A long time ago there was a beautiful Island in the South Pacific named Bangkulu. This island was the home of the Watogu-siam people, a friendly, hardworking people who guarded a valuable & precious treasure. Valuable, because it provided for the people by allowing them to trade & buy and make their tiny island a prosperous home for their families. Precious, because the treasure contained priceless stones & books & relics that were past down from generation to generation & gave these people their identity.

How they came to possess the treasure is largely a mystery. There are many legends & stories. This secret has been tightly kept by the Ekkleitogu: the respected, elder community whose sole responsibility is to guard the treasure & its secrets for the ongoing good & prosperity of the people. These people came to understand that to be greedy & hoard the treasure would be destructive for all, so its exact location was a closely guarded secret as was the specific information regarding the vastness of the treasure. If the treasure was ever lost, life on the isolated island would come to an abrupt end as traders would cease to make the journey and more importantly, the items that had been passed down from generation to generation, that told the tribe’s story, would be lost. Though on many occasions thieves, pirates, and rival island nations had tried to find & steal the legendary treasure, the tightly kept secret & the brave fighting of the Watogu had always kept it safe.

On special occasions & festivals, the Ekkleitogu would retrieve & display certain artifacts & portions of the treasure as a center-piece for their celebration and also, as a reminder to be thankful for how their needs had been met. It was the eve of one such celebration when the serene & peaceful world of Watogu came crashing down & the treasure became in danger of being lost forever.

It was around midnight when the pirate ship sailed into the back harbor of Bagkulu. This was the first hint that something was not right. The water in the back harbor was shallow & only those with inside knowledge knew the tricks of navigating the reefs & shoals that would destroy a ship’s hull immediately. Knowing that the treasure was too vast to be taken completely out over the pass through the middle of the island, the ancient Ekkleitogu had wisely hidden the treasure in this section of the island, just about a half mile in from the waters edge. Navigating these dangerous waters & then possessing the knowledge of the hidden paths that were loaded with traps & dead ends was the only way anyone could gain access to the caverns that help the precious treasure.

One of the Ekkleitogu was making one last trip to the caverns in preparation for the following day’s celebration when he noticed the ship anchored by one of the hidden entrances to the cavern pathways. He gasped! How was it possible that anyone could have navigated through the harbor? How was it possible that they knew exactly where to look for the hidden entrances? There was only one answer: someone had betrayed them. But…who would do such a thing. These were the thoughts that filled the man’s mind as he ran to sound the warning that the treasure’s location had been compromised & was in danger of being stolen.

A fierce conflict followed. The Watogu fought bravely, but for the first time ever, they were subdued. It was as if the pirates knew everything about Bangkulu, and the Watogu’s fighting tactics & hiding places. Sadly, as the island warriors were brought to the beach for holding while the treasure was being looted, they recognized a familiar face standing with the pirates. It was Chamoru their head elder, second in power only to the chief: Mathow. He had sold them out. Greed & a lust for power had driven him to want the treasure for his own, so he made a deal with the pirates & betrayed his own people. The Watogu warriors & the people were forced to watch as the pirates, under the direction of Chamoru, their former leader & friend, carted off their precious treasure, loaded up their ship, and sailed away.

Not content to just let their treasure disappear forever, the Watogu leaders assembled their best sailors & warriors to pursue the pirates. There were hundreds of Islands in the South Pacific and, if too much time went by, the treasure could become very difficult to tract down.

Thankfully, after only two weeks of searching, the Watogu came across the Pirate ship & a great sea battle took place. The pirate ship was disabled in the fight, but the leaders (including Chamoru) and their top guards escaped to the nearest island of Marokau. In their possession: two maps that detailed the exact location of the treasure’s new hiding place.

Aware of this information, the Watogu pursued them to the shores of Marokau and they spent the next several days chasing & battling one another in order to gain possession of the map: Mathow leading the way in the pursuit of the pirates and his old friend Chamoru. Will they be able to overtake the pirates & reclaim their treasure? Will Mathow exact revenge if he captures Chamoru the ex-tribesman?

Welcome to Marokau. This week, you will watch this struggle unfold, and, if things go right, you may just play a part in helping bring the treasure back to Bangkulu where it belongs.

Base Camp 2007 has begun, with the ChickBo and the Islanders in hot pursuit of Red Coat and his band of pirates. Can you come to the island of Marokau and help them recover their treasure?