Takuu , formerly known as Tauu and also known as Nukutoa , Mortlock Island , or Marqueen Island , is a small, isolated atoll off the east coast of Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea .
20-415: Takuu lies about 250 km (160 mi) to the northeast of Kieta , a city on the east coast of Bougainville. The atoll consists of about 13 islands to the east and one island to the northwest. Its position is 4°45′S 157°2′E / 4.750°S 157.033°E / -4.750; 157.033 . Takuu Island is the southernmost and largest of the islands on the eastern side of the atoll. Most of
40-549: A Polynesian language . Recent classifications of the Polynesian languages place the Takuu language in an Ellicean branch , along with Nukuoro , Kapingamarangi , Nukuria, Nukumanu, Luangiua, and Sikaiana. Twentieth-century classifications had placed these languages in a Samoic Outlier group. The local economy depends on agriculture and fishing. In recent years, the cultivation of food plants has grown steadily more difficult as
60-743: A 5,400 feet (1,600 m) runway which was used by the Japanese in World War II, and was recently serviced by Air Niugini until 1990. For some time after that the only aircraft to service the area had been the Royal Australian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Forces ( C-130 Hercules ) in support of the Peace Monitoring Group . As of 2021, Kieta Airport is serviced by PNG Air with flights to Rabaul and Buka . A number of Papuan languages are spoken in
80-499: A year. Two scientists (Scott Smithers and John Hunter) who visited the atoll in November and December 2008 say it does not appear to be sinking due to tectonic activity. While the atoll is likely to persist physically for some time, a variety of problems due to apparent climate-change related phenomena and the political situation are making life on Takuu very difficult. Moyle has predicted that climate change will eventually extinguish
100-479: Is abundant, with more than 100 inches (2,500 mm) annually. Coral reefs fringe the south and west coasts, the latter deeply indented by Queen Carola Harbour. Buka consists of three major geological units: a plateau of uplifted coral reefs, steep hills and coral formations of post-Pleistocene age. The city is served by Buka Airport . Discovered by Europeans in 1768, the German Empire laid claim to
120-787: The Autonomous Region of Bougainville , in eastern Papua New Guinea . It is administered under Buka Rural LLG . It is the capital of the North Bougainville District and the interim capital of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. It contains Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral . The city and Buka Island are separated from the northern tip of Bougainville Island by the deep, narrow Buka Passage, which varies in width from 980 to 3,000 feet (300 to 1,070 metres). Both islands are in
140-569: The Polynesian Triangle . The people of Takuu have traditionally placed great value on the retention of their indigenous practices and religious sites. To protect Takuu from outside influences, the Ariki (chief) banned Christian missionaries for the last 25 years. Only four researchers have been permitted to spend time on the islands in that time. The ban was only lifted in the last five years, as young islanders who had lived and studied on
160-488: The Kieta district, such as Naasioi . Kieta has a mean maximum temperature of 32 °C (90 °F), mean minimum temperature of 23 °C (73 °F), and annual rainfall of 3,037 mm (119.6 in). This Autonomous Region of Bougainville geography article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Buka, Papua New Guinea Buka is a town located on the southern coast of Buka Island , in
180-587: The Papua New Guinea mainland returned to their homeland. A number of churches have now been established on Nukutoa. Since 2006 a team of filmmakers (principally Briar March and Lyn Collie) have visited the atoll twice, making a documentary that records culture and life on the atoll, and examines the possibility that the community might have to relocate to the Bougainville mainland if their physical situation worsens. The second shoot in 2008 included
200-599: The United Kingdom over the islands of Bougainville and Buka in the area of the German sphere of interest. On 20 September 1905 a station was built with a post office and customs. Since 1902, there was a Catholic mission station in Kieta. Kieta was occupied by the Japanese during the Second World War. The majority of the town was destroyed in the 1990 Civil Uprising on Bougainville. The airfield has
220-524: The atoll's ability to sustain life. "Takuu families living elsewhere in Papua New Guinea will take in as many as they can, but with no single resettlement location, I can't see Takuu continuing to function as a community" (Moyle, quoted in Wane 2005:10). The islands are inhabited by approximately 400 people of Polynesian origin. Takuu is one of the Polynesian outlier cultures which are situated outside of
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#1732783397295240-501: The estimated resident population was 150. Kieta Kieta is a port town located on the eastern coast of the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea , near the township of Arawa . After extensive destruction during the 1990 Civil Uprising on Bougainville, Kieta has few inhabitants now, and is known mainly for its transport connections (wharf and airfield). On 17 May 1885, agreements were made between Germany and
260-416: The fresh water table becomes contaminated by sea water. Some of the traditional taro gardens have salt water flowing into them at high tide, which kills the crop. As a result, the returns from cultivation are diminishing and the people have been forced to appeal to the Papua New Guinea and Bougainville Regional governments for assistance. In 2001, the community faced a time of great deprivation and hunger when
280-576: The island in 1899, annexing it into German New Guinea . Buka became the capital of the Bougainville Province decades later, during the 1990s Bougainville Civil War . The former, or "proper" capital of Bougainville, Arawa , was all but destroyed in 1990 as tensions reached a critical level in a civil uprising, which ended with the Bougainville Peace Agreement in 1998. The Bougainville government intends to return
300-564: The long period of isolation, many of the indigenous songs, stories and dances have survived. Many of the songs date from the period before European contact, which occurred in the mid 19th century. The songs tell stories of voyages between the islands, while "dance performances fill 20 or 30 hours a week" (Wane 2005). Many of the songs are celebrations of successful relationships, whether relationships that link extended families together in productive activity or relationships binding people with their ancestors in times of need. The people of Takuu speak
320-408: The northern Solomon Islands archipelago and the only major ones not within the nation of Solomon Islands . Buka Island is volcanic formation measuring 35 miles by 9 miles (56 km by 14 km), with a total land area of 190 square miles (492 km²). The elevation reaches to 1,634 feet (498 metres) in the hills in the southwest, and the interior of the island is densely forested. Rainfall
340-403: The population, however, lives on the small neighbouring island of Nukutoa. The islands in the atoll are very low-lying, about a metre above the high tide mark. Local rise in sea level has been noticed by the people of Takuu and by Richard Moyle, a University of Auckland ethnomusicologist who studied the atoll for 17 years. It is, however, much lower than the publicised 20 centimetres (7.9 in)
360-400: The supply ship that regularly visits the islands was laid up for six months for repairs - and this is not unusual. In early 2006 a cyclone devastated the islands and added to their already compromised situation. In December 2008, a series of tidal surges at high tide over three days washed away kitchens, flooded homes and destroyed a number of churches, terrifying the people. The service boat
380-402: The visit of scientists Scott Smithers and John Hunter. Traditional life continues to this day on Takuu. Traditional thatched houses stand in crowded rows, so close to each other that the eaves almost touch. There are few trees on the island apart from coconut palms, and the main street serves as a marae, a space for ritual ceremonies. Music is still a fundamental part of life on Takuu. Because of
400-456: Was unable to come for several weeks afterwards, emphasising the vulnerability of the atoll community. It appears that some of the community are now looking to relocate permanently to the Bougainville mainland. The population dropped rapidly from around 2010 with the end of regular shipping, and expatriate Takuu chartered open boats to bring off family members, most of whom settled in Buka . In 2019
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