Kili Island or Kili Atoll (Marshallese: , ) is a small, () island located in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean. As of 2021, 415 people lived on the island, many of whom were descended from islanders who originally lived on Bikini Atoll. They were relocated when they agreed to let the U.S. government temporarily use Bikini for nuclear testing in 1945, which they were told was of great importance to humankind, though it is sometimes considered a forced relocation. Kili Island became their home after two prior relocations failed. The island does not have a natural lagoon and cannot produce enough food to enable the islanders to be self-sufficient. It is part of the legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. The island is approximately southwest of Jaluit. It is a good sized island for the Marshall Islands, but it is not an atoll with a lagoon.

History

Captain Thomas Dennet of the British vessel Britannia sighted the atoll in 1797 on route from Australia to China and named it Hunter Island.

Kili Atoll was claimed by the German Empire along with the rest of the Marshall Islands in 1885. After World War I, the island came under the South Seas Mandate of the Empire of Japan. Following the end of World War II, it came under the control of the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

Bikini Atoll residents arrive

Kili was uninhabited until November 2, 1948 when the United States government relocated the Bikini Atoll's indigenous population from Rongerik Atoll, where they had previously been relocated after their first relocation to Kwajalein Atoll failed. The islanders had consented to what they believed was temporary use of their island for nuclear tests, thinking they would be able to return to their island home within a few years.

On Kwajalein Atoll, the islanders were living in tents on a strip of grass alongside the airport runway. In June 1948 the Bikini residents chose Kili Island as a long-term home. The small island was uninhabited and was not ruled by a paramount king, or iroij. In June the Bikini community chose two dozen men to accompany eight Seabees to Kili to begin constructing a village. In November 1948, the residents, now totaling 184 individuals, moved to Kili Island, but soon learned that the new location was incompatible with their traditional diet and lifestyle based on lagoon fishing. In the following decades the trust fund, amounting to over 70 million dollars, delivered steady payments. In 2017 the KBE leaders requested unrestricted access to the whole Trust fund. The United States, which had previously monitored expenditures, reluctantly agreed. With full control over the Trust Fund, the total amount dropped from $70 million to $100,000 by early 2023. This triggered a financial collapse on Kili, with defaults on loans, unpaid wages, and services were halted. This situation created a major crisis, with a large amount of finger pointing. There were criticisms directed at officials in the USA, but in the end they had no control over the expenditures in this time period. This triggered investigations and protests.

Limited sea access

Kili cannot be reached by ship four months out of the year because of rough seas. The grass Kili Airport is served by Air Marshall Islands, although flights have been grounded when its aircraft are not operational, or when the runway is flooded by rising ocean .

Education

Marshall Islands Public School System operates Kili Elementary School. Students are zoned to Jaluit High School in Jaluit Atoll.

Food production

Kili does not provide enough food for the transplanted residents. In 1949 the Trust Territory administration donated a ship for transporting copra between Kili and Jaluit Atoll. But the ship was washed by heavy surf onto the Kili reef in 1951 and was lost.

Churches and education

Kili has two Christian churches: the Assembly of God and Protestant church. There is an elementary school on Kili for students from Kindergarten to eighth grade. There is a class for each age group, in addition to one class for students with special needs. Classes typically range in size from 6 to 18 students. Some of the teachers are native to Kili, some come from neighboring islands. The Dartmouth Volunteer Teaching Program has placed 2–4 American volunteer teachers at the school every year since 2000. The teachers provide English language instruction in addition to other curricula because there are few instructional materials or books written in Marshallese. The American volunteers stay and teach for one or more years. Toward the end of their eighth grade year, students must pass a standardized test to gain admission to public high school in Jaluit or Majuro.

References

Further reading

  • bikiniatoll.com – History and status of the Bikini Islanders
  • Marshall Islands site