Island legends will be honored and publicly recognized as a result of a US Embassy grant to the organization Jo-Jikum.
A $15,000 grant awarded by US Ambassador Roxanne Cabral to Jo-Jikum last week will support construction of three kiosks on legendary landmarks on Majuro Atoll. These kiosks will feature information and artwork about the legend at the site.
Wilbert Alik came up with the idea and talked to Jo-Jikum Director Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner about partnering to develop the plan, which resulted in a funding request to the US Embassy.
“It’s a pilot project that we hope the Historic Preservation Office will be able to take on for the other legendary sites,” said Jetnil-Kijiner. “Our hope is that by creating these kiosks it helps people appreciate these traditional legendary sites and spreads awareness on traditional ecological knowledge.”
The kiosks will be located at the site of the stories for the three local legends. “The kiosk would have artwork from students as well as more seasoned artists based on the legend of that site, as well as pamphlets with information about the legend,” she said.
The project is being managed by Jo-Jikum intern Dayne Jacklick “in keeping with our values of prioritizing youth leadership and capacity building,” she said