Chuukese people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (51,000) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia | |
| Languages | |
| Chuukese, English | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholic | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Micronesian peoples, Austronesian peoples |
The Chuukese or sometimes spelled Trukese are an Austronesian-speaking ethnic group indigenous to the island of Chuuk and its surrounding islands and atolls. They constitute 48% of the population of the Federated States of Micronesia, making them one of the largest ethnic groups in the country.
Their language is Chuukese, which belongs to Trukic branch of Micronesian languages which in turn part of Malayo-Polynesian language family (which is part of a wider Austronesian language family). The language is written in a modified Latin alphabet.
A 2010 census showed that the Chuukese people were the fastest growing Pacific islander people during the 2000s decade, increasing from a population of about 700 in the year 2000 to more than 4,000 at the time of the census.
Traditionally, before a man can consider marriage, he needed to have experience in farming, fishing, and boat construction. He also had to be able to build his own house. When he had these skills he would inform his parents that he was ready for marriage. The parents would then search for a suitable young woman to be his wife. When they had decided on a girl, the parents of a man would visit the girl's parents. They would introduce themselves at the purpose of their visit and discuss possible marriage with the girl's parents. If a marriage is agreed upon, the young man would stay with the girl's parents and the girl would reside with the young man's parents up until the wedding day. Prior to the marriage, both families would prepare a feast which would be attended by the leaders of their respective families. According to custom, the girl's family would provide enough food for the man's family and his family would do the same for the girl.
There are some possible attitudes on marriage that have been retained from the past among the Chuukese people. While both the man and woman will desire compatible sex partners in marriage, they look even more for good workers. A person incapable of work is unlikely to be successful at marriage in Chuuk. A person is well aware of the character and abilities of those in the community and selects a partner accordingly.
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