Kwajalein, Marshall Islands: Ancient Arts Passed Down

By Jan Waddell, The Kwajalein Hourglass Reporter

Saturday was filled with tradition, rhythmic-chants and drum beats meant for only high chiefs, but graciously shared with an entire community. But Iroij Michael Kabua gave his permission for the Jobwa Stick Dance performance on Emon beach and brought his outrigger canoe to Emon and to give rides to the adventurous in what became a Marshallese cultural event Saturday night to raise money to send the dancers abroad to share their art. The event raised around $1,150 in t-shirts, canoe rides and handicraft sales and all the proceeds and donations helped the Jobwa Stick Dancers travel to Los Angeles to perform and then to Pacific Arts Festival in Palau.

The dance is an old and honored tradition performed only for high chiefs and kings.

Public showing of the dance is rare and has only been shown on Kwajalein three times in the past 20 years, according to Eric Lindborg.

Kabua explained it is part of a war dance and performed only on special occasions, and usually in private. The dancers train for the Jobwa at the direction of the high chief and pass the tradition down to younger dancers.

He added there are 20 dancers, 18 who dance and two who walk back and forth to keep the line straight and step-in if a dancer is unable to continue. There are also two women who chant and a drummer.

Several Ebeye women arrived early Saturday and started making leis, wuts and woven mats, dinner baskets and hangings in preparation for the celebration.
The women started in the early afternoon preparing teriyaki beef sticks, rice balls, jelly-filled desserts and fresh drinking coconuts.

Kabua’s outrigger canoe, along with his race-winning ruwits, rested on the beach and he made sure all was ready for the evening’s ceremony.

“As I recalled the [Jobwa Stick Dance] history is over several hundred years. The play is never performed without the permission of the king and the royal families,” said Helmer Emos. “The uniqueness of the play is beyond comparable, and it has never been changed for the last 40 years of my observation.”

The events started around 5 p.m. with outrigger rides, traditional Marshallese food served in a hand-woven palm frond basket, fresh drinking coconuts and handmade woven items that were purchased from the makers.

“The outrigger was fascinating,” said resident Teresa Young. “We couldn’t believe how fast it was.”

To sail the outrigger in different directions, the crew manually picks up the sail from one end and runs it across the boat to the other end and sets it in place, Kabua explained. There is nothing mechanical on the outrigger, and the crew does it all. He also said that his outrigger was a small one. Some are 50 to 100 feet in length and even have homes built on them for long ocean travel.

He chuckled and said when you ride on the outrigger, “you are going to get wet.”
The people who rode it were soaked when they returned to the shore, but their smiles told of the fun they had.

“The outrigger ride was amazing,” said resident Cris Lindborg. “You could really feel the surge of power as the winds filled the sail. It was exhilarating to watch the crew change the sail from one side of the boat to the other. This was the first time in my 25 years on island that Kwajalein has been graced with an opportunity to experience traditional sailing. You really gain respect for the skill and bravery of the Marshallese who ventured out in the open ocean in such vessels.”

At dusk, Kabua’s crew brought the outrigger to shore, since they were part of the Jobwa Stick Dance.

Eric Lindborg took the stage and gave the brief story about the dance legend before the dance began with the blowing of a trumpet shell.

A man blowing another trumpet shell answered and the rhythmic sound of the sticks were heard, as the dancers emerged onto the concrete stage. Dressed in ancient, traditional Marshallese attire, the chanters and drummers took their place on stage.

The dancers took their position, and the methodic drumming and chanting started.
Banging iron wood sticks and weaving back and forth through other dancers the performance lasted almost 30 minutes.

“I thought they were amazing,” resident Rick Young said. “I can see why it would be a dangerous dance for the dancers. I could see a lot of the old Marshallese influence.”

Cris Lindborg added, “I thought the festival was fantastic, everyone seemed to have enjoyed it. The performance was better than in the past because we could sit right next to the dancers, rather than watching the dancing up on the Richardson stage as before.”

Teresa Young said, “We felt fortunate to be able to witness this event. The dancers were incredible. What an opportunity to be a part of. It seemed like we were reliving a part of history. We had a great time.”

Kabua shared the dance one more time, this time on Ebeye, before the dancers headed for California Wednesday on the Aloha flight.

“One of the truly amazing experiences I will take from being on Kwajalein,” said Rick Young.

According to Cris Lindborg, t-shirts are available upon request. Call, 52935 for more information. Donations for the dancer’s trip to the Pacific Arts Festival in Palau in July can be sent to the Marshallese Cultural Center at P.O. Box 1593. Make checks payable to the Marshallese Cultural Society.

For anyone who still wants to purchase woven items, Missico Lingrine, a weaver, said they are at the Marshallese Cultural Center every Monday night from 4-6 p.m. weaving items.

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Special thank you to The Kwajalein Hourglass Editor Jim Bennett and Reporter Jan Waddell for permission to reprint this article.

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