Pek pwoapwoaud nan tehnpas

Marriage in Pohnpei is between families. Ancient traditions are still central to marriage.

convoy
The family of the groom convoy to the home of the bride.

In the past the family would have walked, but modern times typically have the family moving by car.

father_brings_sakau
The father brings only sakau (Piper methysticum).

To bring more than sakau might be taken the wrong way by the bride's family. The exception is when sugar cane is brought with the sakau. If sugar cane accompanies the sakau the name of the plant changes to sakauen pahnta.

cutting_sakau
Cutting of the branches of the sakau

sukusuk
Sukusuk: the pounding begins.

The request for the bride will be proceeded by the traditional performance of nohpwei - the first four cups of sakau. This part of the ceremony is a constant for all occasions.

pwehl
The first cup, pwehl, is prepared.

pwel_mitsuo_daniel
The highest title present is offered the first cup. The groom is represented by Luhk, a high title in Kitti.

second_cup_to_menindei
The second cup, arehn sakau, is passed by the father to the menindei.

esil_highest_titled_female
The third cup, esil, goes to the highest titled woman in the Sokehs variant of nohpwei.

The fourth cup (not shown) is sent back up to front platform. The fourth cup closes the formal ceremonial portion of the sakau ceremony.

mission_explanation
Holding the fifth cup, the spokesman for the groom offers an explanation of why the groom's family has come.

Theoretically, up until this time no one would necessarily know the reason someone has come into one's nahs with sakau. Although there may have been a time when some families arranged marriages, in both traditional and modern times the groom has been the one who selected his bride. In traditional times they would have met secretly under the cover of night. In Pohnpei, the ideal is that one finds that one special partner one will love for a lifetime. Conceivably the bride's family might have objections to a young man who has been secretly seeing their daughter. That all might save face, the groom's spokesman first tells a legend of a troublesome boy and the importance of forgiving the boy. Thus he indirectly asks for the forgiveness of the bride's family for anything the groom might have done with their daughter. Then the spokesman asks for the young woman. The fifth cup is then offered to the father.

cup_offered_to_bride_father
The father of the bride assents to the request for his daughter by accepting the fifth cup.

mother_instructs_son_in_law
The mother of the bride instructs the new husband on his responsibilities in regards her daughter.

son_in_law_called
The new husband is called to receive the cup.

marekeiso
The husband's family shows that they will care for the new addition to their family by annointing her with marekeiso oil and crowning her with flowers

aimy
Aimy Manuel Gourlay

first_cup_to_wife
The new husband, Jonathan, offers a first cup to his new wife.

The husband and his family will leave with the new wife to return to his home with his family. In Micronesia, both in the past and present, a woman leaves her home and joins the family of her husband.

flower_girl
Although not a tradition, what modern wedding would be complete without a flower girl?

Inaccuracies in the preceding are wholly the fault of the photographer and page author.