Kit Porter Van Meter Marianas Collection & NMI PCV Memories
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  • KPV Collection
    • COLLECTION INDEX & GENERAL CONTENT
    • EDUCATION & CULTURE ​CONTENT
    • NEWSLETTERS, MAGAZINES & ​PRESS RELEASES
    • IMAGE CAPTION ​INVENTORY
    • About the Website
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      • Update #5 (12/01/19)
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  Kit Porter Van Meter Marianas Collection & NMI PCV Memories

Wood Carvings
ART & ARTIFACTS


WOMAN PICKING PAPAYA
​
submitted Kit Porter Van Meter


DESCRIPTION: Carving depicting woman picking papaya 
SIZE: 8 3/4" tall; 5 1/2 across; 1/2" thick
MATERIAL: Probably iron wood slab
LOCATION ACQUIRED: Rota, Northern Mariana Islands, Micronesia
DATE: 1968
Item(s) Collected by: KIT PORTER VAN METER, PCV ROTA, NMI 1967-1969

Information, pictures, and story submitted by Kit Van Meter, May, 2021
Rota is one of the islands in the Marianas chain of Micronesia and as such is frequently in the path of typhoons.  As a NMI PCV, I had experienced a major typhoon in November 1967, soon after arriving on the island and had spent three days sheltered in a large cave in the hill above the island’s village, Songsong.  After this experience, I would always seek shelter in a cave or a cement house when Typhoon Condition Two was announced.  

I do not remember the exact date or storm, but a storm was coming and a friend asked me to shelter in the cave in the hill behind his house.  All the islanders lived in one village with ocean on two sides, a peninsula on the third side and a series of hills honeycombed with caves above the village.  Prior to World War II, the islanders were moved out of the village by the Japanese with some living in caves.  Other caves had gun emplacements and were used by Japanese soldiers during the war. 

About twenty people went to this--children, parents, relatives & friends.  The men played cards, shared stories and enjoyed drinking.  The women cared for the children and prepared food of cooked rice and Rota beef.  The smell of kerosene burning from soy sauce bottle lamps filled the air.  I am not sure, but I think we were in the cave for a day and the storm did not do much damage.  While digging, to make a level place to put the woven mat for sleeting, we found the carving pictured here.  No one knew anything about it.  Maybe it is from the war years or maybe earlier.
Picture

STORY BOARD
submitted by Tom Zink
Picture
Carver: Danny Olaitiman (Saipan, NMI)
  • Story in process...
  • Click here for an issue of Glimpses of Micronesia: Living Art, Palau Storyteller's about these story boards
Picture
Danny Olaitiman with carving given to Tom Zink (1970)

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