to one
for Xiii. The Navy obliged by CIV
ing the Bikinis special privileges to
Use part of Jaluit, lagoon atoll.
After shaking hands with most
of the adult BikiniS, I found their
enforced stopover in Kwajalein had
enriched them materially In one
home. not the chiefs, I saw a
portable cookstove. sewing machine,
bed and mattress. guitar, ukelele. !
dishes, several chests of clothes and
extra shoes.
Chief Judah said:
Kill has no lagoon and. there
fore, it is not so good as Bikini for
sailing and fishing. But we figure |
we can collect 80 to 100 tons of
copra a year there. Back in Bikini
our picklngs ran from 25 to 30 tons.
Kill is richer in cocoanutS than
our old home"
The BlkiniS live in tents with
wooden floors raised from the coral, /
between the open beach and long
black airstrip. They are secluded
because lonely servicemen find
their daughters attractive, and
brlbe their way with beer through |
to the camp,
In about two months the Blkinis
will pack their beds and mail order
Catalogs aboard landing craft and
start for Kill. They have been
bounced about somewhat, but more
gainfully than many an unhoused
American family