KIRIBATI: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

 

There are just some countries that are more known than others. This one gained its independence the year I was born. However, we’re both about as equally known. (Ok, maybe Kiribati has a slight leg up on me.) Regardless, many people—and especially Americans—have barely heard of this country, much less even know what side of the world it is in. Heck, even I had to look up the correct way to pronounce it (it’s “KEER-uh-bahss” if you were wondering). And because of this, it’s one of the few countries that have given me trouble in finding information about its culture and recipes. It’s the second country I have had trouble finding a bread recipe for (Bhutan was the other). On the other hand, essentially everything I learned about this country was new information. 

The name Kiribati is their local pronunciation of the word Gilberts, which is what the British named these islands when they controlled the island group. (The “ti” sounds like “s” in the local language.) Kiribati is located in the South Pacific (or sometimes called Oceanea). It consists of 33 atolls (ring-shaped islands usually made of reef or coral) and reef islands and one raised coral island (the island of Banaba is the only true island in this country). The islands of Western Samoa, American Samoa, Fiji, Tonga are to the south; Tuvalu and Vanuatu are to the southwest; Nauru is to the west; Federated States of Micronesia and Marshall Islands are to the northwest. And the Line Islands (the eastern end of Kiribati) are a little over 1300 miles due south of the Hawaiian Islands. The equator and the International Date Line runs through Kiribati, even though they petitioned to have the date line moved so that the Line Islands can be on the same date as the rest of the country (the Phoenix Islands and the Gilbert Islands ). They enjoy a tropical climate with a rainy season between November and March and a dry season between April and October. Because of the soil makeup, there are limitations on the numbers and kinds of plants and animals that live here. 

Originally, the people living on these islands were Micronesians who had explored eastward and settled here. Other islands in this area (Fiji, Tonga, etc.) also moved (rather, invaded) this area as well. Eventually, they stopped fighting each other and had makeup intermarriage, and after centuries of this, the ethnicity of all of these island groups began to merge. Europeans had major explorations throughout the 17^th and 18^th centuries, and several of these ships happened to sail past these islands by chance and just stayed. The British eventually took control of these islands and named them the Gilbert Islands after the British captain, Thomas Gilbert. They in turn added in more islands to their holdings, and it became the Gilbert & Ellice Islands as it advanced to crown colony level. (The Ellice Islands became Tuvalu a year before Kiribati gained its independence.) Early during WWII, the Japanese occupied the Tarawa Atoll until the US Marines arrived and told them to get out (more or less, with the only way they knew how to). During the 1950s and 1960s, the US and UK used Christmas Island (also spelled Kiritimati—remember “ti” says “s” in the Gilbertese language) as a testing grounds for nuclear weapons. In July 1979 (a few months before I was born), the Gilbert Islands gained their independence and became known as the Republic of Kiribati to the rest of the world. The people became known as the I-Kiribati. About ten years into their independence, they began to address problems of overcrowding by making people move to other lesser-populated islands. In recent years, the government of Kiribati has been quite vocal about the effects of climate change, especially since two islands were lost in 1999 due to rising sea levels. In fact, they have even started asking other nearby countries to accept their people as refugees due to climate change. Some climate scientists predict that the island nation could be swallowed by the sea within the next 60 years. Other people aren’t so sure on the timeline. It’s certainly a cause for debate. But if you doubt climate change, talk to some of the people who are directly impacted by its effects here. 

The capital is located on the Tarawa Atoll, most widely known for the Battle of Tarawa during WWII, which left over 6000 Japanese and Americans dead at the end of the day. Essentially, the island is divided between South Tarawa and North Tarawa. Causeways have been built to get between the islets. The actual governmental buildings are located on South Tarawa, along with other vital business, financial, and the few higher educational institutions they do have. 

Kiribati’s soil makeup along with the fact that the country is made of reef islands means there are very few natural resources and is thus one of the poorest countries in the world. It’s also one of the least developed. There is an important fishing industry that keeps Kiribati’s economy alive along with some tourism dollars added in there. They also depend of some minor agricultural production as well, mostly in copra, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, taro, and various vegetables. However, the country has to depend quite a bit on developmental assistance from other countries and organizations.

Because Kiribati was controlled by the British for so long, the dominant religion is Roman Catholicism, although the Kiribati Uniting Church maintains a fairly substantial number of practitioners. You’ll also find a number of Protestant faiths as well as Bahá’í and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

English is listed as an official language along with the local dialect called Gilbertese (which is written in Roman letters). English is pretty much only used on the largest island of Tarawa and often used as part of code mixing (mixing the two languages) on the other islands. Gilbertese is interesting to me because it is a verb-object-subject language (in comparison, English and Romance languages are subject-verb-object languages.) There are only a few other languages who fall in this category, namely Malagasy (spoken on Madagascar and Comoros), a few languages in Indonesia, Fijian, and Mayan languages. There are actually Gilbertese speakers not only in Kiribati but also on Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu. 

I have a feeling this country is going to be a challenge just because there is limited information on some of the things larger countries have readily available. Like, by now I usually have found at least one or two albums to put in my Spotify playlist. But not so for Kiribati. I have nothing there. Usually, I have been able to find at least one recipe for a bread or cake or pastry or even a mention of this. But not so for Kiribati. (I had to expand out to Micronesia since many I-Kiribati are ethnically Micronesian. And I’m still surprised that for a country that was controlled by the British for so long that there are no bread, cake, or pastry recipes posted online anywhere? I’m still looking, but still… Sheesh.) So, it will certainly be a research challenge, but I’m up for it but have my backups ready.

Up next: art and literature

BELIZE: THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE

Home to the world’s second-largest coral reef, Belize is a small cutaway to a historical crossroads of people from all over the world. Originally, it was part of the land of the ancient Mayans, and the ruins dot the jungles like a Magic-Eye book. Most of the ruins have been destroyed to some extent over the centuries, but there are still many that are not only still standing but also popular tourism destinations. The city of Caracol was one of the major Mayan cities, and although archaeologists have discovered many of the ruins, there are undoubtedly more artifacts and ruins that have yet to be found in the remote areas of the Belizean jungles.

Formerly known as British Honduras, the Spanish Conquistadors had first claimed the area. Eventually the British did take over, and it became one of the many areas they would bring Africans as part of the slave trade. The major export for this area is mahogany, which became most of the slave’s number one job. Even after they were freed, most had no choice but to keep working in this field.

Belize is fairly diverse, as far as demographics go. Of course, the Maya were originally in the area. Three of its groups found here include the Yucatec (originally from Mexico but came to Belize to escape war), the Mopan, and the Kekchi, (both of whom fled the country at various times to avoid slavery, returning later). The Creoles are descendants of the slave owners (mostly English and Scottish pirates and other settlers) and the African slaves who were brought here. Then you have the Garifuna (also called Garinagu), who are a mix of African, Arawak and other Carib peoples. Primarily settled in and around Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the British started separating them based on how “African” they looked when they took over the island nation. Eventually they were traded to the Spanish who employed them as soldiers, and spread them throughout the Caribbean, many “deployed” to Belize where they stayed. And of course there are mestizos (mixtures of Spanish and Maya), as well as Mennonite farmers, East Indians, East Asians, North Americans, and Mediterraneans.

Thanks to the British, English is the official language of Belize, making it the only English-speaking country in Central America. While English is the language of public education, many Belizeans also speak Spanish, and most speak a Belizean Creole. Belize is proudly a dual-language nation and encourage bilingualism.

It’s somewhat unclear as to where the name Belize actually came from. Some think it may be from the Maya word “belix” which means “muddy waters” that described the muddy waters of the Belize River. Another theory is that it may have been brought over from the numerous Africans who were brought to the area; there is a Belize in the country of Angola as well. Like the Tootsie Roll Pop, the world may never know.

The capital is Belmopan, not its largest city Belize City. The name Belmopan was created as a merging of the words “Belize” and “Mopan,” the name of two major rivers. Actually, the capital used to be in the port city of Belize City, but was eventually moved to Belmopan after Hurricane Hattie nearly demolished Belize City in 1961.

Since the British were the ones who controlled the area until Belize’s independence in 1981, almost 72% of Belizeans identify themselves as some denomination of Christianity. Around 10% follow some other religion (Buddhist, Mayan, Garifuni, Islam, Obeah, Hindu, Rastafarian, Baha’i, etc.), and over 15% say they have no religion.

Belize is now a popular ecotourism hotspot with its many rainforests, coral reefs, flora and fauna. The mahogany tree that was once the object of exploitation during slavery days is now a national treasure (in fact, the national motto is “Sub Umbra Florero” which roughly means “Under the Mahogany Tree, I flourish”), along with Baird’s tapir (one of the ugliest animals, in my opinion; it’s just so weird to look at. However, it’s on the endangered list and is protected in Belize) and the brightly-colored keel billed toucan. Its diversity in its people and cultural traditions is what makes Belize a very captivating country. With influences from the British, the Spanish, and the Caribbean, you can certainly see its history emerge through its music, arts, and cuisine into something better than what it started out as.

Up next: Holidays and Celebrations