atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

Gilbert Islands The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...

Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Kiribati
''The Wor ...

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Gilbert Islands The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...

but Tarawa. The atoll consists of one main island, in the north, and several smaller

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanent ...

s in between along the eastern rim of the atoll. The atoll has a total land

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...

of , while the

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

measures . The

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

numbered 5,261 in 2015. The islanders have customary fishing practices related to the lagoon and the open ocean. While most atolls of the Gilbert Islands correspond to local government areas governed by island councils, Tabiteuea, like the main atoll

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

North Tabiteuea North Tabiteuea is a local council in Tabiteuea, Kiribati. North Tabiteuea (in Gilbertese, ''Tabiteuea Meang'') has a land area of and a population of 4,120 , distributed among twelve villages (capital Utiroa). On 1 July 1799, Charles Bishop ...

(in

Gilbertese Gilbertese or taetae ni Kiribati, also Kiribati (sometimes ''Kiribatese''), is an Austronesian language spoken mainly in Kiribati. It belongs to the Micronesian branch of the Oceanic languages. The word ''Kiribati'', the current name of the i ...

, ''Tabiteuea Meang'') has a land area of and a population of 3,955 , distributed among twelve villages (capital

Utiroa Utiroa is a settlement in Kiribati. It is located on Tabiteuea atoll and is the capital of North Tabiteuea; Nuribenua is to its west, while Terikiai and Eita are to its north. Education Utiroa is served by Temwamwang School in Eita. The area ju ...

) *

South Tabiteuea South Tabiteuea is an island council of Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),Buariki).

History

"Tabiteuea" is

Gilbertese Gilbertese or taetae ni Kiribati, also Kiribati (sometimes ''Kiribatese''), is an Austronesian language spoken mainly in Kiribati. It belongs to the Micronesian branch of the Oceanic languages. The word ''Kiribati'', the current name of the i ...

for "no chief allowed"; the island is traditionally

egalitarian Egalitarianism (), or equalitarianism, is a school of thought within political philosophy that builds from the concept of social equality, prioritizing it for all people. Egalitarian doctrines are generally characterized by the idea that all hum ...

and is known for its huge

maneaba The heart of any Kiribati community is its maneaba or meeting house. The maneaba is not just the biggest building in any village, it is the centre of village life and the basis of island and national governance. A traditional maneaba is an impos ...

. On 1 July 1799, Charles Bishop and George Bass entered in the lagoon of Tabiteuea and many canoes visited his brig ''Nautilus''. Bishop called it Bishop’s Island, and called , Drummond’s Island. The

Battle of Drummond's Island The Battle of Drummond's Island was a conflict between the United States Exploring Expedition and the village of Utiroa on April 1841 at Drummond's Island, Tabiteuea North, which is now part of Tabiteuea. The cause of the conflict was the disap ...

occurred during the

United States Exploring Expedition The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...

in April 1841 at Tabiteuea, then known as Drummond's Island. After one sailor from

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

USS ''Peacock'', was missing without reason, the US party decided on exacting redress for the incident. Twelve islanders were killed in the fighting and others were wounded.

Utiroa Utiroa is a settlement in Kiribati. It is located on Tabiteuea atoll and is the capital of North Tabiteuea; Nuribenua is to its west, while Terikiai and Eita are to its north. Education Utiroa is served by Temwamwang School in Eita. The area ju ...

village with more than 1,000 inhabitants, was burned and erased. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, the

Confederate States The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

Navy steamer

CSS Shenandoah CSS ''Shenandoah'', formerly ''Sea King'' and later ''El Majidi'', was an iron-framed, teak-planked, full-rigged sailing ship with auxiliary steam power chiefly known for her actions under Lieutenant Commander James Waddell as part of the Con ...

visited the island on March 23, 1865 in search of United States

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...

s, but the whalers had fled the area. Captain James Waddell described the islanders as "of copper colour, short of statue, athletic in form, intelligent and docile" and were "without a stitch of clothing". In the late 1800s, the two parts of the island were the site of a

religious war A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

when the populace of North Tabiteuea, partly converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and, led by a Hawaiian pastor called

Kapu Kapu may refer to: * Kapu (Hawaiian culture), a Hawaiian code of conduct * Kapu (caste), a social group of India * Kapu, Karnataka, a town in Karnataka, India ** Kapu Assembly constituency * Kapu, Arunachal Pradesh, a settlement in Tirap district, A ...

who had assembled a "hymn-singing army on a

crusade The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were i ...

", invaded and conquered South Tabiteuea, where was recently (1860) created a cult of Tioba (Jehovah). Bishop

Octave Terrienne Octave-Marie Terrienne MSC (9 September 1902 – 4 March 1994) was the Roman Catholic bishop of the apostolic vicariate of the Gilbert Islands from 1937 until 1961, when Pierre Guichet succeeded him. He was bishop of Menelaites (a titular see ...

built his main Catholic Church in Tanaeang, North Tabiteuea in 1936 and established there the see of his apostolic vicariate of the

Gilbert and Ellice Islands The Gilbert and Ellice Islands (GEIC as a colony) in the Pacific Ocean were part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. They were a protectorate from 1892 to 12 January 1916, and then a colony until 1 January 1976. The history of the colony w ...

. Tabiteuea

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

opened around 1911 and was renamed Tabiteuea North around 1972. Tabiteuea South Post Office opened on 13 September 1965. 00-250 Tabiteuea

Education

There is a government high school,

Tabiteuea North Senior Secondary School Tabiteuea (formerly Drummond's Island) is an atoll in the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati, farther south of Tarawa. This atoll is the bigger and the most populated of the Gilbert Islands but Tarawa. The atoll consists of one main island, in the nor ...

,VSA Assignment Description Assignment title English Language Trainer (of Trainers/ Teachers) Country Kiribati
" Volunteer Service Abroad (Te Tūao Tāwāhi). Retrieved on 6 July 2018. p. 6-7. also known as Teabike College."TABITEUEA NORTH 2008 Socio-Economic Profile
Part 2 of 4
''Strengthening Decentralized Governance in Kiribati Project '', Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs (Kiribati). p. 48 (PDF p. 13/15)
Part 1 is here
Located in

Eita is a Japanese actor from Tokyo. He has appeared in many Japanese television dramas and movies; most notable is the TV series '' Water Boys''. He also appeared in ''Summer Time Machine Blues'' and '' Tokyo Friends: The Movie''. Career In 2009, ...

, it serves the entire island."TABITEUEA NORTH 2008 Socio-Economic Profile
Part 2 of 4
''Strengthening Decentralized Governance in Kiribati Project '', Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs (Kiribati). p. 42 (PDF p. 7/15)
Part 1 is here
There is also a government junior high school, Takoronga School in

Terikiai Terikiai is a settlement in Kiribati. It is located on an atoll; to its west are Nuribenua, Tanaiang, and Te Kapuipui, and to its east are Eita and Utiroa. Education Terikiai has one elementary school, Takoronga School, which also serves a porti ...

, serving all of Tab North. The elementary schools on Tab North are all government schools. They include: *

Aiwa is a consumer electronics brand owned and used by various companies in different regions of the world. American and other regions are owned by Chicago-based Aiwa Corporation. Towada Audio based in Tokyo owns the rights to the brand in Japa ...

: Nukantewaa School, which also serves Bangai *

Buota Buota is an islet and a settlement on the island of Tarawa, Kiribati. There are 1,756 inhabitants (2015). The islet is the southernmost part of North Tarawa even if there is a bridge connecting it to Bonriki and South Tarawa South Tarawa ( gi ...

: Taunibong School, which also serves Tanaeang *

Eita is a Japanese actor from Tokyo. He has appeared in many Japanese television dramas and movies; most notable is the TV series '' Water Boys''. He also appeared in ''Summer Time Machine Blues'' and '' Tokyo Friends: The Movie''. Career In 2009, ...

: Temwamwang School, which serves a portion of Eita as well as

Utiroa Utiroa is a settlement in Kiribati. It is located on Tabiteuea atoll and is the capital of North Tabiteuea; Nuribenua is to its west, while Terikiai and Eita are to its north. Education Utiroa is served by Temwamwang School in Eita. The area ju ...

; the school does not serve all of Eita, as Eita and Utiroa are both the settlements with the most people in Tabiteuea North. Taunibong School in Buota serves as the elementary school. The area junior high school is Takoronga School in

Terikiai Terikiai is a settlement in Kiribati. It is located on an atoll; to its west are Nuribenua, Tanaiang, and Te Kapuipui, and to its east are Eita and Utiroa. Education Terikiai has one elementary school, Takoronga School, which also serves a porti ...

, and the area senior high school is

Tabiteuea North Senior Secondary School Tabiteuea (formerly Drummond's Island) is an atoll in the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati, farther south of Tarawa. This atoll is the bigger and the most populated of the Gilbert Islands but Tarawa. The atoll consists of one main island, in the nor ...

a.k.a. Teabike College in

Eita is a Japanese actor from Tokyo. He has appeared in many Japanese television dramas and movies; most notable is the TV series '' Water Boys''. He also appeared in ''Summer Time Machine Blues'' and '' Tokyo Friends: The Movie''. Career In 2009, ...

. *

Kabuna Kabuna is a village in Hiiumaa Parish, Hiiu County in northwestern Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from F ...

: Kabuna School * Tekaman: Burannikoraoi School, which also serves Tekabwibwi *

Terikiai Terikiai is a settlement in Kiribati. It is located on an atoll; to its west are Nuribenua, Tanaiang, and Te Kapuipui, and to its east are Eita and Utiroa. Education Terikiai has one elementary school, Takoronga School, which also serves a porti ...

: Takoronga School, which also serves a section of Eita; Kiribati authorities included a section of Eita in its attendance zone to relieve Temwamwang School * Tanaatoorua: Ueen Maungan te Raoi School, which also serves Bangai * Taumwa: Auriaria School *

Taku Taku may refer to: Places North America * the Taku River, in Alaska and British Columbia ** Fort Taku, also known as Fort Durham and as Taku, a former fort of the Hudson's Bay Company near the mouth of the Taku River ** the Taku Glacier, in Ala ...

: Taku School Students from Bangai may attend either Nukantewaa School or Ueen Maungan te Raoi School; Bangai does not have enough residents, so the Kiribati authorities do not operate a school there.

Transport

There are two domestic airports: *

Tabiteuea North Airport Tabiteuea North Airport is the airport serving the northern part of Tabiteuea. The airport is served twice a week by Air Kiribati from Bonriki, on Tarawa. It is the hub that serves the southern Gilbert Islands, like Onotoa Airport, Tamana ...

that is the main hub serving the southern

Gilbert Islands The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...

; *

Tabiteuea South Airport Tabiteuea (formerly Drummond's Island) is an atoll in the Gilbert Islands, Kiribati, farther south of Tarawa. This atoll is the bigger and the most populated of the Gilbert Islands but Tarawa. The atoll consists of one main island, in the nor ...

, only serving

South Tabiteuea South Tabiteuea is an island council of Kiribati Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati), Drummonds Island warrior by Agate.jpg, A drawing by

Alfred Thomas Agate Alfred Thomas Agate (February 14, 1812 – January 5, 1846) was a noted American artist, painter and miniaturist. Agate lived in New York from 1831 to 1838. He studied with his brother, Frederick Styles Agate, a portrait and historical painter ...

featuring a warrior of Drummond Island in 1841 Drummond Islander with headdress.jpg, Drawing of a

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

of the island, showing his distinctive conical

headdress Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, de ...

; drawn by Alfred Thomas Agate

References

External links

Exhibit: The Alfred Agate Collection: The United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842
from the Navy Art Gallery {{Authority control Gilbert Islands Atolls of Kiribati