Yokwe Bartowe

An evil demon bird threatens to destroy a happy island family

Exploring the Yokwe spirit of the Marshallese culture and people. Yokwe Bartowe is the story of a young girl named Lijiamao who is kidnapped by an evil demon bird. The ancient legend of the 'kwolej' bird dictates that its main mission in life is to create sorrow and misfortune in the world. Bartowe is Lijiamao's 20-year-old brother and he was supposed to be watching his sister on the day she mysteriously vanished while swimming in the lagoon. He is blamed for her disappearance by his mother. Even though most people believe that Lijiamao has drowned, the fact that no one ever found her body in extremely shallow water has everyone puzzled. Only Lijiamao's best friend Tili refuses to believe she is dead, much to the dismay of her principal, her teacher and her classmates. The story follows the life of Bartowe on the first anniversary of his sister's disappearance. He is trying to cope with the hatred of his mother for not taking good care of Lijiamao and the deterioration of his relationship with his steady girlfriend and fellow college student, Kaila. The immense sorrow in his life drives him to drinking and disillusionment, which eventually causes him to become the enemy of a local island gang. Just when his life seems to be heading toward complete disaster, hope comes from an unexpected source: Lijimu. The old woman, who is despised by the island community because she's believed to be a sorceress and capable of performing powerful black magic, attempts to come to the young man's rescue.