Story and Images by Regina Pelep
Once upon a time there were two men who came from Katau Peidi. They were sailing around to find a place that they could make to worship their god. These two men were Olosihpa and Olosohpa.
These two men came first arrived in Sokehs which was then called Ipwal. They started to work on that place but they found that it was not good to build on so their work was not successful. After, they moved to Nett at (Tupwen Dongalap) a place that facing to Awak, but it was still not a good place to build on. So they continued their searching along to Uh where they tried Depehk but it was still the same result. Finally, they climbed the mountain called Kupwurso to look over the entire island to find a good place that they can build. They sat down and prayed for god to help them find a good place to construct their sacred site. When they opened their eyes there was a light came down and straight to one of the island in Temwen.
Finally, they found a good place to construct their sacred place and they started their construction. They request all men from Pohnpei to gather together and build the sacred place. In this place they made 92 islets. After a year, the construction of Nan Madol was done, Olosihpa passed away so Olosohpa ruled over that place and in that time he became the first Saudeleur.
When I was still in Elementary and High School, I heard many stories about Nan Madol from different people.
I kept dreaming about going there because I wanted to look over it and find everything that I heard from the stories. My first time at Nan Madol, I was amazed by such a beautiful creation. I felt super excited but frightened at the same time.
I did not believe that Pohnpei was holding such a beautiful creation. But that day, I felt surprised by those huge rocks. I was so confused about the way they organized those rocks. Additionally, I saw many things like waves, the birds, and also the local children swimming. I was so happy to see Pohnpei with a beautiful creation that make many tourists want to visit each year. I felt proud to be Pohnpeian because of these creations. It was really true that Pohnpei was a sacred place.
To my friend and family, I would rather take this moment to tell you guys how wonderful Nan Madol is. Nan Madol is a place that has many legends. Other than that, it was not only wonderful because of its beautiful creations but it’s also wonderful for the great stories it holds. I would like to tell you guys to take some time and visit this wonderful place. I know that you’ve been hearing so much about this sacred place from people around. Why don’t you go there to observe it on your own?
This place is so different from other places in the world. If you get there you’ll see how beautiful this place is. When visiting this place there are some things you have to be careful of.
