48-541: Abaiang , also known as Apaiang , Apia , and in the past, Charlotte Island , in the Northern Gilbert Islands , is a coral atoll of Kiribati , located in the west-central Pacific Ocean . Abaiang was the island of the first missionary to arrive in the Gilberts, Hiram Bingham II . Abaiang has a population of 5,872 (2020 census). Abaiang Atoll is in the northern Gilberts , located not very far to
96-483: A British migrant. St. Joseph's College was founded in 1939. In the past 65 years it has gone from strength to strength and is now a leading centre for learning in Kiribati. Its alumni include both current President His Excellency Anote Tong , and previous incumbent Teburoro Tito . The atoll is served by Abaiang Atoll Airport , situated between the villages of Tabwiroa and Tuarabu. Air Kiribati operates three flights
144-527: A chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean , about halfway between Papua New Guinea and Hawaii . They constitute the main part of the country of Kiribati (the name of which is a rendering of "Gilberts" in the phonology of the indigenous Gilbertese ). The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands lie in an approximate north-to-south line. The northernmost island in
192-555: A chief who lived on Butaritari (called Makin or Great Makin). This chief had all the powers and authority to make and impose decisions on the Islanders, a system very different from the Southern Gilbert Islands where power was wielded collectively by the unimwane or old men of the island. The northern Gilberts have a greater mean rainfall in comparison to the southern and central Gilberts allowing cultivation of
240-401: A land area of 215.5 acres (0.872 km) are mainly uninhabited, with lack of water and remoteness from the mainland being the main issues. They however are used for fishing, copra cutting and campsites. The islets of Ouba and Teirio have had small motels built on them, with staff travelling from the mainland of Abaiang and from Tarawa when guests are expected. In the southwest of Abaiang there
288-508: A striking diversity of coral and fish species, providing plentiful seafood to the local population and attracting tourists to the island from nearby South Tarawa . While the island is prone to drought, in normal years the rainfall is sufficient to support breadfruit , banana and papaya as well as the ubiquitous coconut. The closeness of Abaiang to Tarawa also facilitates a significant, though largely informal, trade in local food of all types. However like all outer islands of Kiribati, Abaiang
336-471: A week that connect Abaiang with Marakei and the international airport at South Tarawa . There are also regular speedboats and boat charters available from South Tarawa to Abaiang. There are three guesthouses on Abaiang. The Island Council guest house is situated in Taburao village and welcomes tourists as well as providing accommodation for Government workers and other travellers. "Ouba Islet Resort"
384-399: A wider crop range. Butaritari and Makin supply most of the bananas sold in Kiribati. The cultivation of taro or babai ( Cyrtosperma merkusii ) has been historically easier in the northern Gilberts due to a higher water table and regular rainfall. The Central Gilberts or nuka have traditionally included Maiana , Abemama , Kuria and Aranuka . However, the latter three are considered
432-799: Is Cicia in Fiji . There are ten primary schools on Abaiang, with a combined roll of 985 students in 2011. At the secondary school level, in 2011 there were 212 students at the Ministry of Education school, Ueen Abaiang, which is located between the villages of Koinawa and Aonobuaka . A further 135 students are enrolled at St Joseph's College in Tabwiroa and 23 students at Steven Whitmee High School in Morikao , making 370 secondary school students in total. The two high schools at Morikao and Tabuiroa accommodate students from all over Kiribati who have passed
480-645: Is a channel, the Bingham Channel, which is the basic conjunction between the lagoon and the Pacific . The channel is between the biggest island of Abaiang (in the east) and a very little island in the southwest of Abaiang called Teirio. Global warming has created a problem for Abaiang and Kiribati, among other island groups. Houses in Tebunginako village have been abandoned. As storm surges becoming more frequent and spring tides more forceful, eventually
528-560: Is according to their former administrative districts , which were known as the Northern, Central, and Southern Gilberts. (Tarawa was once a separate district as well). At one time, a subset of the northern Gilbert islands was known as Scarborough Islands and a subset of the southern Gilberts as the Kingsmill Group ; in some 19th century texts, this last name of Kingsmills was applied to the entire Gilberts group. Geologically,
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#1732772692009576-640: Is an eco-tourism resort on Ouba island in the north-western perimeter of the atoll, which has been operating since July, 2006. "Teiria Islet Beach Escape" is a small resort on the islet of Teiria. Abaiang inspired the Italian comic book creator Hugo Pratt to imagine the fictional island of Escondida. It appears in his comic book story of Corto Maltese : The Ballad of the Salty Sea . Gilbert Islands The Gilbert Islands ( Gilbertese : Tungaru ; formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill Islands ) are
624-682: Is basically a subsistence economy, with a small number of jobs, mainly working for the Government or Island Council. Other sources of income are copra production, and remittances from relatives working in South Tarawa, as crew on international vessels, or overseas. Climate change has forced a change, as milkfish are not as common and plant life is dying off to the increased salt in the water table. The island of Abaiang has committed to having 100% of its farm agriculture produced organically . Another Pacific island to have made this commitment
672-719: The 2nd Marine Raider Battalion raided Makin from two submarines. The raid was intended by the Americans to confuse the Japanese about US intentions in the Pacific, a feint to draw Japanese attention away from the planned invasion route through the Solomons . It is instead believed to have alerted the Japanese to the strategic importance of the Gilbert Islands and led to their reinforcement and fortification. Marines captured during this operation were subsequently summarily executed by
720-812: The Ellice Islands were separated, and the Gilberts became the Gilbert Islands colony, which issued stamps under that name. In 1979, the Gilberts opted for independence, becoming the independent state of Kiribati . The Ellice Islands became the independent state of Tuvalu in 1978. Asian Development Bank. (2009b). Kiribati's political economy and capacity development [Online]. Available: http://www.adb.org/documents/reports/KIR-Political-Economy-Capacity-Development/KIR-Economic-Development.pdf (accessed 6 February 2012). Bedford, R., Macdonald, B., & Munro, D. (1980). Population estimates for Kiribati and Tuvalu, 1850–1900: Review and speculation. Journal of
768-617: The Buen Viaje Islands. The British explorer Vice-Admiral John Byron passed through the islands in 1765 during his circumnavigation of the globe as captain of HMS Dolphin . In 1788 Captain Thomas Gilbert on Charlotte and Captain John Marshall on Scarborough crossed through Kuria , Aranuka , Tarawa , Abaiang , Butaritari, and Makin without attempting to land on the atolls. In 1820,
816-687: The Gilbert Islands are Austronesian peoples , similar in many respects to the natives of the Marshalls or the Carolines . In Mahaffy's 1909 report to the British Government he described the missionaries or Protectorate staff then resident in the Gilbert Islands. At the outbreak of World War II, about 78% of the native population were said to be Christians. This group was divided mainly into two denominations: Congregationalists (43%) and Roman Catholics (35%), Catholics becoming quickly
864-731: The Gilberts and the Ratak chain of the Marshall Islands to their north together form a continuous chain of seamounts . In official north–south order (grouped by former administrative district), the islands and atolls are: Source for land areas: Kiribati 2005 Census Report The Northern Gilberts ( meang or mweang ) geographically and traditionally encompass Butaritari , Makin , Marakei , Abaiang (literally northland ) and Tarawa . They have unique tonal accents with differences particularly noted amongst Butaritari and Makin inhabitants. Traditionally, Butaritari and Makin were ruled by
912-658: The Gilberts, they devoted considerable time to mapping and charting reefs and anchorages. In 1886, an Anglo-German agreement partitioned the "unclaimed" central Pacific, leaving Nauru in the German sphere of influence, while Ocean Island and the future GEIC wound up in the British sphere of influence. A British protectorate was first proclaimed over the Gilberts by Captain Edward Davis of HMS Royalist on 27 May 1892. British official Arthur Mahaffy visited
960-536: The Gilberts. On 20 November 1943, the U.S. Army and U.S. 2nd Marine Division landed on Makin and Tarawa, initiating the battles of Makin and Tarawa , in which the Japanese were defeated. The Gilbert Islands were then used to support the invasion of the Marshall Islands in February 1944. The US built bases on Islands. The Gilbert and Ellice Islands became autonomous in 1971. From 1975 to 1978,
1008-455: The Islands in 1909. He noted that the "villages are kept in admirable order and the roads are scrupulously clean." A hospital was on each island, as well. The conduct of William Telfer Campbell , the second resident commissioner of the Gilberts, was criticised as to his legislative, judicial and administrative management (including allegations of forced labour exacted from islanders) and became
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#17327726920091056-707: The Japanese, in gross violation of the laws of war. The 19 Marines who died were left behind for the villagers to bury. In 1999, a Marine Honor guard was sent to recover the bodies and found them after a villager showed them where to dig. All were exhumed and were taken to the United States. Tarawa and Abemama were occupied in force by the Japanese in September 1942 and during the next year garrisons were built up on Betio (Tarawa Atoll), and Butaritari (Makin Atoll). Only nominal forces were placed on other islands in
1104-1118: The Pacific Islands. Journal of the Polynesian Society 1968; 77: 263–74. Davis, E.H.M., Captain RN. (1892). Proceedings of H.M.S. Royalist [Online]. Available: http://www.janeresture.com/davisdiaries/captaindavis.html and http://www.janeresture.com/nikunau/index.htm Archived 2006-10-16 at the Wayback Machine (accessed 6 February 2012). Di Piazza, A. (1999). Te Bakoa site. Two old earth ovens from Nikunau Island (Republic of Kiribati). Archaeology in Oceania, 34(1), 40–42. Di Piazza, A. (2001). Terre d'abondance ou terre de misère: Représentation de la sécheresse à Nikunau (République de Kiribati, Pacifique central) (Land of abundance or land of scarcity? Ideas about drought on Nikunau (Republic of Kiribati, Central Pacific)). L'Homme, 157, 35–58. Firth, Stewart (1973). "German Firms in
1152-668: The Polynesian Society, 89, 199–246. Bollard, A.E. (1981). "The Financial Adventures of J.C. Godeffroy and Son in the Pacific". Journal of Pacific History . 16 (1): 3–19. doi : 10.1080/00223348108572410 . Borovnik, M. (2006). Working overseas: Seafarers' remittances and their distribution in Kiribati. Asian Pacific Viewpoint, 47, 151–161. Burnett, G. (2005). Language games and schooling: Discourses of colonialism in Kiribati education. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 25(1), 93–106. Cochrane, G. (1970). The Administration of Wagina Resettlement Scheme. Human Organization, 29(2), 123–132. Correspondent. (1913, 5 June). Modern buccaneers in
1200-616: The Union Jack on the island. The first European to document the island was Thomas Gilbert in 1788. He named the island Matthew's Island, named for the owner of his ship, the Charlotte . Subsequently, errors changed the name to Charlotte Island. Then the first missionary to live in Kiribati arrived at Abaiang on 16 November 1857. He was Hiram Bingham II of the American Board, a Boston-based missionary group. This Hiram Bingham
1248-467: The West Pacific. New Age, pp. 136–140 (Online). Available: http://dl.lib.brown.edu/pdfs/1140814207532014.pdf (accessed 6 February 2012). Couper, AD. The island trade: an analysis of the environment and operation of seaborne trade among three islands in the Pacific. Canberra: Australian National University, Department of Geography; 1967. Couper, AD. Protest movements and proto-cooperatives in
1296-649: The Western Pacific Islands, 1857–1914". Journal of Pacific History . 8 (1): 10–28. doi : 10.1080/00223347308572220 . Steven Whitmee High School Stephen Whitmee High School is a senior high school in Morikao , Abaiang Island , Kiribati . It is affiliated with the Kiribati Uniting Church (formerly the Kiribati Protestant Church). It opened in 1900. Circa 2012 the Japanese government funded
1344-473: The bungalow type. Mahaffy described the native clothing as being of "shocking shape" and "atrocious color", and that the style was changing into "kilt(s) of leaves or fine woven mats". In the early to mid 20th century the principal source of income for Gilbert islanders was from working on the production of phosphate from the deposits on Banaba (Ocean Island) , an island to the west of the Gilbert Islands. In addition, coconut palms were cultivated on some of
1392-551: The entrance examinations to get into the schools. By tradition, the first inhabitants of Abaiang Island were known to be spirits, some of them created in Samoa and some in Abaiang. Years passed by and then Pacific Islanders came along followed then by the arrival of Thomas Gilbert , then Reverend Dr. Bingham and his team in 1857, international traders, beachcombers, whalers and even blackbirders . Colonizers then came along and hoisted
1440-570: The erosion was so great that the village had to be abandoned. The remains of about 100 thatched homes and a maneabe (community meeting hall) are now up to 30 metres (98 feet) offshore. The villagers relocated themselves further inland, with the new village retaining the same name. In the 2010 Census the total population of 5,502 was spread among 18 villages, with the largest villages being Nuotaea (559 inhabitants) and Tuarabu (560 inhabitants). Relative to other islands of Kiribati , Abaiang has some important economic advantages. Its large lagoon supports
1488-572: The group, Makin , it is approximately 420 nautical miles (780 km) from southernmost, Arorae , as the crow flies. Geographically, the equator is the dividing line between the northern and southern Gilbert Islands. However, the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) considers the entire Gilbert islands group to be in the South Pacific Ocean . Another way to group the Gilbert Islands
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1536-411: The islands figure slightly, and there are remarkable stories of adventures, bravery, political machinations, etc . Probably out of print, but second hand copies are available I think, I have two, and the illustrations are delightful. On the same day as the attack on Pearl Harbor , the Japanese invaded the Gilbert Islands, occupying 3 of them by 9 December 1941. On 17 August 1942, 221 U.S. Marines of
1584-771: The islands in the 19th century. The first recorded visit was by the Ann and Hope , which called at Nikunau in December 1799. Two ships of the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842), USS Peacock and Flying Fish , under the command of Captain William L. Hudson , visited many of the Gilbert Islands (then called the Kingsmill Islands or Kingsmill Group in English). While in
1632-700: The islands were named the Gilbert Islands or îles Gilbert (in French) by Adam Johann von Krusenstern , a Baltic German Admiral of the Russian Czar after the British Captain Thomas Gilbert , who crossed the archipelago in 1788. French captain Louis Duperrey was the first to map the whole Gilbert Islands archipelago. He commanded La Coquille on its circumnavigation of the earth (1822–1825). Many whaling ships called at
1680-421: The islands. All labor was supervised by the British and every effort was made to see that the wages and living conditions were fair and adequate. Sanitary inspections by the British did much to improve the general living conditions on most of the islands. Arthur Mahaffy noted in 1909 that "extreme poverty is virtually unknown", and that most people on the island owned their own land. Residents paid taxes , with
1728-465: The level of education throughout the colony. The bulk of the education was provided by the missions, which maintained all the village schools and trained the native school teachers. With the availability of European-style medical care life improved. The Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme sought to provide an outlet through the development of three uninhabited atolls in the Phoenix Islands and
1776-698: The main islands that have unique historical and cultural characteristics which distinguish the Central Gilberts from the north and south. Tembinok' , the last king of Abemama, Kuria and Aranuka, died in the early part of the 20th century. The Southern Gilberts include the atolls of Nonouti , South and North Tabiteuea , Beru , Nikunau , Onotoa , Tamana and the most southerly island of Arorae . The islands had been inhabited by Oceanians for several millennia (at least 2,000 years, probably 3,000). In 1606, Portuguese navigator Pedro Fernandes de Queirós sighted Butaritari and Makin , which he named
1824-581: The majority at the end of the Colony. The rest of the population were then largely semi-pagan agnostics; they did not adhere to the Christian faith, nor did they retain much of their beliefs in their own ancient gods. Native diet during this time consisted mainly of fish, coconuts, pandanus fruit, babai ( swamp taro ), chicken, and some pork. Housing for Europeans employed in the island was simple: constructed of European and native materials and generally of
1872-610: The majority of taxes going back into the community, and a small portion going to the Protectorate. Judged to be about 84% literate, the Gilbertese responded readily to the colony's educational efforts. All education in the islands came under the supervision of the Colonial Education Department whose aims were to educate native boys for employment in government and commercial work, and to standardize
1920-408: The north of Tarawa . Abaiang is the fourth most northerly in the Gilberts chain of atolls, with a total land area of 4,102.8 acres (16.603 km). The atoll has a lagoon 16 by 5 miles (25.7 by 8.0 km) that provides sheltered anchorage. The main island of Abaiang, Teiro (not to be confused with the small islet of Teirio ) has a total land area of 3,552.6 acres (14.377 km) extends from
1968-561: The northern village of Takarano to the southern village of Tabontebike. It occupies the complete eastern rim and also encircles the southern part of the atoll, stretching over a distance of some 23 miles (37 km) Its width ranges from no more than 90 metres (300 feet) to more than 1,000 metres (3,300 feet), averaging 390 metres (1,280 feet). It contains 16 of the 18 villages of the atoll. Two other islets, Riboono 219.3 acres (0.887 km) and Nuotaea 330.9 acres (1.339 km) are also inhabited. The remaining islets of Abaiang but Taete, with
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2016-520: The subject of the 1909 report by Arthur Mahaffy. In 1913 an anonymous correspondent to The New Age journal described the mis-administration of Telfer Campbell and challenged the impartiality of Arthur Mahaffy as he was a former colonial official in the Gilberts. In 1915, starting from 1916, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands were proclaimed a colony of the British Empire . The natives of
2064-530: The two genders. Their ancestors, they said, had been white skinned and red haired and came from elsewhere, perhaps the West (possibly coinciding with the outward spread of Homo sapiens from Africa and elsewhere). As might be expected, they gave power to the natural forces and gave them names and godly characteristics (sun, moon, etc .) but believed in one spirit god, a bit similar to the god of Genesis, in that he/she seemed to have power over dark and light and so on, and
2112-399: The village of Borotiam was named in honour of his home country Belgium (Borotiam being the local vernacular for Belgium). This church celebrated its centennial in 2007 with a fresh paint job and a celebration whose special guest was the current President. The foremost institution of Abaiang is St. Josephs College. The Principal during the country's silver jubilee celebrations was Paul Chilton,
2160-581: Was captured by the U.S. military and used as an offensive staging base. Abaiang Post Office opened around 1910. The Catholic community also has strong ties to Abaiang and completed the building of the imposing Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, also at Koinawa village, in October 1907. This work was done under the supervision of a priest from Belgium who was given the local name of Father Ioane. He lived and worked so long on Abaiang and became so well loved that
2208-650: Was pretty much invisible. They had a strong belief in behaving properly to their ancestors, and especially their parents, and had well-developed community rules for courtesy to others. Read A Pattern of Islands , by Arthur Grimble , who worked in these islands and on Banaba , for the Colonial Administration, from just before the First World War to the mid thirties, or thereabouts. It is a remarkable, informative, funny and warm-hearted account of these people and their religion. Other religions on
2256-549: Was the last attempt at human colonization within the British Empire. Hiram Bingham II (1831–1908) was the first to translate the Bible into Gilbertese, and also wrote hymns for the Gilbertese language. Joanna Gordon-Clark writes of their religious belief: The Gilbert (and Ellice) Islanders had a strong set of beliefs of their own, pre the Christian missionaries; they had a strong foundation myth , involving trees and
2304-523: Was the son of Hiram Bingham I who was one of the first and most influential missionaries to Hawaii. Hiram Bingham II and his wife were accompanied to Abaiang by Hawaiian pastor Joel Hulu Mahoe and his wife. Bingham landed at the village of Koinawa and a memorial was erected at the spot during the centennial celebrations in 1957. During World War II , the Imperial Japanese Army occupied the island from December 1941 to November 1943. It
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