What did it mean to make decisions and self-govern on Penikese Island?
Self-governance started before we got to the island. At Wesleyan we had two class periods, led by the Gull Island Teaching Fellow, Rowena, and our teaching assistant, Norman, where we made decisions about rules on the island, decided the form our report would take (this website) and divided up jobs on the island, and for the report. We had to decide who would cook, what they would cook, and all the other labor. Having the framework and guidance of Rowena, who had experienced Gull Island’s self-governance before, was very helpful in setting up rules about how we were going to make decisions. Deciding how to make decisions was actually the hardest part.
We held self-governance meetings in the evenings, by the light of oil lamps, without the presence of the professors. Having to make decisions also meant having to take responsibility for what happened on the island. Knowing that our classmates were relying on us made us care about labor, especially cooking, more than we would have if the professors had just told us what to do. Self-governance is inefficient. It was often a lot of work to figure out how to make a decision, or find a solution that everyone could live with, but it very quickly became clear that it was worth the trouble, because we all cared about what happened and felt like we mattered.
