Island in the far southern Solomon Islands
Tikopia
is a
volcanic island
in
Temotu Province
, in the independent nation of
Solomon Islands
, southwestern
Pacific Ocean
. Although most of Solomon Islands is
Melanesian
, Tikopia is
culturally Polynesian
. The first Europeans arrived on 22 April 1606 as part of the Spanish expedition of
Pedro Fernandes de Queiros
.
[1]
Location and geography
[
edit
]
Covering an area of 5 square kilometres (1.9 square miles), the island is the remnant of an
extinct volcano
. Its highest point, Mt. Reani, reaches an
elevation
of 380 metres (1,250 feet)
above sea level
. Lake Te Roto covers an old volcanic crater which is 80 metres (260 feet) deep.
[2]
Tikopia's location is relatively
remote
. It is sometimes grouped with the
Santa Cruz Islands
. Administratively, Tikopia belongs to
Temotu Province
as the southernmost of the
Solomon Islands
. Some discussions of Tikopian society include its nearest neighbour, the even tinier island of
Anuta
.
History as a Polynesian outlier
[
edit
]
While it is located in
Melanesia
, the people of Tikopia are
culturally Polynesian
. Their language,
Tikopian
, is a member of the
Samoic
branch of the
Polynesian languages
. The linguistic analysis indicates that Tikopia was colonized by seafaring Polynesians, mostly from
Tuvalu
.
The time frame of the migration is not precisely identified but is understood to be some time between the 10th century to the mid-13th century.
[3]
The arrival of the voyagers in Anuta could have occurred later. The pattern of settlement that is believed to have occurred is that the Polynesians spread out from
Tonga
and other islands in the central and south eastern Pacific. During pre-European-contact times there was frequent canoe voyaging between the islands as
Polynesian navigation
skills are recognised to have allowed deliberate journeys on double-hull sailing canoes or
outrigger canoes
.
[4]
The voyagers moved into the Tuvaluan atolls as a stepping stone to migration into the
Polynesian outlier communities
in Melanesia and
Micronesia
.
[5]
[6]
[7]
In Tikopian mythology
Atua Fafine
and
Atua I Raropuka
are creator gods and
Atua I Kafika
is the supreme sky god.
Population
[
edit
]
The population of Tikopia is about 1,200, distributed among more than 20 villages mostly along the coast. The largest village is Matautu on the west coast
[2]
(not to be confused with
Mata-Utu
, the capital of
Wallis and Futuna
). Historically, the tiny island has supported a high-density population of a thousand or so. Strict social controls over reproduction prevented further increase.
[8]
[9]
Tikopians practice an intensive system of agriculture (which has been compared to
permaculture
), similar in principle to
forest gardening
and the gardens of the
New Guinea Highlands
. Their agricultural practices are strongly and consciously tied to the
population density
.
[2]
For example, around 1600, the people agreed to slaughter all pigs on the island, and substitute fishing, because the pigs were taking too much food that could be eaten by people.
[2]
Tikopians have developed rituals and figurative constructions related to their fishing practices.
[10]
Unlike the rapidly Westernizing society of much of the rest of Temotu Province, Tikopia society is little changed from ancient times. Its people take great pride in their customs, and see themselves as holding fast to their Polynesian traditions while they regard the
Melanesians
around them to have lost most of theirs.
[11]
The island is controlled by four chiefs (
ariki
) Kafika, Tafua, Taumako and Fangarere, with Kafika recognised as the
first among equals
.
[12]
Tikopians have a highly developed culture with a strong Polynesian influence, including a complex social structure.
[2]
Field work on Tikopia by Raymond Firth
[
edit
]
New Zealand
anthropologist
Raymond Firth
, who lived on Tikopia in 1928 and 1929, detailed its social life. He showed how the society was divided geographically into two zones and was organized into four clans, headed by clan chiefs.
[2]
At the core of social life was
te paito
? the house inherited from male (
patrilineal
) ancestors, who were buried inside it. Relationships with the family grouping of one's mother (
matrilateral
relations) were also very important. The relations between a mother's brother and his nephew had a sacred dimension: the uncle oversaw the passage of his nephew through life, in particular, officiating at his
manhood ceremonies
. Intricate economic and ritual links between
paito
houses and deference to the chiefs within the clan organization were key dimensions of island life.
Raymond Firth, who did his post-graduate anthropological study under Bronislaw Malinowski in 1924, speculates about the ways
population control
may have been achieved, including celibacy, warfare (including expulsion),
infanticide
and sea-voyaging (which claimed many youths). Firth's book,
Tikopia Ritual and Belief
(1967, London, George Allen & Unwin) remains an important source for the study of Tikopia culture.
Christianity
[
edit
]
The Anglican
Melanesian Mission
first made contact with Tikopia in 1858. A mission teacher was not allowed to settle on the island until 1907.
[2]
[11]
Conversion to Christianity of the total population did not occur until the 1950s.
[11]
Administratively, Tikopia is part of the
Anglican Church of Melanesia
's
Diocese of Temotu
.
The introduction of Christianity resulted to the banning of traditional birth control,
[8]
which had the consequence of a 50% increase of the population: 1,200 in 1920 to 1,800 in 1950. The increase in population resulted in migration to other places in the Solomon Islands, including in the settlement of Nukukaisi in
Makira
.
[8]
Shipwreck
[
edit
]
On Tikopia in 1964, explorers found artifacts from the shipwreck of the expedition of
Jean-Francois de Galaup, comte de Laperouse
.
Cyclone Zoe
[
edit
]
Cyclone Zoe
in December 2002 devastated the vegetation and human settlements in Tikopia.
[13]
[14]
Despite the extensive damage, no deaths were reported, as the islanders followed their traditions and sheltered in the caves in the higher ground. The narrow bank that separated the freshwater
lagoon
from the sea was breached by the storm, resulting in the continuing contamination of the lagoon and the threatened death of the
sago
palms on which the islanders depend for survival.
[14]
A remarkable international effort by "friends of" the island, including many yacht crews who had had contact with Tikopia over the decades, culminated in the construction in 2006 of a
gabion
dam
to seal the breach.
[14]
Cultural significance
[
edit
]
Jared Diamond's
book
Collapse
describes Tikopia as a success case in matching the challenges of sustainability, contrasting it with
Easter Island
.
Tikopia in media
[
edit
]
In 2009 a double canoe closely following the original design of the traditional Tikopia canoes was donated to the island, as well as to Tikopia's sister island Anuta, in order to give the islands their own independent sea transport. This canoe called 'Lapita Tikopia' and its sistership 'Lapita Anuta' were built in the Philippines in 2008 and sailed to Tikopia and Anuta in a 5 months voyage following the ancient migration route of the Lapita people into the Pacific. This voyage was called the Lapita Voyage, with more
information about the voyage here
. Its original concept (by
Hanneke Boon
of
James Wharram
Designs) to donate such a canoe was first published in 2005 in a project called
'A Voyaging Canoe for Tikopia'
in order to raise money for the building of the canoes. The project was filmed and is available as DVD.
In 2013 a
Norwegian
mother and father brought their two children and a nephew to Tikopia and lived there for 6 months. A film crew went along and a 13 episode children's series was made of the family experiences and stay, primarily focusing on the experiences of the young daughter of the Norwegian family, Ivi, with the local children, local school the local chief Tafua and his family, etc. The series was shown on
NRK
television channel
NRK Super
.
[15]
In October 2018, one of the chief of the island, Ti Namo, made his first visit to the western world to share his worries about climate change on his island. He went to
Grenoble
in France, where he presented his documentary
Nous Tikopia
before a national release on 7 November, and declared to the press, "Before, we suffered a cyclone every ten years. Today it's every two years."
[16]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Kelly, Celsus, O.F.M.
La Austrialia del Espiritu Santo. The Journal of Fray Martin de Munilla O.F.M. and other documents relating to the Voyage of Pedro Fernandez de Quiros to the South Sea (1605-1606) and the Franciscan Missionary Plan (1617-1627)
Cambridge, 1966, p.39, 62.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
"Tikopia"
.
Solomon Islands Historical Encyclopaedia 1893-1978
. Retrieved
18 May
2015
.
- ^
Kennedy, Donald G. (1929).
"Field Notes on the Culture of Vaitupu, Ellice Islands"
.
Journal of the Polynesian Society
.
38
: 2?5. Archived from
the original
on 2008-10-15
. Retrieved
2015-05-18
.
- ^
Bellwood, Peter (1987).
The Polynesians ? Prehistory of an Island People
. Thames and Hudson. pp. 39?44.
- ^
Bellwood, Peter (1987).
The Polynesians ? Prehistory of an Island People
. Thames and Hudson. pp. 29, 54.
ISBN
978-0500274507
.
- ^
Bayard, D.T. (1976).
The Cultural Relationships of the Polynesian Outiers
. Otago University, Studies in Prehistoric Anthropology, Vol. 9.
- ^
Kirch, P.V. (1984). "The Polynesian Outiers".
Journal of Pacific History
.
95
(4): 224?238.
doi
:
10.1080/00223348408572496
.
- ^
a
b
c
Macdonald, Judith (1991).
Women of Tikopia
(Thesis). Thesis (PhD - Anthropology) University of Auckland.
- ^
Resture, Jane.
"Tikopia"
.
Solomon Islands
. Archived from
the original
on 19 February 2015
. Retrieved
18 May
2015
.
- ^
Firth, Raymond (1981). "Figuration and symbolism in Tikopia fishing and fish use".
Journal de la Societe des Oceanistes
.
37
(72): 219?226.
doi
:
10.3406/jso.1981.3062
.
- ^
a
b
c
Macdonald, Judith (2000).
"Chapter 6, Tikopia and "What Raymond Said"
"
(PDF)
.
Ethnographic Artifacts: Challenges to a Reflexive Anthropology
. University of Hawaii Press: edited by S. R. Jaarsma, Marta Rohatynskyj. pp. 112?13.
- ^
Macdonald, Judith (2003). "Tikopia".
Volume 2, Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender: Men and Women in the World's Cultures
. edited by Carol R. Ember, Melvin Ember, Springer. pp. 885?892.
doi
:
10.1007/0-387-29907-6_92
.
ISBN
978-0-306-47770-6
.
- ^
"Tikopia project"
.
help save a civilization
. Archived from
the original
on 21 June 2013
. Retrieved
18 May
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
Baldwin, James.
"Excerpt from the book 'Across Islands and Oceans'
"
.
Tikopia Island: A little-known outpost of traditional culture in the South Pacific
. Archived from
the original
on 13 July 2015
. Retrieved
18 May
2015
.
- ^
"NRK Super TV - Flaskepost fra Stillehavet"
.
tv.nrksuper.no
. Retrieved
16 April
2018
.
- ^
"Le roi de Tikopia en visite a Grenoble"
.
francebleu.fr
(in French). 28 October 2018
. Retrieved
31 October
2018
.
External links
[
edit
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Baldwin, James, Across Islands and Oceans, specially chapter 8. Tikopia Unspoilt (Amazon Kindle Book)
- Firth, Raymond
(2004),
We the Tikopia
(reprint ed.), London:
Routledge
,
ISBN
978-0-415-33020-6
, retrieved
18 November
2012
First published 1936 by
George Allen & Unwin Ltd
. This classic study is still used in contemporary anthropology classes
{{
citation
}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (
link
)
- Firth, Raymond, The Work of the Gods in Tikopia, Melbourne: Melbourne University Press (1940, 1967)
- Firth, Raymond, SOCIAL CHANGE IN TIKOPIA. Re-Study of a Polynesian Community after a Generation, London: Allen and Unwin. 1959, 360 pages
- Firth, Raymond (2006).
Tikopia Songs: Poetic and Musical Art of a Polynesian People of the Solomon Islands
. Cambridge University Press.
- Kirch, Patrick Vinton
; C. Christensen (1981),
Nonmarine mollusks from archaeological sites on Tikopia, southeastern Solomon Island
, S. Pacific Science 35:75-88
- Kirch, Patrick Vinton; Yen, D.E (1982),
Tikopia; The Prehistory and Ecology of a Polynesian Outlier
, Honolulu, Hawaii: Bishop Museum Press,
ISBN
9780910240307
- Kirch, Patrick Vinton (1983),
Mangaasi-style ceramics from Tikopia and Vanikoro and their implications for east Melanesian prehistory
, Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association Bulletin 3:67-76
- Kirch, Patrick Vinton (1986),
Tikopia: tracing the prehistory of a Polynesian culture
, Archaeology 39(2):53-59
- Kirch, Patrick Vinton (1986),
Exchange systems and inter-island contact in the transformation of an island society: The Tikopia case
, P. V. Kirch, ed., Island Societies: Archaeological Approaches to Evolution and Transformation, pp. 33-41. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
- Kirch, Patrick Vinton; D. Steadman and D. S. Pahlavan (1990),
Extinction, biogeography, and human exploitation of birds on Anuta and Tikopia, Solomon Islands
, Honolulu, Hawaii: Occasional Papers of the Bishop Museum 30:118-153
- Kirch, Patrick Vinton (1996),
Tikopia social space revisited
, J. Davidson, G. Irwin, F. Leach, A. Pawley, and D. Brown, eds., Oceanic Culture History: Essays in Honour of Roger Green, pp. 257-274. Dunedin: New Zealand Journal of Archaeology Special Publication
- Macdonald, Judith (1991).
Women of Tikopia
(Thesis). Thesis (PhD - Anthropology) University of Auckland.
- Macdonald, Judith (2000).
"Chapter 6, Tikopia and "what Raymond Said"
"
(PDF)
.
Ethnographic Artifacts: Challenges to a Reflexive Anthropology
. University of Hawaii Press: edited by S. R. Jaarsma, Marta Rohatynskyj.
- Macdonald, Judith (2003). "Tikopia".
Volume 2, Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender: Men and Women in the World's Cultures
. Springer: edited by Carol R. Ember, Melvin Ember. pp. 885?892.
doi
:
10.1007/0-387-29907-6_92
.
ISBN
978-0-306-47770-6
.