The Little People of Micronesia

I remember growing up and hearing about the sokonei (Chuuk), or sokolei (Pohnpei).  They were supposed to be mischievous little people that lived in the jungles.  No one I knew had ever seen one, but from Saipan to Chuuk, Pohnpei, and even during my time in Hawaii (the menehune), the existence of little people who lived in the jungles or forests of those islands was part of the local myth and legend.  

Not much was said about these little people, except they were small, elusive, and lived in the jungles or forests.  It was said that entire villages or communities of these little people existed somewhere in the deep interior of the island, in some inaccessible place that adults could not fit their bodies into.  They only came out at night, so it was not a good idea to be a child outside at night.  You might get grabbed by one of them and then taken to their lost village or community.  I never heard anything about getting eaten by them or being killed.  It was always some abduction story, a scary story to keep the kids in at night. For the most part, it worked. 

As I grew up and visited other islands in the Pacific and witnessed the information explosion on the world wide web, I thought that maybe this little people's legend was based on some facts.  Could it be that somewhere in the distant past there was a race of little people that ran around in the jungle?  And that my ancestors encountered them long ago and included them in their storytelling from generation to generation?  And as storytelling usually goes, a little embellishment was added over the years, I’m sure.  

Much to my surprise, a discovery in 2003 of the remains of a hobbit-like human species, named Homo Floresiensis in Indonesia confirmed my thoughts!  Ok, so it was in Indonesia, not in Micronesia.  But, possibly during the migration from the Asian mainland and settling of the Pacific Islands, stories of those little people surely would’ve reached the evening fires where stories were shared from far and wide.  Then, in 2008 another article came about confirming the existence of little people in the Pacific!  This time it was closer to home, in fact, it was in Micronesia, in neighboring Palau!

I have little doubt in my mind that my ancestors did in fact run into these little people and they were a fact of life for them.  Over the years, as they became scarce, the stories continued.  And as stories are usually told, the story of the little people was a tale to keep kids in the house before dark or to deter treks into the jungle.  Still, the fact that they are scientific fact makes one wonder about the other so-called legends of old.  What other legendary creatures or tales are based on facts? 

Nowadays, when stories are told of the little people of the jungles or forests, there can be some scientific fact thrown into it.  Even though only the remains of these little people were found, who is to say that they are not still out there?  I mean, they actually existed.  How many species of animals were thought lost and then reappeared after so many years?  Ever heard of the New Guinea Singing Dog? Or the Goblin Shark? How about the coelacanth? These are examples of extinct species that have been “rediscovered”.  What will be rediscovered next? One can only guess.  

Next time you’re in Micronesia or any Pacific Island and you hear talk of the little people in the jungles, don’t laugh.  They actually existed.  Scientific fact, proven and published.  You might even be lucky enough to catch a “glimpse” of one of these creatures.  You never know.  

Image by mxwegele from Pixabay

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay