Afterword

Chief Isaac of Asor Island ended his telling of the final tale in this collection, Forbwaey, with the words below…

Ulithian

Meda mele sibe hola mo irel fiong? Rebe hamalei yarmat ngo rebe hamale gich. Yong repey, gula yach irel sew formel teyug chog mo irel yodla mal hodal bo hosa hasi yam diploma mo irel elementary hare high school hare meda, bo ye loloh chog. Mele kai le siloh chog loh chog ye sila loh solbos hare fael bol ngo sa moch yuug mele kai. Iewe lapal meka gich siya kokola irel kofal yach yoch mo yiig mo. Ye peling, peling peliyal ngal gich le gich sibe wol luwalei bo hawiri ngang, tor fael sew le ye cross yai luluwal muswe lehare sibela hola time le igla yong, sa wares loh yiig hare meke luwul tad. Igla sa halngal fod ngaliyei mo ngalugemi. Hami chog ngo hable hola te tai ifa lapal hames ngalgich yach- meda? Yach supply. Iewe ila mele sew fiyongol hawewe le yemangdoh.

Hasa hachigchig irel yami talengal fiyong kowe yai. Ietugla hare habe nguch iyang hare meda. Ngo ila lapal mala chil mang doh. Cholop fiyong kala igula le yemomai ngo towol yog le ibe luwalei.

English

What do we learn from folktales and legends? When you do good for others they will return the favor. Education doesn’t end when you get your certificate or diploma in elementary school or high school or beyond. Gaining knowledge is an ongoing process. Learning goes on and on until you are buried. That’s when it ends. It is imperative to keep learning, and what we are learning about our reefs, fish, and sea animals is important. I never imagined that we would face a time when the fish and seafood populations would diminish. Now it’s becoming clear to you. You know yourself that we are not catching enough fish, and so this is a story of understanding and compromise. 

Thank you for listening to this tale. I didn’t know if it bored you, but these are the stories that came to mind. I know many more stories – good ones – but can’t think of them right now.

Many More Stories!

These stories have introduced some foundational lessons for surviving on these islands. Later lessons will assume this knowledge and build on it. For example, the story of Mwaey taught how to find the first star – Mailap. To learn the whole star compass will take many more stories. Is there someone you can ask to teach you what comes next?