Ohwa Schools and Historic Protestant Mission
Entrance Ohwa Schools Campus & Pictures	Ohwa is a village on the mid-eastern shore of the Micronesian Island of Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. The word "Ohwa" was derived by combining two Pohnpeian words, �Ohn� [meaning vine of a large local yam] and �wa� [bearing large amounts of fruit]. When combined the word Ohwa is descriptive of an ancient legend describing a place where many vines produce a lot of fruit.  Long ago the area now called Ohwa was barren with many rocks and no plants.  The male ghost Enimwahn came and decided to shift the land upside down so that the soil was on top and the rocks were below.  This movement of the earth allowed Enimwahn to plant vegetation. There grew many different types of food and plants. The Protestant mission was established at Ohwa (Oa) informally in 1868 by missionary Sturges with a formal school program in 1882. See the map that includes the Ohwa Historic ridge.
Poem Ohwa in honor of my father,Chester Terpstra (1917-2007). Follow the link for a copy of the poem, "Ohwa: Vine (Ohn) Bearing Fruit (Wa)" Click here. Chester Terpstra was a missionary to Pohnpei in the 1950s, the first to return after WWII. Here is a page dedicated to his memory. Click on the link for more info.
	Ohwa Dock of the 1950s <![if !supportLineBreakNewLine]> <![endif]>	Ohwa Dock circa 1957
Link to Maps: Ohwa, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, inclucing Google Maps
	1895 Spanish Map of Oa [enlarge]	Ohwa Dock 2004
Micronesian Mission History [Protestant]	Ohwa Historic Mission Campus Exploration
		Likely Spanish Dock 1890s