By Peter James

It is often thought that mathematics develops only after a civilization has created some form of written record. However, this was not the case in Chuuk. The Chuukese developed not one but many different counting systems. Although not much is known about the history of Chuukese mathematics, it appears that Chuukese counting systems we re converted to base 10 under Japanese administration prior to World War II.

The table below gives the Chuukese counting system as used in the Mortlocks Region. Looking at the table, how would you say 444 in Chuukese? Puku is the Chuukese way of saying hundred.

English one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen sixteen seventeen eighteen nineteen twenty thirty forty fifty sixty seventy eighty ninety one hundred two hundred three hundred four hundred five hundred

Chuukese eu ruou elu ruanu limou onou fisu walu tuou engol engol me eu engol me ruou engol me elu engol me ruanu engol me limou engol me onou engol me fisu engol me walu engol me tuou rua elik faik lima ona fik walik tiwa epuka ruapuku elipuku fapuka limapuku

Like other languages in FSM, the Chuukese number system uses different word endings when counting different kinds of objects. For this reason, it sometimes takes fewer words to count objects in Chuukese than in English. For example, the phrase one piece of paper is four words in English, but
two words in Chuukese (echo taropwe).

When counting flat objects, the Chuukese use the word ending cho. Objects counted using this system
include paper, leaves, plywood, and tin roofs.

Word endings also change when counting long objects. The word ending used in this case is foch. Objects counted using this system include canoes, fingers, pencils, and rebar.

There is also a shift in the word ending when solid objects are counted. In this instance, the Chuukese word ending is fou. Objects counted using this system include coconuts, breadfruit, stones, and taro root.

Finally, the word ending used in Chuukese to count layers of objects is sar. Objects counted using this system include oranges, layers of soil, and the layers of leaves and food items cooked in an umw, or outdoor oven.

It is interesting to note that 4 (ruanu) has a special place in Chuukese counting systems. In the counting systems used for specific types of objects, a new root word replaces the word ruanu. For example, when applied to flat objects, 4 is facho.

Certain objects can also be counted in sets of 10. The word to describe a set of clams is emet. For a set of coconuts, the word is eef.

In Chuukese, it is very hard to express exact weights and volumes. There are no words for pounds and ounces. To quantify something that weighs 50 pounds or less, you must lift it and decide whether it weighs 40 or 50 pounds. To measure objects that weigh more than 50 pounds, we use stones and baskets.

Nonetheless, there are Chuukese words for some English measurements.

However, the Chuukese people developed their own ways of measuring things, and these are not systematically taught to the younger generation. It is the older Chuukese people who were once boat and house builders who possess this knowledge. They used their knowledge and skills to build strong houses and fast, sturdy boats. Only a few people – the Chuukese craftsmen – still carry this knowledge with them. It will be a big task to find these people and record this information before it is lost. I hope that we will be able to do this before it is too late.

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