Though surrounded by so much water, fishing often played second fiddle to farming in Pohnpeian economy, but was the primary source of protein. The netting is made of ohl od’lap (enhalus acoroides), who’s plastic-like fibers are excellent for trapping and are easily weavable. The poles seem to be made of seksek/tehsilite (allophylus timorensis) and tied together with the same material used for the netting. The structure of this net is different from the Kashaya net, for example, it isn’t dipped very deep in water and is used to catch small amounts of fish at a time, such as mwomwen kőtik which can be dried or roasted. Seeds such as osenlikendinkep were stuck onto the net in order to lure fish.
Department:
Oceania
Comment:
cf. Balick, Michael J. "Ethnobotany of Pohnpei: Plants, people, and island culture." (2013). UCAR vol. 22