The Motto of the College of the Marshall Islands
According to a Marshallese proverb Jitdam Kapeel means,
"seeking knowledge guarantees wisdom"
Jitdam means to question. Traditionally it refers to the young people asking their elders about their lineage. The road to knowledge begins with questions that arise within a culture. The beginning of an answer comes from these queries. Questions about our origins are the most basic of all questions. The answer begins to tell our story - who we are, how we fit into the scheme of things, and where we are going. From it we sense our meaning; know our identity; and shape our values, religion, laws, economy, and society.
Kapeel means skillful. It referes not only to manual skills buts skills of the intellect and of the heart as well. Educated people are those who have honed the critical skills of analysis and judgement, and who have become proficient and creative in the skills of craft. Their creative expressions, whether in the sciences or the arts, are informed by the values which emanate from the story of who they are, where they are from, and where they are going.
