How Nan Madol was Built

How Nan Madol was Built

(A Legend from Pohnpei)

Magicians, semi-magicians, and sometime-magicians were not unfamiliar to early Pohnpeians. And so it wasn’t with complete surprise that Pohnpeians, a thousand or so years ago, accepted the brothers Olsihpa and Olsohpa upon their arrival at the end of a long voyage to the island. The brothers had sailed from the west, “a place down-wind,” that cannot now be positively identified. They arrived in either a single large vessel or perhaps with a fleet of canoes because it is known that they were accompanied by many companions. It was obvious that Olsihpa and Olsohpa had magical powers. They were wise and daring and were able to speak the local language when they landed. It was assumed that they were related to sacred people. The two young men, in their twenties at the time, were allowed to land on Pohnpei without opposition. The reasons for which Olsihpa and Olsohpa came to the island were to locate a site and build a place for worship, and also to unite the people under a single ruler who would preside at the sacred site. At that time, the island was ruled by numerous clan leaders who were constantly feuding.

The brothers first attempted a settlement at Sokehs in the northwest, but it was unsuccessful. Then they moved eastward to a place off of Nett, but this site also proved to be unsuitable. They then moved to U at Likirmoli, but the area was too wavy and windy to build a settlement. Then the brothers climbed Pelohlap Mountain to survey the island. From its height, they saw what appeared to be a stone stairway that led down into the depth at Nankapw Harbor to the entrance of an underwater city occupied by gods. When the people saw that the brothers were blessed with such a vision, they all gathered to help in the sacred project. The settlement would be built in the water for several reasons. It should be near to the eel Nan Somohl, who was the earth figure of a god in the sky, and the settlement should be protected from attacks by its numerous channels. It would contain many islands for defense, and also have battlements. From the safety of stone walls on dry islands, the defenders could easily defeat water-borne attackers. The canals could also be used for transportation.

The first large rock placed at the Nan Madol site was a four-sided slab of basalt which was named Pehirahni. It was erected so that its edges faced the cardinal points of the compass, and was used as a surveying base for other islets. The sea, however, was a constant tormentor and attempts to construct a breakwater were washed away by waves. Through supernatural power, a large basalt rock with magic qualities flew over the mountains of Pohnpei from Sokehs and landed at the breakwater. It provided an immovable foundation around which the sea barrier was built. Some large basalt rocks were rafted to the site while others flew there by magical means. The spaces between the basalt slabs were packed with coral rubble available on the reef in the immediate area. Generations of Pohnpeians engaged in the effort until the islets were finally built. It took more than a hundred years from beginning to completion of the settlement. Because of their magic, the brothers Olsihpa and Olsohpa aged slower than other people. Despite this, Olsihpa died and did not see the completion of the work he had started with his brother. Each of the islands, when finished, provided a special function that, in some way, had religious significance.

When the building of Nan Madol was completed, the surviving brother, Olsohpa, also died, and with him died the rule of the island by many feuding clan chiefs. Thus, the second era of Pohnpeian history, the period of rule by single royal leaders, the Saudeleurs, began on the sacred islets of Olsihpa and Olsohpa at Nan Madol.

Source

Pohnpei, an Island Argosy

Gene Ashby

1993

Pages: 240-242