Beyond That Horizon

All four of us piled in the truck and decided to take a trip to Thol. Pita claimed that an old friend of his, Nicholas, had been seen out there and he wanted to get reacquainted. Thol is a small village on the north end of the island where most of our regular church goers lived.

When we got there, sure enough, we found Nick who was on a villager’s roof laying woven coconut leaves in a tiered pattern similar to the way we laid shingles on the roofs back home. Nick had long hair and a red mouth from chewing betel nut. He looked like he had just returned from the bush – which he had. He was very friendly and happy to see Pita. He did have some bad news, though. His grandmother was about to die and he was going to have to prepare for her funeral. We were invited to attend.

When Yapese people die, they are laid in a hut, dressed in their traditional clothing. All the family and friends of the deceased come around to pay their respects. The ceremony usually carries on for around three days with the family of the deceased supplying food and drink for all their guests. Much of that time, the women wail and the men sit around visiting. The wailing can be heard from a great distance and gives one the creeps as the high pitched shrieks echo through the jungle. After a few days, the body is placed in the ground and everyone goes back to their normal lives.

Nick’s grandmother was dressed in a very colorful grass skirt and adorned with a number of beautifully woven leis. She had been lying in her hut during her funeral ceremony for about three days when we arrived. The family members attending to her frequently rubbed her down with coconut oil which gave her body a greenish hue. I sat reverently in the hut, not knowing what to say and not feeling especially comfortable sitting a foot away from a dead person. I was very relieved when Pita announced to Nick that it was time for us to leave.