Saudeleur dynasty

First organized government uniting the people of Pohnpei island

The Saudeleur dynasty (Pohnpeian: Mwehin Sau Deleur, "Period of the Lord of Deleur"; also spelled Chau te leur) to c. 1628 CE. The Saudeleur era lasted around 500 years. however archaeologists date Saudeleur ruins to ca. 1628. The era was preceded by the Mwehin Kawa (Period of Building) or Mwehin Aramas (Period of Peopling), and followed by Mwehin [[tribal chief. Pohnpeian legend recounts that the Saudeleur rulers were of foreign origin, and that their appearance was quite different from native Pohnpeians. The Saudeleur centralized form of absolute rule is characterized in Pohnpeian legend as becoming increasingly oppressive over several generations. Arbitrary and onerous demands, as well as a reputation for offending Pohnpeian deities, sowed resentment among Pohnpeians. The Saudeleur Dynasty ended with the invasion of Isokelekel, another semi mythical foreigner, who replaced the Saudeleur rule with the more decentralized [[tribal chief system in existence today. According to Pohnpeian legend, the main island was created by a party of 17 men and women from a distant land to the south who piled rocks on the surrounding coral reef. The island was inhabited by natives who mixed with the newcomers. Their numbers grew, but their society was in a state of perpetual anarchy. The Saudeleur dynasty began with the arrival of twin sorcerers Olisihpa and Olosohpa from the mythical Western Katau, or Kanamwayso. Olisihpa and Olosohpa were said to be much taller than native Pohnpeians. The brothers arrived in a large canoe seeking a place to build an altar so that they could worship Nahnisohn Sahpw, the god of agriculture. After several false starts, the two brothers successfully built an altar at megalithic Nan Madol, where they performed their rituals. In legend, these brothers levitated the huge stones with the aid of a flying dragon. When Olisihpa died of old age, Olosohpa became the first Saudeleur. Olosohpa married a local woman and sired twelve generations, producing sixteen other Saudeleur rulers of the Dipwilap ("Great") clan. notetag|Hanlon (1988) notes differing accounts of the number of Saudeleur rulers, ranging from eight to seventeen, concluding that it is impossible to know this number for certain.

Rule was maintained by one man, the Saudeleur, at Nan Madol. The land, its contents, and its inhabitants were owned by the Saudeleur ruler, who leased the land to landlord classes overseeing commoners harvesting the land. The commoners were required to present the ruler with frequent tributes of fruit and fish. Tribute consisted mostly of breadfruit during rak, the season of plenty, while it shifted to yams, taro, and fermented breadfruit during isol, the season of scarcity. Seafood was also presented to the Saudeleur at designated times. The tribute system was initially seasonal; however, over time, the demands of the Saudeleur left the populace starving and living as slaves, as they had to pay in labor and offer most materials first to the ruler. Public dissatisfaction led to at least two assassinations, but another Saudeleur simply rose in place of the last. and Onohnleng remained largely autonomous. Areas of Kitti and Kepihleng in the west had a reputation for defying the authority of the eastern Saudeleur.

The Saudeleur polity was conquered by Isokelekel, who invaded Pohnpei from Kosrae, or the mythical East Katau. There is great variation among sources for the exact events before and during the invasion on Pohnpei; at least 13 differing accounts of the war are published. In most versions of the legend, the Saudeleur rule had become oppressive under its abusive centralized social system, and its lords had offended the Thunder God Nahn Sapwe, sealing the fate of the dynasty. The Thunder God Nahn Sapwe had committed adultery with the wife of the Saudeleur lord. In anger, the Saudeleur lord set out to capture Nahn Sapwe. The ruler also used the affair as a pretext to suppress the worship of Nahn Sapwe. Some versions include that the ruler had also incensed other gods of the Pohnpeian pantheon and divested the high priest of Saum who prophesied the Saudeleur downfall. These offenses, as well as the oppressive land ownership and tribute system, drew the ire of gods, humans, and animals alike. Nahn Sapwe, offended by the Saudeleur lord, left Pohnpei for Kosrae (Katau). Having fled, he impregnated a barren human of his own Dipwenpahnmei (Under the breadfruit tree) clan by feeding her a lime. This incestuous union produced the semi divine Isokelekel, who in the womb knew his destiny of vengeance. As an adult, Isokelekel set sail with 333 men, women, and children with the secret intention of conquering Pohnpei. and with help from the oppressed locals. In other versions, Isokelekel's warriors are aided by hidden weapons that suddenly appeared.