Island Ghosts
Print this Page- By Gardner D. Smith
- Country: Micronesia
- Dates of Service: 1995–1997
Ghosts are taken very, very seriously on Fefen, an island in Chuuk, Micronesia. They
can come in many different forms, from old, child-devouring men to beautiful women
who lure young men into the mangrove swamps to drown. They can trick you into giving
up your land or teach valuable lessons about loyalty, honesty, and sharing food.
Or they can just scare the hell out of you.
I'm not a big believer in ghosts, despite the stories of apparitions in Japanese
bunkers from the second World War, the tricksters who shake the trees and make the
breadfruit and coconuts fall in your path, or the ghost of the mountain who leads
people astray into the thickest jungle.
On the other hand, I am a fan of Halloween, the day when all the spirits come out
to play. None of my elementary school students, however, had ever heard of it. So,
in the week leading up to Halloween, I decided to build my lessons around themes
of the undead. We made masks, wrote scary stories, drew pictures of the local ghosts,
and even carved a jack-o-lantern out of a round watermelon.
Then, on October 31, we had a party in the uut, or meeting place. My mother had
sent me some face paints, candy, and a freakish devil mask that I was sure would
cause quite a commotion, especially considering how missionaries have affected people
here in the past.
To start out, some of the teachers told ghost stories in Chuukese. The students from
grades one through eight were enthralled. This is how education here should be, I
thought, especially in this oral culture. It didn't matter just then that our school
didn't have walls, or electricity, or basic materials. What mattered was the passing
on of knowledge, history, and values, all through stories.
Afterward, when all the kids were primed for scaring, I came flying in wearing the
devil mask and a lava lava cape, roaring for all I was worth. The reaction was a
little more than I expected. Half the first graders ran away. Some ran all the way
home. Some didn't come back. I chased the rest all over the place and roared myself
hoarse. After a while, the kids remembered to shout, "Trick or Treat,"
and I threw the candy to them. The other teachers painted their faces as ghouls and
chased the children around some more. Then we ate and we sang and we danced.
That night I visited with some of the families whose kids had run away. We all laughed
about it and shared more stories.
But on the way home the strangest thing happened. The huge mango tree near our house
shook and the leaves fluttered violently. But there was no wind. No wind at all.
About the Author:
Gardner D. Smith was a teacher at UFO Elementary School in Chuuk, Micronesia. He has an M.S. in Elementary Education from the College of St. Rose and a B.A. in English from Colgate University.