The Documented History Of Nanumanga, Tuvalu
In today's article, we shall discuss the history of Nanumanga. Nanumanga is also known as Nanumaga, however, for this article, we are referring to the island as Nanumanga. Unfortunately, Nanumanga does not have much of a traceable history, so please forgive us as this article may be shorter than previous history articles. For this introduction though, we will be giving the demographics of Nanumanga & Tuvalu. Nanumanga is an island in the South Pacific, it belongs to the country of Tuvalu. It has a very small population as it is only 1 square mile in total. There are approximately 491 people who inhabit the island. It is approximately 3556.56 Nautical / Marine Miles (4092.816154 miles or 6586.74912 kilometers) from mainland Asia, specifically the country of China. It is also approximately 1706.54 Nautical / Marine Miles (1963.851159 miles or 3160.51208 kilometers) from Australia. The island is known for its beautiful coral reefs & scuba diving experiences. The country of Tuvalu is most well known for being built on massive coral atolls, with a large percentage of their ocean having some presence of living coral. This attracts many other marine species which in turn diversifies the area. The area also has a quite favorable climate, with it being quite warm for the entire year. The oceanic temperature changes very slightly through the seasons, so this may attract species that require lots of prey as prey will be available year-round. Approximately 491 people inhabit the island of Nanumanga. With the size of the island, this is approximately 420 people per square mile. It is currently somewhat unclear what the highest elevation on the island is, however, it is clear that the highest point in Tuvalu is not on the island of Nanumanga. Likely, the highest elevated area of Nanumanga is somewhere in the mangrove area, as it extends up to 12 meters (39.3701) above sea level, from what is currently known. In this article, we will discuss the discovery & documented history of the island known as Nanumanga, The known aboriginals of the Nanumanga, the most destructive man caused & natural disasters that have affected Tuvalu & finally a segment on the economy of Tuvalu. With that being said, let us delve into the interesting atoll paradise.
The Documented History Of Nanumanga, Tuvalu
Before Colonization
The first people known as Tuvalu, were the Polynesians. The Polynesians came from Taiwan, most likely through the region of Melanesia. It is theorized that the Polynesians arrived approximately 3,000 years ago. However, there is some evidence of fire in Nanumangan caves suggests human activity Polynesians on this island, have been documented to have built canoes to travel to each island of Tuvalu. Eight of the nine islands of Tuvalu were constantly inhabited, which is where the name Tuvalu comes from. Tuvalu means “eight standing together” which refers to the islands. Not much is known about the history of Nanumanga itself other than the possibility of cave people living in Nanumangan cave.
After Colonization
16th Century History of Nanumanga
Tuvalu was described first by some sailors on a voyage by Europeans. They first spotted the island of Nui, which is approximately 87 miles from Nanumanga. It was seen on the 16th of January, 1568. This is all the behavior of Nanumanga in this century.
17th Century History Of Nanumanga
No activity related to Nanumanga took place in this century.
18th Century History of Nanumanga
There is no documented historical record of any sailors going near or past Nanumanga in this century.
19th Century History Of Nanumanga
Nanumanga was finally first seen by Louis Isidore Duperrey who was captain of the ship La Coquille. He sailed past it during his circumnavigation voyage of the earth in May of 1824. This voyage lasted from 1822-1825. A United States chartered ship for exploration visited the island in the year 1841. A successful trader, & writer arose in Nanumanga a few decades later. He went by the name of Louis Blecke, working with the liver pool firm “John S. de Wolf & Co.”. He worked with them from April 1880 until the trading station was destroyed later that same year in a cyclone. After the destruction of the station, he rose once again to trader-dom on the nearby island of Nukufetau. He wrote “The Rangers of Tia Kau”. This work of his entails a shark attack that took place between the islands of Nanumea & Nanumanga. During the European age of exploration in the Tuvaluan in the late 19th century, Nanumanga was not visited as much as the other islands. It is not exactly clear when the first census of Nanumanga was conducted, but records indicate that it was first in 1860. The population of Nanumanga was from the years of 1860 to 1900 approximately 300-335 people.
20th Century History Of Nanumanga
The first post office in Nanumanga called the “Nanumanga Post Office” was opened in the year 1925. In the year 1986, many flooded caves around the island became known. For this, it became a spectacle to many European & American geologists. When the caves were explored, they found some evidence for what remains were argued to be the remains of fire by prehistoric inhabitants.
The Aboriginals Of Nanumanga
The Native Polynesians Of Nanumanga
The Polynesians were a sea-migrating group of people who dominated Oceania before the Europeans came. They would migrate by sea & take over each island. They most likely originated in Taiwan or Vietnam. They had their languages that were, unfortunately, completely lost to time. They developed the majority of their languages between 3,000 & 1,000 B.C. They had their Polynesian mythology. This religion is still practiced by some Polynesian tribes to this day. This mythology is meant to recount ancient times & the adventures of their gods, which are known as Atua. Their religion also involves traditional tattooing. One of the most interesting of their Atua is the atua known as Tāne Mahuta. Tāne Mahuta is the creator of all life, the Sky father, & the earth mother. Tāne Mahuta is male in traditional mythology. He may also be known as Tāne-nui-a-rangi. The Polynesians would often fish around the island & effectively have a system of trade with the fish. They most often caught Tuna & it seems that Tuna was incredibly high value. The ancient Polynesians would cultivate Taro, sweet potato, banana, coconut, & breadfruit. This along with seafood & a few other meats would compose an ancient Polynesian diet. They made canoes from the trees, these canoes were what are now known as dugout canoes. They would make these by removing the wood from the center of a large tree but leaving the bottom & the sides intact. They also had a practice in which they would bind 2 canoes together, which made way for the double-hulled sailing canoe. They also developed their navigational system. This system was developed to utilize the stars & the clouds to guide them. The Polynesians from this area most likely migrated from Taiwan to Papua New Guinea, Then from Papua New Guinea to Vanuatu, then to Samoa, & finally to Tuvalu. However, they did not just come from Taiwan. There is dual evidence that suggests they came from both Asia & Melanesia. Melanesia is a region of Oceania just southwest of Polynesia. Also, it is believed that people from Kiribati in Micronesia may have migrated to the northernmost Tuvaluan island of Nui & vice versa. Tuvalu is also believed to play a significant role in west-to-east expansion in Polynesia due to its placement. Overall, Polynesians migrated throughout Oceania & to southern parts of Asia. They migrated in a pattern that is kin to a triangle. This pattern is now officially known as the Polynesian Triangle. However, it will never truly be known the exact way they dispersed. It seems they also were a very social society, as they would often have many festivals & celebrations.
Tuvaluan Mythology
Each island of Tuvalu has its unique mythological explanation for its ancestors, for example, on the island of Nanumea the founding ancestor is said to be from Tonga. This ancestor was also named Tefolaha & was part human, part spirit of Tonga. On Nanumanga the main story of the founding ancestor is depicted as being as being in the shape of a sea serpent who originated from Fiji. This spirit's name was Tepuhi. This is the predominant one, there are other stories told that explain the founding ancestor. Those other stories usually state that the founding ancestors came from Tonga & Samoa. Very little else is known about the main founding ancestral myth of Tepuhi. There is one story that all the islands seem to agree upon, this is the myth of the Pusi mo te Ali, or the eel & the flounder. This is the myth that the state created the 9 Tuvaluan islands. Te Ali who is the flounder, is believed to be the one who created the atoll islands & islets of Tuvalu. Te Pusi who is the eel, is the model for coconut palm trees. These palm trees were incredibly important to the lives of the native Tuvaluans.
The Most Destructive Natural, & Man-Caused Disasters To Affect Tuvalu
No. 1: 2011 Tuvaluan Drought
The Tuvaluan drought of 2011 was a severe period of drought affecting Tuvalu. At this time, Tuvalu had approximately 50,000 people, all of which were affected. A state of emergency was declared by the Tuvaluan government on September 28th, 2011. This was due to the result of a La Niña event. A La Niña event is an event in which the ocean across the east equatorial area of the Pacific Ocean. It will cause the oceanic temperature to cool rapidly by 3-5° Celsius. This event usually lasts for a few months at a minimum. By October of 2011, the island had not received the normal rainfall in 6 months. Funafati was the most affected out of the inner islands & Nanumanga was the most affected of the outer islands. This drought also affected a staple crop of Tuvalu, Pulaka, which is also known as swamp taro. Additionally, during the drought freshwater was limited to 40 liters of water per household. This limited the ability to practice proper hygiene, so skin diseases & skin infections were rampant.
No. 2: The Sinking Of Tuvalu
Tuvalu is, unfortunately, sinking. The islands of Tuvalu are extremely low-laying, with the highest elevation being 15 meters high. The ocean around the island is rising very slowly. The effects of this are already being seen in that during high tide the capital of Tuvalu is 40% underwater. Within the next 100 years, it is predicted that Tuvalu will no longer be habitable at all. This is a tragedy in itself.
The Economic State Of Tuvalu
Tuvalu’s economy is rather stable. In Tuvalu, the primary currency is the Tuvaluan Dollar. This currency does not have dollar notes, but rather coins. These coins are in denominations of this currency 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, & 1 dollar. The unofficial symbol of this currency is TVD. The exchange rate on this is 1 U.S.D equals 1.5037218 Tuvaluan dollars. This is also used alongside the Australian dollar. Their current nominal GDP is 0.074 Billion Dollars. Their GDP per capita is currently 4,154.475$ U.S.D. Their current main economic output is through maritime transport, & fishing. A large proportion of their income also comes from the sale of their domain name which is “.tv”.
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