Jerbal in Kakememej, 2024
Emma Joran
Blades of Change
Made possible by the Burke Museum, University of Washington
Nuclear industrial fan blade (fiberglass), pandanus, acrylic
Permanently collected by Midway Healthpoint Clinic, Des Moines, Washington
Artist Statement:
"In the beginning I was very excited, and at the same time I was very nervous about how to approach this project. This whole piece is for March 1, and the remembrance of that (nuclear) event. Instead of just looking at nuclear issues with sadness, I wanted to think about it differently with a piece of artwork.
I used materials that come from the Marshall Islands. For the mats hanging on each side, I was thinking about the mats that we make to kajeraman, remembering and thanking the many community leaders who have been working so hard on the nuclear legacy to make things better. The mats honor those leaders.
Hanging from the top are our shells leis we use to thank people for working and visiting with us -- the leis show respect and that is how we build new relationships. All the flowers surrounding it also honor - what people endured from the nuclear events was so hard, but what we can do today is work on pushing for better things to happen.
The flowers show how patient and humble Marshallese people are - remaining calm and working for good things to happen. I am inspired every day by my daughter, Rachel, who teaches the next generation about nuclear issues. This piece is also for our own communities to make sure we work together rather than get divided by the nuclear legacy.
And there is so much meaning to the pandanus weavings. We sleep on it comfortably. We give it away as gifts. We honor people. Weaving is togetherness. Other ladies prepared this pandanus that I use. Weaving makes us share and keeps us connected; it weaves us together. We share work. We reuse our materials over and over again.”
About Marshallese Day of Remembrance
“On March 1, 1954, the United States government dropped the Bravo bomb—the largest nuclear weapon ever detonated by the U.S.—on Bikini Atoll within the Marshall Islands. The Bravo detonation was the equivalent of more than 1,000 Hiroshima-sized bombs. March 1 is a national day of mourning for the Marshallese, it is a day when people gather to reflect and remember those whose lives were lost, but also to address the issues that continue to impact the Marshallese today.”
- Holly Barker, Burke Museum
About Emma Joran
Joran was born and raised in the Marshall Islands, and learned how to weave by watching her mother and other women in the community weave. She has taught weaving to Pacific Islander students at the University of Washington, and actively researches the Burke's weaving collections from the Marshall Islands, including 19th-century jaki-ed, which were used as women's clothing prior to the arrival of missionaries on the islands.
Jerbal in Kakememej can be viewed by the public in the reception area of HealthPoint Midway Clinic during normal business hours.