Takuu
Encyclopedia
Tauu, pronounced , known also as Takuu Mortlock or Marqueen Islands, is a small, isolated atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...

 off the east coast of Bougainville
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...

 in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

.

Geography

Takuu lies about 250 km to the northeast of Kieta, capital 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. Takuu Island is the southernmost and largest of the islands on the eastern side of the atoll. Most of the population however, lives on a small neighbouring island named Nukutoa.

The islands in the atoll are very low-lying, about a meter above the high tide mark. Local rise in sea level has been noticed by the people of Takuu and by Richard Moyle, an anthropologist who has been visiting for the last decade. It is, however, much lower than the publicised 20 centimeters 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. Professor Richard Moyle of Auckland University has predicted that climate change will eventually extinguish 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" (Wane 2005:10).

Population and Culture

The islands are inhabited by approximately 400 people of Polynesian
Polynesians
The Polynesian peoples is a grouping of various ethnic groups that speak Polynesian languages, a branch of the Oceanic languages within the Austronesian languages, and inhabit Polynesia. They number approximately 1,500,000 people...

 origin. Takuu is one of the Polynesian outlier
Polynesian outlier
Polynesian outliers are a number of culturally Polynesian islands which lie in geographic or political Melanesia and Micronesia. Based on archaeological and linguistic analysis, these islands are believed to have been colonized by seafaring Polynesians, mostly from the area of Tonga, Samoa and...

 cultures which are situated outside of the Polynesian Triangle
Polynesian Triangle
The Polynesian Triangle is a region of the Pacific Ocean with three island groups at its corners: Hawaii, Easter Island and New Zealand. It is often used as a simple way to define Polynesia....

. 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 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 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 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.

Language

The people of Takuu speak a Polynesian language. Recent classifications of the Polynesian languages place the Takuu language
Takuu language
Takuu is a Polynesian language from the Ellicean group spoken on the atoll of Takuu, near Bougainville Island. It is very closely related to Nukumanu and Nukuria from Papua New Guinea and to Ontong Java and Sikaiana from Solomon Islands....

 in an Ellicean branch
Ellicean languages
The Ellicean or Ellicean–Outlier languages are a group languages spoken in Polynesian outliers in Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, and the northern Solomon Islands, as well as the languages of Tuvalu...

, along with Nukuoro
Nukuoro language
The Nukuoro language is a Polynesian language, spoken by about 860 people on the Nukuoro Island and on Pohnpei in Micronesia.It is extremely similar to Kapingamarangi language.-External links:*...

, Kapingamarangi
Kapingamarangi language
Kapingamarangi is a Polynesian language spoken in the Federated States of Micronesia. It has about 3000 native speakers. The language is closely related to the Nukuoro language....

, Nukuria, Nukumanu, Luangiua, and Sikaiana. Twentieth-century classifications had placed these languages in a Samoic Outlier group.
Takuu Samoan Tokelauan Rarotongan Māori Hawaiian
sky /ɾani/ /laŋi/ /ɾaŋi/ /ɾaŋi/ /lani/
north wind /tokoɾau/ /toʔelau/ /tokelau/ /tokeɾau/ /tokeɾau/ /koʔolau/
woman /ffine/ /fafine/ /fafine/ /vaʔine/ /wahine/ /wahine/
house /faɾe/ /fale/ /fale/ /ʔaɾe/ /ɸaɾe/ /hale/
parent /maːtua/ /matua/ /metua/ /matua/ /makua/
mother /tinna/, /tinnaː/ /tinaː/ /maːtua/ /maːmaː/ /ɸaea/ /makuahine/
father /tama/, /tamana/ /tamaː/ /tama/, /tamana/ /metua/, /paːpaː/ /matua/, /paːpaː/ /makua kaːne/
canoe /te vaka/ /vaʔa/ /te vaka/ /vaka/, /vaka ama/ /waka ama/ /waʔa/

Economy

The local economy depends on agriculture and fishing. In recent years, the cultivation of food plants has grown steadily more difficult as 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 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 floods at high tide over three days washed away kitchens, flooded homes and destroyed a number of churches, terrifying the people. The service boat 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 which will very probably spell the end of Takuu's unique cultural heritage and life on the atoll as currently practised.

External links

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