People, Culture & Heritage
Kiribati has evolved as a result of sparse geography - a landscape of seclusion and beauty, which is no surprise given the country has the biggest water to land ratio in the world, with a land masses of which 32 atolls and 1 ocean island scattered across the pacific equatorial region. Although part of a wider pacific island community, it offers a unique beautiful culture and language; and much of this has been maintained because of this isolation. As a traveller, learning some local words and being observant of cultural norms and customs, and a show of respect and understanding of the Kiribati traditional ways can help preserve this beauty.
I-Kiribati People & Culture
I-Kiribati People & Culture
The people of Kiribati are referred to as I-Kiribati who are characterized as Micronesian's with medium stature, brown skin and straight hair. There are also minorities of half-castes as a result of inter-marriages between Europeans, Asians and Polynesians. I-Kiribati people are also considered the friendliest people you will ever meet.
The Kiribati culture has greatly been preserved by the isolation that comes with being at the heart of the Pacific Ocean. It is complex and diverse, with each island having its own unique ways. Many people remain true to the century old traditions and practices that define what it means to be I-Kiribati.
As I-Kiribati; the value and respect for family, friendship, respect of the elderly; the importance of family & community gatherings, and meetings in a maneaba (a traditional community meeting house), guest hospitality and the respect for property remain very important facets in the culture of Kiribati. People still live in extended families where everyone supports each other.
Christianity also plays a vital role in influencing the culture of Kiribati since it was introduced during the 1800s, hence accepted as an integral and important part of the Kiribati culture and livelihood of the Kiribati people today.
Daily Lifestyle & Livelihood
Daily Lifestyle & Livelihood
The way of living is very simple and people plan their living according to the day, without worrying about their future, living with the moto “Tomorrow is another day.” Survival revolves around strength, motivation and ambition to live within that particular day. Daily lives revolve around the rise and fall of the tide, dictating fishing conditions and timing and availability of transport. Sustenance is from the sea, coconut, breadfruit trees and taro pits.
Traditional daily life in Kiribati revolves around living off the resources of the island where the people perform activities to meet their individual and group needs for security, and have no reason to accumulate wealth except to ensure their future survival. The concept of wealth does not exist in its pure form hence there is a high degree of sharing and reliance on existing natural resources and the skills to harvest and maintain resources.
The nature of the subsistence economy is reflected in the social organization of families, who join together to form clans (te kaainga) that function, according to a set of rules and roles. Household chores are divided by gender, with men fishing and collecting toddy and doing heavy construction tasks, while women handle child care and chores, cooking and keeping house, basically controlling domestic chores. While women may fish and often collect shellfish in the lagoon, only the men may go out fishing in the ocean. There is a clear status of ranking in each household, usually headed by the oldest male unless he is too elderly or too sick to be active in which case the next oldest male then heads the family. It is important for the survival of the group that each member fulfils the roles and responsibilities assigned to him/her and this forms their daily livelihood.
Typical subsistence activities include fishing, toddy cutting, cultivation and harvesting of food crops (coconut, pandanus, breadfruit and taro), weaving mats, making thatches, rolling string, fetching water, collecting firewood, making fish traps and hooks, cleaning and washing, cooking and construction work amongst others. Most of these activities are performed by the adult members of the family, while it falls upon the younger members to collect firewood, fetch water, clean the dishes, clean the compound, and assist the adult members to do the easy part of their chores. Unfortunately, subsistence living is slowly disappearing and being replaced by a cash economy where most subsistence activities are now not only catered towards subsistence living but also to generate income to pay for the basic necessities such as food and sanitary needs.
Where most of the fishing was done for subsistence, it is now sold when there is a surplus or given freely to relatives, preserved for later consumption. Due to the increasing dependence on imported goods, the importance of cash as a medium of exchange, has now dominated bartering and sharing that were once strong traditions of Kiribati.
Community & the Maneaba
Community & the Maneaba
The essence of community is common – people form community through sharing of objects, environments and spaces, and this is a lot in Kiribati. With many people in a small place, people share the natural resources that they live off. I-Kiribati people often live in close quarters with their extended family, and living and working in harmony with neighbours and family is of high importance. Few things go unnoticed in a small community, and privacy becomes a premium. As each family still fends for itself, things such as the best places for fishing and special skills are kept within the family. The one thing in common for the Kiribati community is that they all gather under a maneaba to meet.
The maneaba (social & community hall) was and remains the most important institutional symbol and foundation of community life in Kiribati where matters of political, social, economic and religious life are discussed and resolved with the leadership of the Unimwane (elected elders) and Christian leaders. It is also a place of festivities, accommodation, storage and safe refuge from violence.
Beside the maneaba as the traditional function as a community hall, court of judgment, reconciliation, and sanctuary for all; the purpose of the maneaba has considerably widened to include shelter for the sick, storage facility for copra, fundraising venue, and more. Despite the additional uses invented for this culturally important structure, the traditional system of governance and leadership still revolves around the maneaba and remain largely intact. This was the result, first of colonial support, and later on of Government’s recognition of the importance of traditional leadership vested in the ‘Unimwane’ and secondly by the shortcomings of foreign governance in solving local community issues. In all Island Councils (outer island local governments), there is a seat for a representative of the Island ‘Unimwane’ Association, who embodies the highest traditional authority for the community on the island.
Women in the maneaba play a support role during the maneaba discussions, they are however not discriminated as their views are channelled through their husbands or their elder ‘unimwane’ and by themselves whenever they are up to it.
Replacement of the traditional village ‘maneaba’ by church ‘maneaba’ also resulted in the obliteration of traditionally inherited positions in the church ‘maneaba’. The church maneaba are still used for open discussions, functions and as a focal gathering point for the village church members and church matters but sitting positions are not inherited where they are in a traditional maneaba.
Traditional Architecture & Technology
Traditional
Architecture & Technology
Architecture & Technology
The nature of their island environments and the surrounding sea with the resources that they provide plays a huge role in shaping the culture of Kiribati, enabling the people to adapt and develop primitive technologies and methods for their very survival. Kiribati is a country that is full of amazing skilled fishermen, dynamic architects & structural engineers, bone setters, traditional doctors, weavers and artists. The buildings, fishing equipment, household items, techniques and skills are so unique to Kiribati – and each of them responds perfectly to the way of life that is lived on the islands. These traditional knowledge, methods, skills and techniques that have been developed by I-Kiribati are ancient.
The most imposing and most significant building is the maneaba – the meeting house. A large building that has the same purpose as a local town hall. It’s for large meetings, events. This large structure has a roof of thatched pandana leaves, held together by rope made from coconut husks. The roof is impressively high while the edges of the roof sit so low that most people have to bow when entering in the building. This keeps the building as cool as possible and is without doubt, the best place to be in the humid middle of the day. There are also various similar structures called ‘buia’ and ‘kiakia’– which are raised huts usually for households.
Another favorite Kiribati architecture is the traditional outrigger canoe – te Waa. The outrigger canoe is considered a pride of ones family. The canoe would be used as a work horse – patched, worn, repaired – used for fishing, transportation, for fishing and for racing as a sport. The Kiribati racing canoe is a wonderfully elegant piece of engineering, achieving a fine balance between wind, ropes and sail. Reputed to be the lightest and fastest canoe in the Pacific, and a testimony of the ingenuity of the people of these sparsely resourced atolls. The annual event of racing as a sport has helped sustain and revive the future of the Kiribati traditional sailing canoe.
"Te Mwaie"
The Dance of Kiribati
"Te Mwaie"
The Dance of Kiribati
The Dance of Kiribati
The traditional dances of Kiribati or ‘te Mwaie ni Kiribati’ are a unique form of art and expression. The movement of the feet, hands and of course the whole body imitates the movement of the frigate bird and the Pacific golden plover bird while walking and flying. The costumes are made out of local materials. The dancing in Kiribati is just as traditional as the music. There are eight specific dances in Kiribati: Te Buki, Te Ruoia, Te Kabuti, Te Tirere (stick dance), Te Kaimatoa, Te Bino (Sitting Dance). Although distinct, each of these dances share common theme of mimicking the movements of the birds. These bird-like dance moves typically involve outstretched arms, jerking head movements and feet movements.
The mwaie is known to consume the dancers and the singers who sometimes break down during and at the end of a performance due to the emotional intensity of the songs. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote of the Kiribati mwaie (te ruoia) that was performed on one of the northern Gilbert Islands (Butaritari Island); he quoted, "Of all they call dance in the Pacific, the performance I saw on Butaritari was easily the best...Gilbertese dance appeals to the soul: it makes one thrill with emotion, it uplifts one, it conquers one: it has the essence of all great art: an immediate and far from exhausted appeal."
Traditional Sports
Traditional Sports
Kiribati traditional sports are very unique in this world and have been played for many generations. They are exciting and intriguing to watch or even to participate in one. The following traditional sports are still popular today and are considered as national sports:
OREANO
This is a traditional team sport and a national sport in Kiribati. A game of oreano is played between two teams using a heavy woven ball with an estimated weight of around 2 to 5 kg. The sport is often considered as a competition of strength, power, skill and trash talk. During a game of oreano each opposing team must throw the heavy ball to an opposing team whom will have to try and catch the heavy speeding ball without dropping it or getting injured.
In throwing the heavy ball a special technique is applied by rolling off the ball from your forearm with intensity. This sport is played during national sporting event “Te Runga” held every 2 years. It is one of exciting sporting events not to miss.
WRESTLING [TE BOO RABWATA]
The traditional Kiribati wrestling is an ancient sport that offers some insight of Kiribati martial arts where wrestlers must possess skill, strength, flexibility, endurance and good mentality. In a wrestling match, wrestlers will try to score a win by trying to throw their opponent off their feet. If your opponent’s hand, knee or body touches the ground that is considered a win. There are no weight categories and you would often see a David and Goliath match up. Punching, eye-gouging and kicking are prohibited during national wrestling tournaments.
SAILING RACE CANOE [TE UAIA WAA]
The Kiribati racing canoe is a wonderfully elegant piece of engineering, achieving a fine balance between wind, ropes and sail. Reputed to be the fastest and lightest canoe in the Pacific, and a testimony of the ingenuity of the people of these sparsely resourced atolls. It may be through the revival of racing as a national sport, that the future of the traditional canoe has been sustained. The national canoe racing event takes place every year during the National Day event (12 July) in the capital South Tarawa.
WATER KITE CANOE RACING [TE UAIA MWAKEI]
The Kiribati racing canoe is a wonderfully elegant piece of engineering, achieving a fine balance between wind, ropes and sail. Reputed to be the fastest and lightest canoe in the Pacific, and a testimony of the ingenuity of the people of these sparsely resourced atolls. It may be through the revival of racing as a national sport, that the future of the traditional canoe has been sustained. The national canoe racing event takes place every year during the National Day event (12 July) in the capital South Tarawa.
FEAST
Traditional Food & Beverage
FEAST
Traditional Food & Beverage
Traditional Food & Beverage