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64-472: The Gilbert Islands ( Gilbertese : Tungaru ; formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill Islands ) are 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

128-562: A Gilbertese language unit, where Erika Taeang was employed as the teacher. The Gilbertese language has two main dialects , Northern and Southern. Their main differences are in the pronunciation of some sounds. The islands of Butaritari and Makin also have their own dialect that differs from the standard Kiribati in some vocabulary and pronunciation. Sometimes when reflecting Proto-Micronesian /t/ . Sometimes when reflecting Proto-Micronesian /k/ . Gilbertese contrasts 13 consonants and 10 vowel sounds. The /a/ pronunciation

192-554: 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

256-430: A morphological noun-marker system. This means that—by itself—a noun cannot be identified as such. However, singular nouns can be distinguished from other words, as they are preceded by the article "te". However, not all singular nouns can take the article. These include names of people and places, words for cardinal directions, and other specific nouns. Any noun can be formed from a verb or an adjective by preceding it with

320-479: A signal its occupants launched a storm of stones at the British, who replied with grapeshot . Dolphin's gunnery cut the canoe in two, killing most of its occupants. Wallis then sent his carpenters ashore to cut the eighty-some canoes there in half. Eventually, friendly relations were established between the British sailors and the locals. The relationships became particularly friendly when the sailors discovered that

384-455: 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

448-669: Is te taetae n aomata , or 'the language of the people'. The first complete and comprehensive description of this language was published in Dictionnaire gilbertin–français of Father Ernest Sabatier (981 pp, 1952–1954), a Catholic priest. It was later partially translated into English by Sister Olivia, with the help of the South Pacific Commission . Over 96% of the 119,000 people living in Kiribati declare themselves I-Kiribati and speak Gilbertese. Gilbertese

512-416: Is 'te' before names beginning with <i, u, w, b', ng>, 'tem' before <b, m>, 'ten' before <a, e, o, n, r, t> and 'teng' before <k, (ng)>. Pronouns have different forms according to case: nominative (subject), accusative (object), emphatic (vocatives, adjunct pronouns), genitive (possessives). The Gilbertese language employs a system of demonstratives to indicate the spatial proximity of

576-557: Is also spoken by most inhabitants of Nui ( Tuvalu ), Rabi Island ( Fiji ), and some other islands where I-Kiribati have been relocated ( Solomon Islands , notably Choiseul Province ; and Vanuatu ), after the Phoenix Islands Settlement Scheme or emigrated (to New Zealand and Hawaii mainly). 97% of those living in Kiribati are able to read in Gilbertese, and 80% are able to read English . It

640-481: Is an exception. The article te also acts as a nominalizer , transforming adjectives into nouns. While te marks singular nouns, the language possesses a plural article taian . However, its use is restricted to countable nouns inherently implying plurality. Collective nouns typically don't take taian . In certain situations, when plurality is evident from surrounding words, taian can be omitted. The personal articles are used before personal names. The masculine form

704-464: Is closer to [ä] except after velarized /mˠ/ and /pˠ/ . Quantity is distinctive for vowels and plain nasal consonants but not for the remaining sounds so that ana /ana/ (third person singular article) contrasts with aana /aːna/ ( transl.  its underside ) as well as anna /anːa/ ( transl.  dry land ). Other minimal pairs include: Gilbertese has a basic verb–object–subject word order (VOS). Gilbertese lacks

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768-479: Is not equal to that of your brother. ) Superlatives are formed with the intensifier moan and the article te preceding the adjective. For example, raoiroi (“good”) becomes moan te raoiroi (“the best”). Verbs do not conjugate according to person, number, tense, aspect or mood. These verbal categories are indicated by particles . Nonetheless, a passive suffix -aki is used as in: Any adjective can also be an intransitive verb. Transitive verbs can be formed by

832-580: Is one of the Oceanic languages. The largest individual Oceanic languages are Eastern Fijian with over 600,000 speakers, and Samoan with an estimated 400,000 speakers. The Gilbertese, Tongan , Tahitian , Māori , Western Fijian and Tolai ( Gazelle Peninsula ) languages each have over 100,000 speakers. In 2020 Finlayson Park School in Auckland became the first school in New Zealand to set up

896-491: The 1745 Establishment , Dolphin was originally ordered from the private yard of Earlsman Sparrow in Rotherhithe (under contract dated 7 October 1747). Following Sparrow's bankruptcy in 1748, the order was moved to Woolwich Dockyard. In order to reduce the likely incidence of shipworm , Dolphin ' s hull was copper-sheathed ahead of her first voyage of circumnavigation in 1764. Not long after her commissioning,

960-784: 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

1024-534: The East Indies . This interest was compounded by theories put forward which suggested that a large, hitherto-unknown continental landmass ( Terra Australis Incognita ) must exist at southern latitudes to "counterbalance" the northern hemisphere's landmasses. No longer in a state of war, the Admiralty had more funds, ships and men at her disposal to devote to exploratory ventures. Accordingly, an expedition

1088-866: 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

1152-492: The Northern Marianas Islands . Dolphin circumnavigated the world for a second time, under the command of Samuel Wallis . Her master's mate , John Gore , was among a number of the crew from Byron's circumnavigation who crewed with Wallis. The master on this voyage, George Robertson, subsequently wrote a book The discovery of Tahiti; a journal of the second voyage of H.M.S. Dolphin round the world under

1216-641: The South Pacific Ocean . Another way to group the Gilbert Islands 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

1280-500: The sloop HMS  Tamar . Her captain was Commodore John Byron , a 42-year-old veteran of the sea, and younger brother to the profligate William Byron, 5th Baron Byron . Between June 1764 and May 1766 Dolphin completed the circumnavigation of the globe. This was the first such circumnavigation of less than two years. During this voyage, in 1765, Byron took possession of the Falkland Islands on behalf of Britain on

1344-522: The 1820s, when no doubt Europeans learnt to speak it, as Gilbertese learnt to speak English and other languages foreign to them. The first ever vocabulary list of Gilbertese was published by the French Revue coloniale (1847) by an auxiliary surgeon on corvette Le Rhin in 1845. His warship took on board a drift Gilbertese of Kuria , that they found near Tabiteuea . However, it was not until Hiram Bingham II took up missionary work on Abaiang in

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1408-617: The 1860s that the language began to take on the written form known now. Bingham was the first to translate the Bible into Gilbertese, and wrote several hymn books, a dictionary (1908, posthumous) and commentaries in the language of the Gilbert Islands. Alphonse Colomb, a French priest in Tahiti wrote in 1888, Vocabulaire arorai (îles Gilbert) précédé de notes grammaticales d'après un manuscrit du P. Latium Levêque et le travail de Hale sur la langue Tarawa / par le P. A. C. . Father Levêque named

1472-611: 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,

1536-685: 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

1600-521: The Gilbert Islands lie in an approximate north-to-south line. The northernmost island in 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

1664-523: The Gilbertese Arorai (from Arorae ) when Horatio Hale called them Tarawa . This work was also based on the first known description of Gilbertese in English, published in 1846, in the volume Ethnology and Philology of the U.S. Exploring Expedition , compiled by Horatio Hale . The official name of the language is te taetae ni Kiribati , or 'the Gilbertese language', but the common name

1728-601: 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

1792-536: 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,

1856-454: 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

1920-707: 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

1984-1118: 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

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2048-668: 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

2112-587: The Spanish had visited the Marquesas Islands in 1595, some 170 years earlier, Wallis officially took possession of Otaheiti, which he named "King George III Island". (About a year later, French navigator Louis-Antoine de Bougainville landed at Hitiaa on the opposite side of Tahiti and unaware of Wallis's earlier visit, claimed it for the King of France.) Early on a large canoe approached Dolphin and at

2176-467: 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

2240-543: The Western Pacific Islands, 1857–1914". Journal of Pacific History . 8 (1): 10–28. doi : 10.1080/00223347308572220 . Gilbertese language The word Kiribati , the current name of the islands, is the local adaptation of the European name "Gilberts" to Gilbertese phonology . Early European visitors, including Commodore John Byron , whose ships happened on Nikunau in 1765, had named some of

2304-429: The adverb riki (“more”) after the adjective (e.g., ririeta (“high”) becomes ririeta riki (“higher”)). Expressing “better than” requires the preposition nakon (“than”) along with a construction that compares the noun-like qualities derived from the adjectives: E aki bootau an aakoi tar im. E aki bootau an aakoi tar im. You are not as kind as your brother. (lit. Your kindness

2368-420: The article "te". Nouns can be marked for possession (by person and number). Plurality is only marked in some nouns by lengthening the first vowel. Even then, the singular form might be used—despite plural referents—if no other indicators of their plurality are present. There is no obligatory marked gender. Sex or gender can be marked by adding mmwaane (male) or aiine (female) to the noun. For human nouns,

2432-471: 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

2496-431: The circumfix ka- (...) -a creating a causative verb, e.g. "uraura" (to be red) becomes "kaurauraa" (to redden). Tense is marked by adverbs. However, the default interpretation of the unmarked (by adverbs) verb is a past tense. Below is a list of verbal particles: There are no verbs corresponding to English "to be", so a stative verb must be used or a zero copula strategy: Te HMS Dolphin (1751) HMS Dolphin

2560-496: The command of Captain Wallis, R.N., in the years 1766, 1767, and 1768, written by her master . Dolphin sailed in 1766 in the company of HMS  Swallow , under the command of Philip Carteret , who had served on Byron's circumnavigation. Dolphin dropped anchor at the peninsula of Tahiti Iti ("small Tahiti", aka Taiarapu) on 17 June 1767 but quickly left to find a better anchorage. Wallis chose Matavai Bay on 23 June. Although

2624-456: The grounds of prior discovery, and in so doing was nearly the cause of a war between Great Britain and Spain , both countries having armed fleets ready to contest the sovereignty of the barren islands. Later Byron visited islands of Tuamotus , Tokelau and Nikunau in the Gilbert Islands , putting them on European maps for the first time (in European circles, Nikunau went by the name "Byron Island" for over 100 years); and visited Tinian in

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2688-705: The hostilities of the Seven Years' War had escalated and spread to Europe , and in May 1756 Britain declared war on France of the Ancien Régime . Dolphin was pressed into service throughout the conflict, and was present at the Battle of Minorca in 1756 when a fleet under Admiral John Byng failed to relieve Port Mahon , Britain's main base in the Western Mediterranean (as a result of which Byng

2752-410: 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

2816-770: 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

2880-669: The islands the Kingsmill or Kings Mill Islands or for the Northern group les îles Mulgrave in French but in 1820 they were renamed, in French, les îles Gilbert by Admiral Adam Johann von Krusenstern , after Captain Thomas Gilbert , who, along with Captain John Marshall , had passed through some of these islands in 1788. Frequenting of the islands by Europeans, Americans and Chinese dates from whaling and oil trading from

2944-699: 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

3008-421: 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

3072-808: The language are never considered to be inalienable. The meanings of certain words may vary according to whether or not they are considered alienable. Adjectives can also be formed from nouns by reduplication with the meaning of "abundant in", e.g., karau ("rain"), kakarau ("rainy"). There are two articles used in Gilbertese: Neither of them implies definiteness, therefore both can be translated as "a(n)" and "the". When preceding collective nouns or names of substances, "te" can be translated as "some." A limited set of nouns, typically referring to unique entities, dispense with te . This includes words like taai “ sun”, karawa “sky”, taari/marawa “sea”, among others. Interestingly, Te Atua , “God”,

3136-465: 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

3200-427: The linker 'n' may be used. Agent nouns can be created with the particle tia (singular) or taan(i) (plural). In Gilbertese, nouns can be classified as either animate or inanimate . The category of animate nouns includes humans and most animals, whereas inanimate nouns refer to all other entities. Possession , when the possessor is inanimate, is marked with the "n" clitic. In writing, it may be joined with

3264-696: 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

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3328-580: 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

3392-550: 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

3456-756: The past. Ngkana is used for situations whereof the outcome or truth is not yet known. While they share many similarities with intransitive verbs, there are a few patterns that can be observed among adjectives. Many adjectives, such a s mainaina (“white”), contain a repeated element. While some non-reduplicated adjectives exist, reduplication appears to be dominant. Nouns typically lengthen their first vowel to indicate plural. Conversely, adjectives tend to shorten their first vowel for pluralization (e.g., anaanau (long - singular) becomes ananau (long - plural)). Gilbertese employs distinct strategies for forming comparative and superlative constructions. Comparatives are relatively straightforward, achieved by adding

3520-468: The previous word, or written separately. In cases where the "n" marker would be otherwise incompatible with the language's phonotactics, one might use "in" or "ni" instead. In phrases where the possessor is animate, a special possessive pronoun needs to be employed (see Pronouns ). Nouns can also be classified as alienable or inalienable . Inalienable nouns include, among others, parts of the body, family, and feelings. Words which are newly introduced into

3584-443: The referent to the speaker. These demonstratives are postnominal, meaning they follow the noun they modify. The feminine demonstrative has no plural form, as opposed to the masculine, and the human plural encapsulates groups of mixed gender. Adverbial pronouns also have a three-way distinction of distance: proximal, medial and distal . Ngke is used for hypothetical scenarios that would have an effect today, have they changed in

3648-517: 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

3712-530: 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

3776-458: Was a 24-gun sixth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy . Launched in 1751, she was used as a survey ship from 1764 and made two circumnavigations of the world under the successive commands of John Byron and Samuel Wallis . She was the first ship to circumnavigate the world twice. She remained in service until she was paid off in September 1776. She was broken up in early 1777. Built to

3840-789: Was applied to the entire Gilberts group. Geologically, 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

3904-478: Was later court-martialled and shot). With Britain's successful conclusion of the Seven Years' War in 1763, her attentions turned towards consolidating her gains and continuing to expand her trade and influence at the expense of the other competing European powers. The Pacific Ocean was beginning to be opened up by exploratory European vessels, and interest had developed in this route as an alternate to reach

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3968-650: 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

4032-509: Was soon formed with instructions to investigate and establish a South Atlantic base from which Britain could keep an eye on voyages bound for the Pacific. Another purpose was to generally explore for unknown lands which could then be claimed and exploited by the Crown, and to reach the Far East if necessary. Dolphin was selected as lead vessel for this voyage, and she was to be accompanied by

4096-549: 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

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