On the day of Keanu Dum's (pronounced doom) father's funeral we went to their home. The casket is made by members of the village out of plywood and lined inside and out with cloth. The casket was sitting in the middle of the floor in their main living area. Most homes in Pohnpei do not have chairs. They are quite comfortable sitting on the floor. The floor was covered with nice mats. I noticed that there was several bottles of perfume on the casket top. Later in the day several of the girls got the perfume and went around the room and gave each person a spray. There were several bottles and we were sprayed at least twice so I smelled real "nice".
Mr. Dum was only 52 years old and left a wonderful family. Elder Keanu Dum is currently at the MTC in Provo. Has was able to call and talk to his mother before the funeral.
Lenda was sitting near the casket talking to one of Mr. Dum's relatives and a member of the Panasang Ward. In the background about a dozen village kids were singing hymns and traditional Pohnpeian songs accompanied by Mylanny Dum, one of the sons and also one of our seminary students at PICS. They have a natural gift for music. The burial took place later in the afternoon in a family plot in the middle of the village. Many people are buried in the yard of their homes.
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It seems so nice, to be surrounded by family and loved ones like that. That poor missionary, I hope he is doing well with the loss. :(
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