According to Sosylina Maddison, the National Coordinator for the Bikini Coalition in the United States, approximately 7,000 Bikini Islanders are alive today. The 2020 census indicates the largest island population of Bikini people is 548 on Kili island, the last relocation site of the Bikini people following Operation Crossroads. Many Bikini people also live on the Island of Ejit and have migrated to urban center such as Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands. They are governed by the Kili/Bikini/Ejit Local Government.
Bikinian Flag
The 23 white stars represent the islands of Bikini Atoll.
The 3 black stars in the upper right corner represent the three islands vaporized by the Castle Bravo detonation on March 1, 1954.
The two black stars in the lower right hand corner represent the islands of Ejit and Kili, where the majority of Bikinians in the Marshall Islands reside today.
The words MEN OTEMJEJ REJ ILO BEIN ANIJ (MORIBA), which translate as “Everything is in God’s hands,” is the response of Bikinian leader, Juda, to U.S. Commodore Ben Wyatt in 1946 when the Americans asked the Bikinians to give up their islands for the ‘good of mankind.’
Bikinian Anthem (1946), Peformed by Ejit Choir
Written by Lore Kessibuki (1914-1994)
No longer can I stay, it’s true.
No longer can I live in peace and harmony.
No longer can I rest on my sleeping mat and pillow
Because of my island and the life I once knew there.
The thought is overwhelming
Rendering me helpless and in great despair.
My spirit leaves, drifting around and far away
Where it becomes caught in a current of immense power
And only then do I find tranquility.
Credits: Translation of the Bikinian anthem and the description of the flag from Jack Niedenthal, For the Good of Mankind; the Bikinian Anthem recorded at Nuclear Victims and Survivors Day, Ejit, courtesy of Jessica A. Schwartz. Source: Official Website of the Kili/Bikini/Ejit Local Government
One third of all Marshallese people, including Bikinians, has migrated to the United States in search of health care, work and education. The largest United States population of Marshallese people and Bikini descendants (15,000) resides in Springdale, Arkansas, where many work for Tyson Foods in the chicken processing and distribution plants. With its large Marshallese population, Springdale, Arkansas, a city of 80,000, has been referred to as the “New Atoll.”
Nuclear Remembrance Day, 2020
I was introduced to the Marshallese and Bikini people during two visits to Springdale, Arkansas: Nuclear Remembrance Day, February 28-March 1, 2020 and July 27-August 1, 2021 when I participated in the Atoll Stroll Festivities.
During these events, The Bikini and Marshallese people shared their traditional songs, dances, and food and welcomed all of us whom attended their activities. Although it is indisputable that they have experienced nuclear trauma and human rights violations. I found the Bikini and Marshallese people in Springdale to be strong and resilient people despite the suffering they have endured. They are proud of their heritage and have succeeded in maintaining their traditions in the United States to an impressive degree. I made the images below during Nuclear Remembrance Day events.
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Atoll Stroll Festivities, 2021
I returned to Springdale for the Atoll Stroll festivities July 27-August 1, 2021 and was invited to participate in the festivities by joining Sosylina Maddison and other Bikini descendants in the Bikini booth. I felt privileged to talk with strollers about the Bikini Project and to answer their questions. The images below were made during the Atoll Stroll.
Everyday Life, Springdale, Arkansas 2021
The following images represent the beginning of a portfolio that will depict the everyday life of the Bikini and Marshallese people in Springdale Arkansas. I made these images at a church, pool hall, store and park.
Bikini Survivors of Operation Crossroads
When I began the Bikini Project in 2018, my research indicated twenty-five Bikini survivors of Operation Crossroads were still alive. At the time I received the CENTER Launch Grant, June 2021, Sosylina Maddison indicated eleven survivors were alive. When I visited Springdale in July 2021, she informed me that two more survivors had died. At the present time, two survivors live in Oregon and the remainder (7) live in the Marshall Islands on the Island of Kili. I would like to meet the survivors of Operation Crossroads. However, due to the pandemic, the Marshall Islands is closed to travelers. Nevertheless, the goal to document the experiences of the Bikini survivors remains. In the meantime, I have focused my attention on the descendants of the survivors who live in Springdale, Arkansas.
Five Bikini Descendants Describe The Bikini Experience
The images of Nuclear Remembrance Day and the Atoll Stroll portray the resilience of the Bikini and Marshallese people and the perseverance of their traditions. However, I believe the interviews of the descendants delve more deeply into what it means to be Bikinian.
In July 2021, I interviewed and photographed five Bikini descendants of the Operation Crossroads survivors. The stories and memories of the descendants are rich in detail and emotion, and convey a sense of the trauma their families have endured. I am grateful for the kindness of the descendants, their help with my project and their willingness to share their families’ stories. Please see the descendants’ images below and click on the links to their interviews. Several themes were discussed by all five descendants, and in addition to their own words, I have summarized these themes below.
Bikini Descendent
His Grandfather, Josaiah Kerong, was the First Pastor of the Bikini Protestant Church.
His mother was a Bikini survivor and an adolescent during Operation Crossroads.
Mr. Benjamin is the Executive Councilman for the Kili/Bikini/Ejit Local Government
His Great Grandmother was a Bikini Survivor
Loss of Homeland
The Bikini descendants expressed sadness and, at times, anger regarding the loss of their homeland. Their forefathers, they said, were asked to leave Bikini “For the good of mankind” so that the United States could conduct nuclear testing on their land. Believing “All was in the hands of God,” and that they could return to Bikini after the testing was completed, they agreed. They moved their families and their belongings to Rongerik, an island with insufficient resources to support them. At Rongerik, they were forgotten, suffering hardships and starvation for two years. Seventy-five years later, the Bikini people are still nomads moving from island to island in hopes of finding a permanent home. Bikini remains unsafe for habitation since radiation has contaminated the land, food and water. The Bikini descendants want a permanent home where they can live together, a place where they can obtain health care, support for their basic needs and a better quality of life.
Identification as Bikinian
I asked the Bikini descendants whether they felt an identification as Bikinian despite all the changes and relocations in the last 75 years. Each gave a definite positive response. They are proud to be Bikinian, the descendants of strong and resilient people who were great boat builders and navigators. They also believe there is “Bikini way of doing things” distinct from the traditions of other islanders. They state that their Bikini identity has been amplified by the stories and memories passed on by their elders.
Faith
I wondered how the Bikini people had been able to survive their nuclear trauma. They said their faith gave them strength and the perseverance to look towards the future. “It is all in God’s hands” were Juda’s words in 1946. These words continue to provide solace to Juda’s descendants. One descendant remarked that when his forefathers left Bikini, they dismantled the church and carried it with them to Rongerik and to each subsequent relocation site. The original church remains on Kili.
Health Care
One descendant discussed her medical needs and the difficulty in obtaining adequate medical care in the Marshall Islands. She reported that four years ago she developed a severe headache and was transported from Kili to the hospital in Majuro. She was hospitalized for two months receiving only infusions, medication and bed rest. Not until she lost her vision and became paralyzed was she transported to the Philippines for surgery. She is now living in Springdale and struggles to maneuver the medicaid protocol in order to receive approval for further treatment of her condition.
The Marshallese people have the highest rate of diabetes in the world, 25-40%. In comparison, the United States rate of diabetes is 8%. Dr. Sheldon Rilkon, one of only two Marshallese doctors in the United States, believes many health problems are directly related to the impacts to their traditional culture.
In their relocations to Rogerik, Kwajalein and Kili, the Bikinians found scant resources and experienced an inability to continue their traditional way of life. Gradually they became dependent on imported canned food such as Spam and other foods from the US Department of Agriculture. To a large extent, as a result of changes in their diet and way of life, many Marshallese people have developed other health problems such as heart disease and hypertension and diabetes. These underlying health problem created a greater risk factor for Covid 19. According to Mr. Alik, 53 Marshallese individuals died from the Corona Virus in Arkansas during the pandemic.
In addition, radiation exposure, especially from Bravo in 1954, is responsible for exceedingly high rates of thyroid and other types of cancer, Graves Disease, autoimmune illness and clusters of rare conditions. Despite the need for a cancer treatment center to deal with the high rates of cancer among Marshallese People, none exists in the Marshall Islands. Women experience a higher than normal rate of miscarriage, and the incidence of cervical cancer is the highest in the world (NNC p. 30). Many children have been born with severe abnormalities. DNA studies indicate that the intergenerational effects from radiation can persist for several generations.
Climate Change
The Marshall Islands is at risk to disappear as sea levels rise. Kili, the island on which most Bikinians live, is six feet above sea level. The island is only 200 acres in size, approximately one mile long by one half mile wide. “King Tides” wash over Kili during storms and cause damage to homes and land. One descendant made an analogy between the irresponsibility of the global community with regards to climate change and the irresponsibility of the Unites States towards the welfare of the Bikini and Marshallese people. Just as the United States relinquishes responsibility for the damage it has caused the Marshall Islands, the world’s most powerful nations are relinquishing their responsibility for damage to the environment. The descendants state that unless the global community takes responsibility for the environment, climate change will necessitate the removal of the Bikini people from Kili.