Sokehs Powe Students Study Pohnpei Bananas

By Amy Levendusky

On 15 January, 2007, the Class Six students of Sokehs Powe Elementary School met for their fifth session of the school year on learning about Pohnpei bananas, as a part of the Conservation Society of Pohnpei (CSP) Youth-to-Youth project. This project is being implemented by the Island Food Community of Pohnpei (IFCP).

The main objectives of the IFCP/CSP Youth to Youth Rare Bananas Program are to help children: 1) to increase the number of banana varieties about which they know and can identify; 2) to increase the understanding about the health values of Pohnpei bananas and 3) to increase the number of rare bananas that the children's families grow at their homes.

The overall project aim is to increase awareness of the diversity and values of Pohnpei banana varieties, in particular rare ones like Utin Iap, Karat, Mangat, Ihpali, Akadahn, and Akadahn Weitahta, which are yellow- or orange-fleshed and have a high content of provitamin A carotenoids. Consumption of these bananas helps protect against diabetes, heart disease, cancer, vitamin A deficiency, and anemia (weak blood). A long-term aim is to increase the production, availability and consumption of these bananas. Part of the lessons include learning about the analyses of Pohnpei bananas carried out in laboratories around the world, including those in Hawaii, Australia, Fiji, and Switzerland.

When asked, "How many Pohnpei bananas do you know?", Carson Elias, Abigal Isaac, Kosack Keller Jr., Vance Kullion, and Kenye manuel won a prize for naming the most bananas. The highest number of bananas named in the class was five.

Another activity the class engages in is playing "Banana Bingo" which helps the children learn the appearance of the many Pohnpei banana varieties and also shows how the names are spelled. The game was devised to include photos of bunches for 24 different banana varieties. There are 21 cards, each card showing a distinctly different set of 16 varieties. One variation of the game is to name the color of flesh of the banana variety that is called out. Winners receive a prize at the end of each game. "Banana Bingo" is fun and educational at the same time.

On December 12th, the class was filmed by the "Pacific Way" television program which goes out to twenty countries in the Pacific. Sokehs Powe Elementary students will be part of a documentary for television broadcasting (Channel 20). The focus of the film is conservation and use of food plant genetic resources, along with dietary change and its impact on health, nutrition, and culture. Heading this team was Larry Thomas, Coordinator of the RMC, and Joji Nabalarua, camera/editor specialist.

Thanks goes to Darlington Lebehn and Marty Solomon, the instructors for class six, for assisting in translating and facilitating each lesson.