How Kaselehlia got her Name

`Kaselehlia' is a Micronesian word used for greeting people. It is similar to words like `Hello' in English, or `Kia Ora' in Maori, or `Aloha' in Hawaiian. It is a very friendly greeting, and used widely in several parts of the north Pacific islands of Micronesia. Another greeting which is used in Micronesia is `Hafaadai', but this is somewhat more difficult to catch by ear to the unfamiliar

My wife and I are both archaeologists (now retired) and we have both worked in Micronesian Islands. When Janet went to do archaeological research on the island of Nukuoro in the Caroline Islands in 1966, the ship which took her there from Ponape was called `Kaselehlia'. We both felt that a friendly boat should have a friendly name, so we gave the name of `Kaselehlia' to our boat.

Of course the word `Kaselehlia' is unfamiliar to people in New Zealand, and when we are contacted on the radio at sea and we give our boat name, we have had some amusing responses. The two most memorable are `Castle-Mania', and `Cassanova'.

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