Ifalik Island, Federated States of Micronesia

Our itinerary said that today’s destination was Ifalik Island, but it seemed to me that we went into a painting by Gauguin.  Ifalik is lovely atoll with a village that wraps along the lagoon side.  Traditional structures with natural coconut leaf roofs were stretched out along neat pathways, with a few more “modern” single-story structures interspersed.

The locals greeted us as we landed and we were welcomed to walk throughout the village.  The men put on a demonstration of men doing manly work of making rope out of coconut fiber.  The women demonstrated the womanly art of cooking, and all the while we could see villagers getting ready for the cultural/dance performance, making costume parts and painting upper bodies with a colorful yellow ochre.

Unlike other dances I have seen so far in the region, the dance here was performed mostly in a long line down the main pathway of the village, and parts were performed sitting down.  Our expedition team guru explained that this harkens back to the traditional chanting and singing they would have done while seated in a row in their long outrigger canoes — which are still used and could be seen all throughout the village.