Continuation from Part II:
"In this picture we have finished our island tour and waiting for Dad to finish clinic. Dad took the picture and asked Mike to stand in the background. Mike was usually left alone to explore the island and ignored because he was military age male." Su Tucker (© Damon Tucker)
The following is my mom’s take:
If I remember correctly, this picture was taken summer of 1966, when I was 19, my second summer in Micronesia, and this was taken on Ulithi Island, the first outer island on one of Dad’s medical tours. Dad would usually travel one week a month on the tramp steamer, Yap Islander, to the outer islands to treat patients and train the local med-techs…
The Yap Islander (© Damon Tucker)
Local women greet the Yap Islander (© Damon Tucker)
On Board the Yap Islander (© Damon Tucker)
Local men greet The Yap Islander (© Damon Tucker)
…Mike had just flown in on a puddle jumper plane from Guam that touched down on one end of the island and stopped on the other end of the island after breaking really hard. He didn’t know that Dad and I were on the island, so he was very surprised to see me in the midst of a bunch of topless women meeting the plane. He also hadn’t figured out where to look at the women… except in the eyes. Note his lack of tan…
Uncle Mike enjoying things (© Damon Tucker)
Locals fascinated with white people (©Damon Tucker)
… Mom had traveled to the outer islands many times with Dad and had made many friends. She had let her friends know that I would be coming, and most of the islanders had never seen a teenage haole girl before. The young girls were very eager to meet me. On this island the young people were being taught English by a teacher named Jim Boyken at a small school…
Limited transportation options (© Damon Tucker)
"This is Father Walters who was a Catholic priest. At times when he did not wear his cassock, he wore white boxer shorts with the fly sewn up." Su Tucker (© Damon Tucker)
…Dad would have medical clinic and Father Walters would hold mass. I would be taken by hand and showed the village and the island. The houses were made of bamboo and coconut thatching, very clean with breezes flowing tru to make the houses very cool…
Grandfather checking for lung infections (© Damon Tucker)
"Picture of Med-Tech or “Togahdah” . He is not doing a breast exam…note, he is using the stethoscope to check lung function. Unfortunately many people got tuberculosis. In fact, after our medical tour, Dad had to go out the next week because there were reports of Whooping Cough. (Pertussis, which is now a part of all baby inoculations, so it isn’t a problem in the US.)" Su Tucker (© Damon Tucker)
Folks lined up to see my grandfather (© Damon Tucker)
…Cooking was done outside on a fire. At each home families wanted to share something with me, either food or coconut water and beautifully made leis made in the Micronesian style. I, in turn would start out my day with many bracelets (and cigarettes) which I shared…
Feast for a Chief (© Damon Tucker)
"The "girls by the table"... that was the school's boat. Instead of PE, the students would go out spear fishing for their daily food. One student would stay in the boat to bail out water. When the students caught a fish they would relay thrown them into the boat because the blood attracted reef sharks. According to Dad, if the sharks came too close, the kids would kick them in the nose." Su Tucker (@Damon Tucker)
Cooking outside (© Damon Tucker)
…The girls were very shy and giggled a lot as we tried to communicate with each other. Pre-pubescent girls wore front and back grass skirts, older girls and women wore beautifully woven lava lavas, a type or sarong made from course white fibers dyed with local dyes. I remember that the girls used turmeric, a yellow spice, in their hair for decoration. One girl asked to borrow my brush and they all shared hair brushing. As you can tell from the picture, their hair was very tightly curled or negroid. They were interested in my hair because it was straight. When they returned the brush, it was immaculately clean…
Local kids excited to see Westerners (© Damon Tucker)
Another respected elderly with my grandpa (© Damon Tucker)
Filed under: Blogs, Community, Entertainment, Environment, Food & Drink, Guest Commentator, Kids, Military, State Affairs, Sustainable Living, Tourism | Tagged: 1966 Yap and the Outer Islands | 9 Comments »
Mayor Kenoi’s Blog
Hawaii News and Island Information 
1966 Yap and the Outer Islands… A Photo Journal (Part III)
Continuation from Part II:
"In this picture we have finished our island tour and waiting for Dad to finish clinic. Dad took the picture and asked Mike to stand in the background. Mike was usually left alone to explore the island and ignored because he was military age male." Su Tucker (© Damon Tucker)
The following is my mom’s take:
If I remember correctly, this picture was taken summer of 1966, when I was 19, my second summer in Micronesia, and this was taken on Ulithi Island, the first outer island on one of Dad’s medical tours. Dad would usually travel one week a month on the tramp steamer, Yap Islander, to the outer islands to treat patients and train the local med-techs…
The Yap Islander (© Damon Tucker)
Local women greet the Yap Islander (© Damon Tucker)
On Board the Yap Islander (© Damon Tucker)
Local men greet The Yap Islander (© Damon Tucker)
…Mike had just flown in on a puddle jumper plane from Guam that touched down on one end of the island and stopped on the other end of the island after breaking really hard. He didn’t know that Dad and I were on the island, so he was very surprised to see me in the midst of a bunch of topless women meeting the plane. He also hadn’t figured out where to look at the women… except in the eyes. Note his lack of tan…
Uncle Mike enjoying things (© Damon Tucker)
Locals fascinated with white people (©Damon Tucker)
… Mom had traveled to the outer islands many times with Dad and had made many friends. She had let her friends know that I would be coming, and most of the islanders had never seen a teenage haole girl before. The young girls were very eager to meet me. On this island the young people were being taught English by a teacher named Jim Boyken at a small school…
Limited transportation options (© Damon Tucker)
"This is Father Walters who was a Catholic priest. At times when he did not wear his cassock, he wore white boxer shorts with the fly sewn up." Su Tucker (© Damon Tucker)
…Dad would have medical clinic and Father Walters would hold mass. I would be taken by hand and showed the village and the island. The houses were made of bamboo and coconut thatching, very clean with breezes flowing tru to make the houses very cool…
Grandfather checking for lung infections (© Damon Tucker)
"Picture of Med-Tech or “Togahdah” . He is not doing a breast exam…note, he is using the stethoscope to check lung function. Unfortunately many people got tuberculosis. In fact, after our medical tour, Dad had to go out the next week because there were reports of Whooping Cough. (Pertussis, which is now a part of all baby inoculations, so it isn’t a problem in the US.)" Su Tucker (© Damon Tucker)
Folks lined up to see my grandfather (© Damon Tucker)
…Cooking was done outside on a fire. At each home families wanted to share something with me, either food or coconut water and beautifully made leis made in the Micronesian style. I, in turn would start out my day with many bracelets (and cigarettes) which I shared…
Feast for a Chief (© Damon Tucker)
"The "girls by the table"... that was the school's boat. Instead of PE, the students would go out spear fishing for their daily food. One student would stay in the boat to bail out water. When the students caught a fish they would relay thrown them into the boat because the blood attracted reef sharks. According to Dad, if the sharks came too close, the kids would kick them in the nose." Su Tucker (@Damon Tucker)
Cooking outside (© Damon Tucker)
…The girls were very shy and giggled a lot as we tried to communicate with each other. Pre-pubescent girls wore front and back grass skirts, older girls and women wore beautifully woven lava lavas, a type or sarong made from course white fibers dyed with local dyes. I remember that the girls used turmeric, a yellow spice, in their hair for decoration. One girl asked to borrow my brush and they all shared hair brushing. As you can tell from the picture, their hair was very tightly curled or negroid. They were interested in my hair because it was straight. When they returned the brush, it was immaculately clean…
Local kids excited to see Westerners (© Damon Tucker)
Another respected elderly with my grandpa (© Damon Tucker)
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Filed under: Blogs, Community, Entertainment, Environment, Food & Drink, Guest Commentator, Kids, Military, State Affairs, Sustainable Living, Tourism | Tagged: 1966 Yap and the Outer Islands | 9 Comments »