Mary Lanwi

Mary Heine Lanwi was an educator, activist, and promotor of traditional handicrafts in the Marshall Islands. A female pioneer on the islands, she has been described as "perhaps the first Marshallese woman to begin employment outside the home." In 1974, she was the only woman elected to serve as a delegate to the Micronesian Constitutional Convention.

Early life and education Mary Heine was born February 22, 1921, on Jaluit Atoll in the Marshall Islands. She had two sisters and two brothers, including the politician Dwight Heine.

Career After finishing her education, Mary Lanwi started teaching in mission schools, beginning with her alma mater on Kosrae, becoming "perhaps the first Marshallese woman to begin employment outside the home," although this work was unpaid due to the missions' rules against compensating female staff. She subsequently taught at the Rongrong Christian School from 1945 to 1948.

In 1974, Lanwi was elected as the only female delegate to the Micronesian Constitutional Convention, representing Ebon Atoll. Ahead of the Alele Museum's opening in the early 1980s, she served on its founding board, described an "instrumental" in its creation. Other prominent roles in this period included on the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands' Planning Council and Private Industry Council.