Te Rii ni Banaba - Sigrah, Raobeia Ken

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Résumé :
Raobeia Ken Sigrah is an indigenous Banaba clan spokesman and historian. Together they formed a personal and collaborative partnership to seek justice and the rehabilitation of the Banaban homeland. They believe their lives are intertwined, bringing them together to right the wrongs of the past....

Biographie:
RAOBEIA KEN SIGRAH1956 - 2021The late Raobeia Ken Sigrah was born on 18 January 1956 on Rabi, Fiji. He identified as a Banaban but held a Fiji passport and later resided in Australia. Known as Ken to his friends, he began his education at the age of seven at Buakonikai Primary School in 1962 and continued at Banaban Primary School until 1967. After passing his Intermediate exams, he attended Niusawa Methodist High School, a Fijian school on nearby Taveuni. In 1980, he studied English for a year at Fulton College in Fiji.Ken studied Banaban culture and customs under the guidance of Banaban elders. He began these studies at the age of 14 as part of his responsibilities as a male clan member, preparing to serve as a clan spokesman in meetings concerning Banaban culture, customs, and genealogies. Ken witnessed the challenges his people faced and represented individual clans in general meetings, exchanging ideas with Banaban elders. His first experience as a clan spokesman was in 1987, followed by further roles in 1994, 1995, and 1996.In 1997, Ken asked Stacey King to assist him in writing a history of Banaba. He aimed to promote Banaban history, culture, and customs, though he had previously struggled to find a sponsor for editing and publishing the work. With many elders having passed away and others in their later years, he hoped to publish this material, gathered over many years, for the benefit of the younger Banaban generation, who are now growing up in a different environment, to help them preserve their culture, heritage, and identity as Banabans....

Sommaire:
Te Rii ni Banaba - backbone of Banaba, is a history of Banaba, situated in the Central Pacific, once known as Ocean Island. By recording genealogies, myths, legends, customs, culture, magic rituals and the long-kept secrets of the te Aka clan reveals the uniqueness of Banaban identity. The arrival of the I-Matang (Europeans), beachcombers, blackbirders, whalers, missionaries, and the miners in 1900, with the discovery of phosphate (guano) and a heartbreaking trail of loss, exploitation and environmental degradation from mining. The toll of World War II atrocities suffered during the Japanese invasion, and the subsequent forced exile of the Banabans from their homeland. The recorded names of those tragically killed on Banaba during the War and displaced Banaban survivors who were exiled on Rabi, Fiji in 1945. Te Rii ni Banaba - backbone of Banaba, brings to light new research, including the long-kept secrets of the mysterious te Aka clan, and the successive invasions of Banaba. Then the I-Matang (Europeans) arrived - beachcombers, blackbirders, whalers, missionaries, miners and an occupying Japanese military force during World War II. 1900 was a turning point in this sequence of events with the discovery of phosphate (guano) and a tragic trail of loss and environmental degradation from mining. The Banaban people, who were exiled from their homeland - first during the Pacific War, then to Rabi (Fiji) afterward. The names of all those Banabans tragically killed on Banaba during the War and the names of the displaced Banaban survivors who arrived on Rabi in 1945 are recorded. Although always remote and now decimated by mining, Banaba remains in the hearts of all Banabans. A key narrative in Te Rii Ni Banaba - backbone of Banaba, is the struggle by Banabans to discover their culture and identity, and the authors write, fearful that due to pressure from Fijian, I-Kiribati and western influences, future generations will no longer know or identify as Banaban. This second edition includes additional photographs, the discovery of the missing link of the Toakira, the search for Teimanaia's skull, identification of the landowners from the first agreements in 1900, and insights into the famous 1975 Banaban Court Case. It also provides details of villages lost to mining for future generations to trace their genealogies and land rights. Although remote and now decimated by mining, Banaba remains in the hearts of all Banabans....