Saudeleur dynasty

The Saudeleur dynasty (Pohnpeian: Mwehin Sau Deleur, "Period of the Lord of Deleur"; also spelled Chau-te-leur) was the first organized government uniting the people of Pohnpei island, ruling from 1100-1200 CE to 1628 CE. The era was preceded by the Mwehin Kawa or Mwehin Aramas (Period of Building, or Period of Peopling), and followed by Mwehin Nahnmwarki. The name Deleur was an ancient name for Pohnpei, today a state containing the capital of the Federated States of Micronesia. 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 nahnmwarki system in existence today. The earliest settlers on the island were probably Lapita culture people from the Southeast Solomon Islands or the Vanuatu archipelago. 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.