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The
following accounts of the early history of Rabi prior to
European arrival in Fiji comes from David Stanley’s – Fiji
Handbook by Moon Publications.
EARLY RABI HISTORY
In 1855 a
Tongan army conquered Fijian rebels on Rambi (Rabi) at the
request of the Tui Cakau on Taveuni. On their departure a few
years later, this chief sold the island to Europeans to cover
outstanding debts. In 1941 the British government purchased
Rambi Island from the Australian firm Lever Brothers for 25,000
pounds to serve as a new home for the Micronesian Banabans of
Ocean Island (Banaba) in Kiribati, whose home island was being
ravaged by phosphate mining. The war began before they could be
resettled, and it was not unit December 1945 that the move was
made (Stanley 1993: 179)
THE PURCHASE OF RABI ISLAND BY THE BANABANS
The details of the actual purchase of the island by the Banabans
and from excerpts taken from Harry Maudes’ – Memorandum – The
Future of the Banaban Population of Ocean Island; with Special
Relation to their Land and Funds for Gilbert and Ellice Island
Colony in 1946 while he was the Chief Land Commissioner and the
man responsible for arranging the purchase of Rabi.
(11)
A Future Home for the Banabans
28. As long
ago as 1914 the Authorities were worried about the fate of the
Banabans when the phosphate industry on Ocean Island came to and
end, and in 1927 the creation of a Provident Fund was proposed,
which should be sued for the purchase of a future home for the
community. The Resident Commissioner pointed out that if the
phosphate industry was to fail “the race would literally be
blotted out of existence: five hundred and fifty denaturalized
natives could not possible live on the interest yielded by the
Banaban Fund”. The Banaban Provident Fund was commenced in
1931, with the approval of the Secretary of State, and financed
by the transfer of £20,000 from the Old Royalty Trust Fund
augmented by 2d.per ton royalty under the 1931 Resumption
Settlement little interest was taken in the project for a future
home by the Banabans themselves for some years, since they
feared that it might be a trick to have them removed from Ocean
Island in order to facilitate the operations of the British
Phosphate Commission, and it was not until 1940 that they
proposed the acquisition of Wakaya Island, in the Fiji Group. In
their proposal the Banabans made it clear that they were
unwilling to consider Wakaya as a replacement for Ocean Island,
but desired it to be regarded rather as a second home. They felt
that the younger generation was growing up in too Europeanised
an atmosphere and that, if they were to preserve their racial
identity they were insistent that their rights to land on Ocean
Island should continue undiminished. A survey of Wakaya was
accordingly undertaken, which showed it to be unsuitable for ht
support of a large population owing to the shallow depth of most
of the fertile soils and the poor water supply.
(12) The
Purchase of Rabi Island
29.
Investigations were thereupon instituted as to the availability
and suitability of other islands in the Fiji Group for
settlement by Banabans and, as a result, an offer was made by
Messrs. Lever’s Pacific Plantations Proprietary Limited, to sell
the island of Rabi, off the coast of Vanua Levu, for the sum of
£A.25,000. Rabi was found to be very suitable for colonization:
27 square miles in area, it is roughly triangular in shape, with
a greatest length of 9 miles and a greatest width of 4½ miles. A
central mountain peak, 1,550 feet high, is buttressed by ranges
of hills extending to the north-east, west and south-east, The
coast has several deep indentations providing good anchorages,
with excellent fishing grounds in the vicinity. There are three
flourishing coconut plantations at Vunisinu, Suetollu and Nuku,
and the soil in most parts of the island is suitable for the
growing of garden crops. On the south and east coast the
conditions are damp and somewhat gloomy, but the north shore
(with Nuku in the centre) enjoys a dry climate such as the
Banabans are accustomed to, with broad sandy beaches along which
they could build their villages.
30. On the
offer being conveyed to the Banabans, they were a first
unwilling to consider the purchase of Rabi, as they still
considered that Wakaya was the better island of the two for
their purposes. However, on the High Commissioner notifying them
that he was unwilling to consent to Wakaya being brought except
in conjunction with Rabi, they agreed to the purchase of both
island. In deciding thus they were actuated by the High
Commissioner’s statement that the option on Rabi had been
obtained at the lowest state of depression in the copra market
and that the island was a bargain at the price. This statement
appears to have been fully justified, and there is little doubt
that the island could be sold to-day at a appreciable profit.
The Banabans, therefore, may be said to have intended Wakaya to
be their future home and Rabi and investment. Unfortunately,
however, nothing came of the project to buy Wakaya, as the price
of £F.12,500 for which it was offered by the Trustees of the
estate was considered to be too high and the counter-offer of
£F.5,000 made by the High Commissioner was not accepted.
31. Rabi was
accordingly purchased freehold in March, 1942, the transfer
being made to “His Britannic Majesty’s High Commissioner for the
Western Pacific”: the entire island was included in the sale,
with the exception of a Fiji Government reserve of 50 acres. An
agreement was then entered into with Messrs. Lever’s Pacific
Plantations Proprietary, Limited, by which they became tenants
of the island until such time as it should be required by the
Banabans, at a rent based on the price of copra which, at the
price then ruling, amounted to approximately £A.1,000 a year
(Maude: 1946: 10-12).
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