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The Kingdom of EnenKio, or "EnenKio" for short, is a small separatist group of Marshall Islander heritage who lay claim to the United States' unincorporated territory of Wake Island. EnenKio seeks recognition as a sovereign Micronesian state in the Northern Marshall Islands. The Kingdom of EnenKio derives its name from the native name of the northernmost Marshallese atoll, Eneen-Kio Atoll, which was also once written as Enen-kio. In the Marshallese language, Enen-kio means "Island of the orange flower."
Wake Island comprises three proximate coral atolls currently known as Peale Island, Wake Island, and Wilkes Island. In aggregate they comprise an area of approximately 6.5 km² and are situated approximately 2,300 statute miles west of the Hawaiian Islands and 2,000 miles from Japan. The nearest island neighbor is Bokak Atoll of the Marshall Islands group, some 300 miles to the south. Westerners have called Wake Island by different names throughout history, such as San Francisco, Lamira, Disclerta, Halcyon, Helsion, and Wilson.
History
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The Kingdom of EnenKio was first conceived in 1987. It began to emerge in 1993 and was formally established in 1994. Murjel Hermios became its first Monarch and, following his death in December 1998, his brother Remios Hermios became second Monarch. The government of EnenKio claims it is determined to peacefully gain occupation of Wake Island to benefit the king, EnenKio citizens, and any persons who desire freedom from oppressive political or social systems.
Basis of claim
The Kingdom of EnenKio bases their claim over Wake Island upon primarily three factors.
Firstly, some scant indigenous Marshallese oral tradition suggests that, prior to European exploration, nearby Marshall Islanders travelled to what is now Wake Island, which the ancient travelers called Enen-kio after a small orange shrub-flower said to have been found on the island. In ancient Marshallese religion, rituals surrounding the tattooing of tribal chiefs, called Iroijlaplap, were done using certain fresh human bones, which required a human sacrifice. A man could save himself from being sacrificed if he obtained a wing bone from a certain very large seabird said to have existed on Enen-kio. Small groups would therefore brave traveling to the island in hope of obtaining and returning with this bone, thus saving the life of the potential human sacrifice.
Secondly, EnenKio's Monarch claims to be a direct descendant of ancient travelers to Wake Island, as described above.
Thirdly, and based upon the above two factors, EnenKio bases their claim upon concepts of first-usage lands rights commonly held in Micronesian cultures and legal systems as legitimate for settling indigenous land disputes. EnenKio leaders assert that, since their ancestors were the first to make use of the island, their claim over it should take precedence over all subsequent claims, namely those of the Marshall Islands and United States governments.
Status
To date, EnenKio is not recognized in any international forum as a sovereign state; nor does any internationally recognized state recognize it. On 23 April 1998 the Marshall Islands government issued Circular Note 01-98, which vigorously denied EnenKio's Wake Island claims.
The Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands condemns the claims and activities asserted by representatives of the "Kingdom of EnenKio" and the "Dominion of Melchizedek". The representatives making claims of separate sovereignty are not citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and have no right to make claims on behalf of Marshallese landowners. Furthermore, these representatives are making fraudulent assertions that violate the Republic of the Marshall Islands' constitution. The area of land and ocean which the "Kingdom of EnenKio" asserts as a sovereign nation separate from the Marshall Islands and the area of land and ocean which the "Dominion of Melchizedek" is asserting control over are areas within the geographical and political boundaries of the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
The Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands discourages all independent sovereign nations having diplomatic relations with the Republic from acknowledging any fraudulent claims made by representatives of the "Kingdom of EnenKio" and the "Dominion of Melchizedek".
