“Nikkei” in Palau~ Interview Series: Vol.39 Mr. Morimats Kingzio

Mr. Morimats Kingzio, 89 years old, is the son of Mr. Morisuke Kingzio from Okinawa, Japan and Mrs. Tmodrang Tuloi from Ngchesar State. He has two older sisters, Ms. Humiko Kingzio and Ms. Hideko Kingzio who both have passed away. He has three children and several grandchildren. Mr. Morimats’ father was a carpenter and resided in Palau until his passing, where he was laid to rest in Ngerngesang, Ngchesar.
 
As a child he learned to speak Japanese from his father. He spoke Japanese until he was around 4 years old. Once he started his formal education in the new American school system, Mr. Kingzio didn’t utilize the Japanese language as much and is now only able to understand a few words but has forgotten how to speak the language.
 
Mr. Morimats Kingzio attended Ngchesar Elementary School for six years and then went to the all-boys private school Emmaus for three years. After graduating from Emmaus School, he continued to live in the Emmaus compound and work for both Emmaus School in Koror and Bethania School in Ngaraard as a facilities and maintenance technician for almost all his life.
 
He built many of the buildings at Emmaus School and Bethania School. He also built the wooden boat known as Orrekim (rainbow in Palauan), which was used as a means of transportation for the schools. He recalls using the boat to transport steel pipes which were remains from World War II, from Peleliu to Ngaraard, to use as materials for the water irrigation system at Bethania School.
 
He learned carpentry from his father who built many wooden houses. When Mr. Kingzio was younger he would help his father with his projects. Not only is he a carpenter like his father, Mr. Kingzio is also a mechanic and boat operator. During our visit he happily showed us his array of tools and shared about his different projects that he took up during his tenure at Emmaus and Bethania Schools (now Emmaus-Bethania High School).
 
He was also recruited to work in Woleai, Yap to build a weather station there. He spent some time training to read the weather before he was sent to Woleai, where he was tasked with building an 8-ft by 20-ft building by himself within three days. This would serve as both the weather station and his home for the next four years, where he worked as a weatherman.
 
Mr. Kingzio also shared stories from his time as a boat operator, experiences he will never forget. One incident occurred during a routine trip from Angaur to Peleliu when the weather suddenly turned for the worse. The wooden boat was damaged and water rose to their ankles inside the vessel. He somehow managed to slowly bring the boat to Peleliu, where he repaired the damage before returning with his boss to Koror. He shares a few more similar stories and says it is a miracle he is alive and well today, since those events had seemed impossible to overcome at the time.
 
Mr. Kingzio smiles slightly as he reflects on his career. Over the years, he has held a variety of positions. Some of the work was physically demanding, but he believes that all his efforts were worth it.
 
Mr. Kingzio recalls his one and only visit to Okinawa. Mr. Kingzio escorted a student from Emmaus School to Japan during an invitational program. He liked that Okinawa was similar to Palau, not too crowded. He also really liked the fresh fruits, especially the apples which were very big.
 
Mr. Kingzio believes that Japan and Palau share a very good relationship. He spoke about the Japanese administration period and mentioned that one thing he appreciated was that drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes were illegal at the time. He believes this rule was meant to help citizens avoid trouble and maintain order.