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As we
move towards the Year 2000 and the dawning of a new
millennium our younger generations have taken it
upon themselves to right the wrongs of the past. In
a world that has seen so much change during the past
100 years it is fitting and appropriate to educate
our children about historical events that still have
lasting and tragic implications in today's modern
world. The story of the forgotten Banaban people
from the Central Pacific is such a case, where at
the turn of this century man's greed was put above
all else in the name of so called 'progress'. The
year 1900 was just beginning when this small unique
indigenous race - known as Banabans who had lived
peacefully on their tiny central Pacific island
suddenly found themselves thrust onto the World
stage. The richest deposits of Phosphate of Lime had
just been discovered by Albert Ellis a New Zealander
working for a London based company. Up until this
discovery no one had wanted Banaba or Ocean Island
as it was then known through out the western world.
It had always been considered to remote to be worthy
of settlement by the Colonial Governments of the
day. But all this was soon to change, and so was the
status of the Banaban people. They had just become
expendable...
The forgotten story
of the Banabans is a very special tale. One which in
our modern society today would cause a world outcry
and would never have been allowed to happen. It's a
lesson we should tell our future generations to
ensure that these tragic events in history are never
repeated. It's also a wonderful story of courage,
determination and hope as the Banabans come back
from the very brink of extinction.
THE
BEGINNING OF THE END -
With the discovery
of phosphate, Albert Ellis quickly began
negotiations with the Banabans to buy or lease land
for his company. The ignorant and trusting Banabans
were only to happy to welcome new visitors and not
understanding the language placed crosses on lengthy
legal documents signing their island away for 50
pounds per annum for the next 999 years.
With the influx of
European settlers to this remote outcrop with a
total area of only 4sq. miles the Banabans soon
began to realise that their beloved homeland was
disappearing before their very eyes. And so began an
era of constant strife and haggling over the
Banaban's disputed Land Issues. Stepping stones on
the path to annihilation: an Agreement was finally
arrived at in 1913 after years of dissension; in
1931 the Resident Commissioner of the day, Arthur
Grimble intervened by enacting the Mining Ordinance
No. 4 of 1928, which was the compulsory acquisition
of land on Ocean Island from the native Banaban
community. In 1940 a further 230 acres was taken,
again under compulsory acquisition, and leased to
the new company owners - The British Phosphate
Commission. The Commission had been formed in 1920
when the old company had been sold at great profit
to a joint venture by the British, Australian and
New Zealand Governments.
THE
EXILE FROM THE HOMELAND -
At the beginning of
1942 another tragedy would strike the Community when
the Japanese forces invaded the island and went
about destroying their villages. After this
devastating blow, the Banabans were exiled to other
islands in the Pacific: Kosrae, Nauru and Tarawa.
Immediately after the War in the Pacific was over,
the Banabans were gathered up and transported to
Rabi Island in the Fiji Group. Rabi had been
purchased for them by the British Government from
the Banaban's own Provident Fund. Rabi is considered
a beautiful island with plenty of water, and rich
volcanic soil. But the Banabans first beginnings on
Rabi were a great struggle. They were originally
left on the island in quickly erected Army tents,
with enough rations to only last the Community for
two months. To make matters worse they had arrived
on the island in the middle of the cyclone season,
and the Banabans began to experience cold and wet
weather for the first time. Their homeland was
situated right on the Equator and they had never
experienced such cold weather before. The general
health of the people was at a very low ebb after
surviving years of deprivation in Japanese Work
camps. The Banabans were mainly used to grow crops
such as pumpkins for the Japanese forces in the
Pacific. Army tents provided no protection against
Fiji's annual cyclone season, and they lost many of
their aged and young people to pneumonia.
THE
HOMELAND TODAY
Today on Banaba out
of the original 1,500 acres of once lush tropical
land, only 150 acres remains unmined, with the whole
centre of the island left with horrific towering
limestone pinnacles which rise to a height of 80
feet in places. Banaba today has a current
population of around 500 people who live a
traditional life-style amongst the ruins of the old
company buildings on the rim of the island. These
buildings were left abandoned at the cessation of
mining back in 1980. At present, the saga of Banaba
and its people has been forgotten by the outside
world. The Banabans presence on their beloved
homeland is to protect their island from ever being
taken from them again. Now no ships call on the
island except for a supply vessel that drops in a
few times a year. Unfortunately the island is so
denuded of its natural habitat and top soil, that
the surface temperatures have increased and droughts
are becoming more frequent. The leeching of cadmium
and heavy metals down into the water system and
surrounding reefs is of growing concern.
THE
DREAM OF A BETTER FUTURE -
Life for the
Banabans today is still an on-going struggle, as
they come to terms with life without the influence
of the dominating Phosphate Company, and the loss
back in 1980 of their small income derived from
phosphate royalties. For all the wealth that was
gained from Banaban phosphate, the Banabans have
been left with virtually nothing.
Today the people on
both Rabi and Banaba islands have returned to the
basic way of life, living a very traditional
lifestyle and relying on the strong family ties and
cultural roots from the past. The Banabans dream of
moving towards a brighter and happier future in a
World that has changed so greatly since the first
discovery of phosphate on their homeland. No
development or proper infrastructure was set up on
Rabi when the Banabans were dropped there. The
people had spent the past 45 years of European
occupation on Banaba learning to eat expensive white
man's tinned food which they traded against their
small royalty pittance back to the Company through
the Trade Store. Yes, life for the Banabans has
never been easy, as their trusting nature has set
them up for such terrible exploitation. The
resilient and loving nature of the Banabans and
their attitude of caring for each other must make
the Banaban people one of the World's great
survivors.
THE
ROLE OF THE BANABAN HERITAGE SOCIETY INC.
The Society was
formed over the past twelve months to offer the
Banaban people long term assistance and support into
the future. My own involvement with the community
began back in 1992 when I visited Rabi Island on a
mission to research my own family's involvement with
the community. Four generations of my family had
been involved in the phosphate mining industry over
a period of thirty years from 1901-1931. Their days
living on Ocean Island, as they lovingly referred to
the homeland in those days, had been the highlight
of their lives. Through my research I was to find
out that my great grand father had actually been one
of the men in charge of blasting operations and
responsible for the virtual destruction of the
island. While on Rabi I met with local Banaban man,
Kaiea Bakanebo, who told me of his own great grand
father's dark deed of being one of the Banaba men
who signed the notorious contract with Albert Ellis
to mine the island for the next 999 years at 50
pounds per annum.
From that moment,
Kaiea and I felt compelled to work together in
preserving Banaban history. This work was soon to
take on other responsibilities as work began on
educating the Australian public about the plight of
the Banabans and Australia's active involvement in
not only raping the island of its phosphate, but
also scattering 80% of the islands phosphate back on
Australian soil. Australia gained great wealth from
the benefits of cheap subsidised Banaban phosphate,
and our production in wheat and wool reaped great
financial benefits for the entire Australian
economy.
Now five years
later the Banaban Heritage Society Inc. is up and
running, with over 300 members world-wide. Aid
shipments into Rabi island have become annual
events, while other major projects such as the
installation of an Emergency & Communications
Network have just been implemented. One of the Society's
highlights was the opening of Rabi Island's first
Community Library. Now the Banabans tell me they
will be well read and will have more understanding
of the world around them. So many more projects are
on the drawing board with Health and Agriculture,
taking first priority. We recently just published
the HEALTH SURVEY that was conducted by our good
friends in Japan, who are also keen to educate the
Japanese public about Japan's involvement in Banaban
history. Prior to WW2, Japan was the major purchaser
outside the Commission countries of Banaban
phosphate.
Next year, the
Society is planning the 'HOMECOMING TRIP 1997' where
we will take 225 people back to visit the beloved
Banaban homeland - Banaba. This historic trip will
be the realisation of a dream by not only Society
members, but also those Banabans now living on Rabi
island. With the support of a growing number of
friends scattered World-wide the Banaban Heritage
Society has shown the Banabans that they have not
been forgotten. Our Society's agenda is not only to
preserve Banaban Culture and history but to also
improve the living standards of the Banaban people.
We also will assist the Banabans in their endeavors
to rehabilitate their homeland, and work on the
development of Rabi to its full potential. Through
the endeavors of the Society we will ensure that the
story of the Banabans IS NEVER FORGOTTEN.
Written:
S. King 11th. October, 1996
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