The Likiep Atoll is the one and only atoll in the Marshall Islands that was owned by Europeans. Its rich history dates back to 1876 when two enterprising European traders purchased the atoll by trading goods valued at $1,250. They formed a business partnership called Capelle and deBrum with the intent of developing a copra plantation.
Likiep’s Unique History
Adolph Capelle (German) and Jose deBrum (Portuguese) were very successful for many years with its peak in 1910 producing 283,000 kilos of copra. Through several generations, the Capelles and deBrums dominated the culture and community of the island of Likiep, running them as a company community.
The islands seem to have prospered during the peak years of copra production. Slowly the demand for copra declined. Today the RMI government subsidies are the only thing holding up the copra industry by artificially inflating the value of the product.
Likiep was a relatively popular stop for passing sea captains dating back to the Spanish explorers in the 1500’s. Capelle and de Brum took extra efforts to make travelers, merchants, and explores feel at home on Likiep and thereby helped give a comparatively cosmopolitan feel to the remote area.
Immediately after our arrival we sense that this is a truly exceptional atoll. As we round the southern end of the Likiep island we spy a rather large home surrounded by a white railing on a wrap around veranda! Seriously, in Micronesia? See below for more information on this plantation house.
We then pull into the anchorage we see a beautiful yellow church, a sturdy new looking dock, and (3) brand new, long boats. Seems like a pretty wealthy atoll comparatively.
Holy Rosary Catholic Church
This beautiful and bright yellow church was built in early 1900’s. It has 14 stain glass windows that let the sun shine through illuminating the floors with vibrant colors. They have priest quarters with a sign dating 1902-2017 right next door. Services are held Sundays at 10am. There is also a Protestant church toward the center of town. I attended service and did not understand a single word, but enjoyed the singing and community.
The de Brum House
Built in 1888 by Joachim de Brum, the de Brum house timber frame consisted of three large rooms. In addition, a 3 meter-wide verandah surrounded the house on all sides. The de Brum family lived in the house until 1947. The property was converted into a museum and then shut down because it was falling apart. Today only the pillars remain standing.
However, Joachim’s great, great grandson built a beautiful plantation home at the southern end of the island for his bride to be (with the hopes of her wanting to visit more frequently). This is the one and only plantation home that still exists in the Marshall Islands. This is the photo shown above with the white railing around the wrap around veranda.
Antiques, Furniture, and Volumes of Books
The de Brum house held fine furniture imported from Southeast Asia. Since the museum shut down, the remaining furniture has been stored in the last remaining direct relative’s home. Bobo (grandmother) is 91 years young and she allowed us to take a peak at some of it.
Top left is a photo of the table and chairs in the museum and the other two photos are the chairs today.
The room divider captured my attention with its detailed and intricate carvings of dragons.
The Joachim de Brum house was known for its vast library with over 1,000 books covering a wide variety of topics from science to literature. In the lower left photo you can see the reflection of the bookcase and some books. The other 3 photos were taken by me at Bobo’s house. There are books dating back to 1823! Treasure Island, The Pioneers 1823, The Hoop 1927, The Man Who Almost Lost 1935, The Country Beyond 1922, Mr. Crewe’s Career by Winston Churchill 1913! These are just the ones I could zoom in on in my photo (as I could not get close enough to touch them).
The top left photo shows an old camera along with slides. The bottom photo is that same camera that I saw sitting in storage.
The “camera” is actually a “postcard machine” and we even found some old “postcards” or slides that still looked beautiful. We also found a bell from 1832 and some beautiful vintage Villeroy & Roche plateware.
Lanterns and pottery just sitting there. Makes you so sad to think of these just wasting away.
Beautiful plate ware and glass ware wrapped up and unused. Bobo did manage to keep Joachim’s walking stick. She used to use to when she could get up and around.
The de Brum Family
Bobo in the middle. She is a beautiful, vibrant 91 year old woman. I sure wish I spoke Marshallese so I could hear her stories. Junior is the man in the far right and was such an incredibly host. He was super welcoming and kind to us during our stay.
The locals make two kinds of drinks from the palm tree. One is a sweet treat that is similar to honey. You add it to water and drink it as a special treat. The other is fermented and consumed like alcohol.
The names de Brum and Capelle are still dominant in Likiep as well as spread throughout the Marshall Islands.
Many other historically significant properties remain on Likiep. This particular atoll was spared the devastating bombardments suffered by other atolls during the Second World War. They include houses, many of which were built by Joachim de Brum, historically significant material attributed to the Spanish and Japanese, coral paths and Coconut Plantations.
This is truly a distinct community with a unique culture and beauty all around.
Likiep Plantation Hotel & 1905 Gravesite
Right off the lagoon is the old Likiep Plantation Hotel which closed about 2014. Now a family occupies the facility and it is closed to the public.
We were surprised to find the gravesite of German entrepreneur Adolph Capelle near the center of town in a super small grave yard. There were only 5 other headstones here and they no longer had etchings or writing on them.
Clam Farming
Clam farming is rather large and important here in Likiep. The 42 women living on the island are in charge of growing and selling the clams. When we arrived they had just started a new round of baby clams (smaller than 1/4″). It will take up to a year to grow them to 3″-5″ which is when they will be ready to ship and sell to Majuro clam farms.
There are several locals in Likiep that have been trained on how to raise clams (they study in Majuro for several days). The clam farmers breed the clams and grow them in either the above cement pools. The blue and green are the most valuable and can sell for $12 each.
The farmers have to be very careful when removing the clams from the bottom of the pool. Many died, as you can see from the empty clam shells in the photos below. Which is super unfortunate for everyone around. Matt is with Henckly one of the clam farmers.
The claims are moved to the ocean box once they are about 3/4 – 1″ long. The clams have to be large enough to adhere to the bottom without being swept away in the current. The 2 large clam shells (middle right photo) are about 3′ long!
Tallest Point in Marshall Islands
Likiep also holds another great honor in the Marshall Islands. The tallest point in the entire country is on Likiep island. On top of a sandhill is the highest point in RMI at a whopping 10 meters (33′). We had our new friend Junior take us there in a truck as we could not find the location. Evidently there was a tsunami that created a crater in the ground and the “peak” many many years ago.
There is another interesting story…during WWII there were many scouts in RMI. Evidently, Japan bombed a ship leaving 2 crew alive. One survived, built a bunker under ground and lived there for many months as a “scout.” His grandson who is now a priest came from Australia to find this bunker. None of the locals knew about it and could not help him. But he had the coordinates and low and behold it was below at the tallest peak. They dug and dug and found a cement foundation where the bunker used to exist.
Unique to Likiep
Likiep surprised us so many times! Here is a list of the unique findings in Likiep:
- The only atoll owned by Europeans with a distinct European history and culture.
- Contains the highest point in all of the Marshall islands – a sand spit 10m tall.
- Copra Payments: Likiep has a Copra warehouse where the locals deliver their dried copra and get paid immediately. Unlike other atolls where the locals have to wait months for the supply ship to come. They sell it directly to the ship.
- Clam Farming: They produce between 800-1200 clams every year
- Home to the oldest plantation house in RMI; de Brum’s home
For more information, visit:
- https://marshall.csu.edu.au/Marshalls/html/ONeill/Likiep.html
- infomarshallislands.com/atolls-a-l/likiep-atoll
Sugar Shack as she rounds the southern end of Likiep atoll. Most of the islands are located on the eastern side of the atoll. This is great for tradewinds, but bad for westerlies and even northerlies so it is a good thing it is rare to get wind from those directions.
Our blog posts run 8-10 weeks behind actual live events. This blog post occurred over 3 weeks in December. Did you read about the unique and super authentic canoes from Ailuk? Super cool.