Nauru, history of migration on this Pacific island
At Geneafinder we love travel and stories, especially when it comes to escaping a few minutes on an island lost in the middle of the ocean.
For our article on the letter H we had chosen to take you to the island (now) deserted of Hashima. In today's article, it is on Nauru Island, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, that we leave. An island that unfortunately does not know a more glorious destiny than the island of Hashima ...
Life on Nauru before the 18th century
As we told you, Nauru Island is located in the Pacific Ocean, between the Hawaii archipelago and Australia to be precise. Born a few million years ago, this piece of land is only 21km², making it one of the smallest countries in the world. It will become, a few years later, the second richest country in the world ... but let's start with the beginning.
It would seem that the first inhabitants of Nauru Island are of Melanesian, micronesian and especially Polynesian origins. They would then have settled on the coast by neglecting the heart of the Nauruan plateau. There are more than a dozen coastal communities, as many districts and 12 clans for just over 1000 inhabitants. The inhabitants of the island live well in Nauru, better than the inhabitants of the neighboring islands. They mostly live from fishing, fish farm fish farming and coconut harvest.
The arrival of the first Europeans in the 19th century
The first Europeans arrived on the island of Nauru at the end of the 18th century, preceded by the British captain John Fearn on his whale Hunter. The island is so resplendent and green that it appoints it Pleasant Island. He will meet the Nauruans, welcoming and unarmed. Proud of his discovery, the captain leaves and the peaceful life on the island resumes its course. In 1830, the opening to the Western world with the arrival of Europeans was rather brutal. The first to settle in Nauru come from the whale industry and are mostly convicts, whale deserters or vagabonds who bring with them their batches of firearms, alcohol and other products that break the surrounding calm. They will also bring many diseases that will decimate part of the island's population. These arrivals largely disturb the tranquility and stability of the island until the early 1880s when a tribal conflict, a civil war in other words, bursts fueled by European merchants with personal interests. A few years later, the Germans will restore peace there and exploit coconut, like the Nauruans. But this semblance of calm will not last long ...
Between phosphate exploitation and world wars in the 20th century
Calm will last, in fact, until the New Zealander Albert Ellis Discover a large deposit of phosphate, a very interesting fertilizer for the development of agriculture. So interesting that large European mining companies settle on the island to exploit the deposit by using generally Chinese labor or from the German colonies. This natural fertilizer is tearing up at gold prices in Western countries.
In 1914, Nauru Island, then German colony, was attacked by the Allies and then annexed by Australia, fortunately without deadly fight. Until 1921, the island will constitute a part of the British territories of the Western Pacific and the exploitation of phosphate followed its course without incident. During the Second World War, the island will undergo both Japanese and German attacks, before Japan completely took possession. On Nauru, phosphate activity will cease to be just a line of defense for the Japanese. The island will be bombed by the Americans, the inhabitants will be deported to work in the Truk Islands for the Japanese and this time, many Nauruans will not survive.
At the end of the war, Nauru's management will be entrusted to the United Kingdom, to Australia and New Zealand which will in the hastily revive phosphate. But the living and working conditions are bad and the riots and repression multiply. Residents are demanding more power and more royalties too since a very low percentage of exploitation revenues returns to them.
XXth century, from the golden age to decline
L’île devient indépendante en janvier 1968, devient la plus petite république du monde et entre dans une période économique très favorable. A l’époque, Nauru est la seule île encore capable d’exploiter et d’exporter du phosphate, les réserves des îles voisines étant épuisées. Le gouvernement de l’île nationalise les entreprises d’exploitation et contrôle en totalité le gisement du minerai. Nauru and the Nauruans get rich until it becomes the second richest country in the world in 1974 (In 2015, this is one of the three weakest economies in the world).
But in the early 1990s, resources were exhausted and the country entered a serious financial crisis. No more time when residents did not need to work, when the state offered television, air conditioner and health costs in addition to water and electricity. Money was flowing in waves ... Malt's mismanagement of the country's wealth and corruption cause the island in an infernal spiral. The state attempts at all costs to reduce its expenses, put everything on tourism and attempts to attract large companies before falling into illegality by turning into tax havens. Malheureusement, aujourd’hui les excès du passé sont bien présents : Unemployment, high alcoholism, obesity and diabetes and life expectancy of 12,000 inhabitants is much lower than that of Westerners (60 years on average).