Kingdom of EnenKio
Encyclopedia
The Kingdom of EnenKio, or "EnenKio" for short, is a small separatist group
of Marshall Islander heritage
who lay claim to the United States
' unincorporated territory
of Wake Island
. EnenKio seeks recognition as a sovereign
Micronesian
state
in the Northern Marshall Islands
. The Kingdom of EnenKio derives its name from the native name of the northernmost Marshallese atoll
, Eneen-Kio Atoll, which was also once written as Enen-kio. In the Marshallese language, Enen-kio means "Island of the orange flower." The nation has been infamous for alleged fraudulent purposes.
Wake Island
comprises three proximate coral
atolls currently known as Peale Island, Wake Island, and Wilkes Island. In aggregate they comprise an area of approximately 6.5 km² and are situated approximately 2,300 statute miles west of the Hawaiian Islands
and 2,000 miles from Japan
. The nearest island neighbor is Bokak Atoll
of the Marshall Islands group, some 300 miles to the south. Westerners have called Wake Island by different names throughout history, such as San Francisco, Lamira, Disclerta, Halcyon, Helsion, and Wilson.
The proclaimed king is current iroijlaplap
Remios Hermios
.
Firstly, indigenous
Marshallese oral tradition
suggests that, prior to Europe
an exploration
, nearby Marshall Islanders
travelled to what is now Wake Island, which the ancient travelers called Enen-kio after a small orange shrub-flower
said to have been found on the island. In ancient Marshallese religion
, ritual
s surrounding the tattooing of tribal chief
s, called Iroijlaplap
, were done using certain fresh human bones, which required a human sacrifice
. A man could save himself from being sacrificed if he obtained a wing bone from a certain very large seabird
said to have existed on Enen-kio. Small groups would therefore brave traveling to the island in hope of obtaining and returning with this bone, thus saving the life of the potential human sacrifice.
Secondly, EnenKio's Monarch claims to be a direct descendant of ancient travelers to Wake Island, as described above.
Thirdly, and based upon the above two factors, EnenKio bases their claim upon concepts of first-usage lands rights commonly held in Micronesian
cultures and legal systems as legitimate for settling indigenous land disputes.
Separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of a state of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. While it often refers to full political secession, separatist groups may seek nothing more than greater autonomy...
of Marshall Islander heritage
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
who lay claim to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' unincorporated territory
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
of Wake Island
Wake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
. EnenKio seeks recognition as a sovereign
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
Micronesian
Micronesian
Micronesian may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Micronesia, a subregion of Oceania composed of hundreds of small islands in the Pacific Ocean...
state
Sovereign state
A sovereign state, or simply, state, is a state with a defined territory on which it exercises internal and external sovereignty, a permanent population, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other sovereign states. It is also normally understood to be a state which is neither...
in the Northern Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. The Kingdom of EnenKio derives its name from the native name of the northernmost Marshallese atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
, Eneen-Kio Atoll, which was also once written as Enen-kio. In the Marshallese language, Enen-kio means "Island of the orange flower." The nation has been infamous for alleged fraudulent purposes.
Wake Island
Wake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
comprises three proximate coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
atolls currently known as Peale Island, Wake Island, and Wilkes Island. In aggregate they comprise an area of approximately 6.5 km² and are situated approximately 2,300 statute miles west of the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
and 2,000 miles from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The nearest island neighbor is Bokak Atoll
Bokak Atoll
Bokak Atoll or Taongi Atoll is an uninhabited coral atoll in the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands, located in the North Pacific Ocean at...
of the Marshall Islands group, some 300 miles to the south. Westerners have called Wake Island by different names throughout history, such as San Francisco, Lamira, Disclerta, Halcyon, Helsion, and Wilson.
The proclaimed king is current iroijlaplap
Iroijlaplap
Iroijlaplap is the title given to the paramount chiefs in the Marshall Islands. An ordinary chief holds the title of Iroij ....
Remios Hermios
Remios Hermios
Remios Hermios is one of two iroijlaplap of the Ratak Chain in the Marshall Islands. His traditional domain includes the atolls of Aur, Maloelap, Erikub, Wotje, Likiep, Ailuk, Utirik and Taongi; he and his predecessors have also laid claim to U.S.-administered Wake Island...
.
Basis of claim
The Kingdom of EnenKio bases their claim over Wake Island upon primarily three factors.Firstly, indigenous
Indigenous peoples of Oceania
The indigenous peoples of Oceania are those peoples identified as indigenous peoples, as per the modern global definition of the term.Many of the present-day Pacific Island nations in the Oceania region were originally populated by Polynesian, Melanesian and Micronesian peoples over the course of...
Marshallese oral tradition
Oral tradition
Oral tradition and oral lore is cultural material and traditions transmitted orally from one generation to another. The messages or testimony are verbally transmitted in speech or song and may take the form, for example, of folktales, sayings, ballads, songs, or chants...
suggests that, prior to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an exploration
Exploration
Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...
, nearby Marshall Islanders
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
travelled to what is now Wake Island, which the ancient travelers called Enen-kio after a small orange shrub-flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
said to have been found on the island. In ancient Marshallese religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
s surrounding the tattooing of tribal chief
Tribal chief
A tribal chief is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribal societies with social stratification under a single leader emerged in the Neolithic period out of earlier tribal structures with little stratification, and they remained prevalent throughout the Iron Age.In the case of ...
s, called Iroijlaplap
Iroijlaplap
Iroijlaplap is the title given to the paramount chiefs in the Marshall Islands. An ordinary chief holds the title of Iroij ....
, were done using certain fresh human bones, which required a human sacrifice
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
. A man could save himself from being sacrificed if he obtained a wing bone from a certain very large seabird
Seabird
Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...
said to have existed on Enen-kio. Small groups would therefore brave traveling to the island in hope of obtaining and returning with this bone, thus saving the life of the potential human sacrifice.
Secondly, EnenKio's Monarch claims to be a direct descendant of ancient travelers to Wake Island, as described above.
Thirdly, and based upon the above two factors, EnenKio bases their claim upon concepts of first-usage lands rights commonly held in Micronesian
Micronesian
Micronesian may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Micronesia, a subregion of Oceania composed of hundreds of small islands in the Pacific Ocean...
cultures and legal systems as legitimate for settling indigenous land disputes.
Status
To date, EnenKio is not recognized in any international forum as a sovereign state; nor does any internationally recognized state recognize it. On 23 April 1998 the Marshall Islands government issued Circular Note 01-98, which vigorously denied EnenKio's Wake Island claims.
The Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands condemns the claims and activities asserted by representatives of the "Kingdom of EnenKio" and the "Dominion of MelchizedekDominion of MelchizedekThe Dominion of Melchizedek is a micronation known for facilitating large scale banking fraud in many parts of the world. The president was Pearlasia Gamboa, wife of vice-president David Korem...
". The representatives making claims of separate sovereignty are not citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and have no right to make claims on behalf of Marshallese landowners. Furthermore, these representatives are making fraudulent assertions that violate the Republic of the Marshall Islands' constitution. The area of land and ocean which the "Kingdom of EnenKio" asserts as a sovereign nation separate from the Marshall Islands and the area of land and ocean which the "Dominion of Melchizedek" is asserting control over are areas within the geographical and political boundaries of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
The Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands discourages all independent sovereign nations having diplomatic relations with the Republic from acknowledging any fraudulent claims made by representatives of the "Kingdom of EnenKio" and the "Dominion of Melchizedek".