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The word ''banua'' or ''vanua'' – meaning "land," "home," or "village" – occurs in several
Austronesian languages. It derives from the
Proto-Austronesian
Proto-Austronesian (commonly abbreviated as PAN or PAn) is a proto-language. It is the reconstructed ancestor of the Austronesian languages, one of the world's major language families. Proto-Austronesian is assumed to have begun to diversify 3 ...
reconstructed form *''banua''. The word has particular significance in several countries.
In Western Malayo-Polynesian languages
Philippines
;Kapampangan
In the
Kapampangan language
Kapampangan or Pampangan is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. It is the primary and predominant language of the entire province of Pampanga and southern Tarlac, on the southern part of Luzon's c ...
, ''banwa'' or ''banua'' means "sky" or "year".
;Visayan
In the
Hiligaynon Visayan language
The Bisayan languages or Visayan languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken in the Philippines. They are most closely related to Tagalog and the Bikol languages, all of which are part of the Central Philippine languages. Mo ...
, ''banwa'' means "people", "nation" or "country."
Malaysia and Indonesia
;Malay
In the
Malay language
Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Rejang script, Rencong: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spo ...
(the
lingua franca
A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...
of both
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
and
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
), ''benua'' means "landmass" or "continent". The word for "land" in these languages and nearby Austronesian languages — e.g., in
Tana Toraja
Tana Toraja ( 'Toraja Land' in Toraja language) is a landlocked regency ('' kabupaten'') of South Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, and home to the Toraja ethnic group. It covers an area of and had a population of 221,081 at the 2010 census and 28 ...
,
Tana Tidung or
Tanö Niha – are ''tanah'' or ''tana''.
;Banjar
In the
Banjar language
The Banjar or Banjarese (; ) is an Austronesian language predominantly spoken by the Banjarese—an indigenous ethnic group native to Banjar regions— in the southeastern Kalimantan of Indonesia. The Banjarese language is the lingua f ...
, ''banua'' means "village" or "homeland".
;Old Javanese
In the
Old Javanese language
Old Javanese or Kawi is the oldest attested phase of the Javanese language. It was spoken in the eastern part of what is now Central Java and the whole of East Java, Indonesia. As a literary language, Kawi was used across Java and on the island ...
, ''wanwa'' or ''wanua'' means "village", "inhabited place" or "settlement".
;Buginese
In the
Buginese language
Buginese or Bugis (Buginese: ) is a language spoken by about five million people mainly in the southern part of Sulawesi, Indonesia.
History
The word Buginese derives from the word '' Bugis'' in Malay. In Buginese, it is called while the Bu ...
, ''banua'' means "village", "country", "land" or "homeland".
;Toraja
In the
Toraja language, ''banua'' means "home".
;Old Sundanese
In the
Old Sundanese language
Old Sundanese (Sundanese script: , Old Sundanese script: , Buda script: , ) is the earliest recorded stage of the Sundanese language which is spoken in the western part of Java. The evidence is recorded in inscriptions from around the 12th to ...
, ''banua'' or ''buana'' means "continent" or "world".
;Minahasa
In all
Minahasan languages
The Minahasan languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken by the Minahasa people in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. They belong to the Philippine subgroup.
Considerable lexical influence comes from Spanish, Portuguese, and Tern ...
, ''wanua'' means "village", "country", or "land". The word ''Kawanua'' means land of the Minahasan people.
;Dayak
In
Iban
IBAN or Iban or Ibán may refer to:
Banking
* International Bank Account Number
Ethnology
* Iban culture
* Iban language
* Iban people
Given name
Cycling
* Iban Iriondo (born 1984)
* Iban Mayo (born 1977)
* Iban Mayoz (born 1981)
Football
* ...
(used by the
Dayak people
The Dayak (; older spelling: Dajak) or Dyak or Dayuh are one of the native groups of Borneo. It is a loose term for over 200 riverine and hill-dwelling ethnic groups, located principally in the central and southern interior of Borneo, each ...
), ''menua'' or ''menoa'' means "place", "country", "land" or "homeland". In many other Dayak languages, the word has the form ''binua''.
In Oceania
In some
Oceanic languages
The approximately 450 Oceanic languages are a branch of the Austronesian languages. The area occupied by speakers of these languages includes Polynesia, as well as much of Melanesia and Micronesia. Though covering a vast area, Oceanic languages ...
of
Melanesia
Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea.
The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Va ...
, the root *banua has sometimes become ''vanua'', via
Proto-Oceanic
Proto-Oceanic (abbr. ''POc'') is a proto-language that historical linguists since Otto Dempwolff have reconstructed as the hypothetical common ancestor of the Oceanic subgroup of the Austronesian language family. Proto-Oceanic is a descendant ...
*''panua''.
In Papua New Guinea
In
Motu, the word ''hanua'' means "village". The name of a village near
Port Moresby
(; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...
is called
Hanuabada
Hanuabada is a coastal village in Papua New Guinea in the outskirts of the nation's capital, Port Moresby. It is the biggest village in the Motuan tribe and is often known by its locals as "HB."
Hanuabada means "big village" (''hanua'' "village" ...
, meaning "big village".
In Palau
In
Palauan, which is a non-Oceanic Austronesian language, ''beluu'' means "village" or "country", as can be seen in the native name of the country, ''Beluu er a Belau''.
In Vanuatu
In
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
, ''vanua'' also means "land", "island" or "home." The name of the
Vanua'aku Pati
The Vanua'aku Pati () is a democratic socialist political party in Vanuatu.
History
The party was founded on 17 August 1971 by Walter Lini as the New Hebridean Cultural Association, renamed later that same year as the New Hebrides National Party ...
literally means "The party of My Land". Hence also the name of Vanuatu itself, and the place name
Vanua Lava
Vanua Lava is the second largest of the Banks Islands in Torba Province, Vanuatu, after slightly larger Gaua.
It is located about 120 km north-northeast of Espiritu Santo and north of Gaua.
Name
The name ''Vanua Lava'' comes from the Mota ...
(literally ‘big island’ in
Mota language
Mota is an Oceanic language spoken by about 750 people on Mota island, in the Banks Islands of Vanuatu. The language (named after the island) is one of the most conservative Torres–Banks languages, and the only one to keep its inherited five-v ...
).
;Lo-Toga
In the
Lo-Toga language
Lo-Toga is an Oceanic language spoken by about 580 people on the islands of Lo and Toga, in the Torres group of northern Vanuatu. The language has sometimes been called ''Loh'' (''sic'') or ''Toga'', after either of its two dialects.
Name
Th ...
, the word ''venie'' means "village", "island" or "country".
;Mwotlap
In
Mwotlap
Mwotlap (pronounced ; formerly known as ''Motlav'') is an Oceanic language spoken by about 2,100 people in Vanuatu. The majority of speakers are found on the island of Motalava in the Banks Islands, with smaller communities in the islands of Ra ...
, the word ''vōnō'' means "village", "district", "island" or "country".
In Fiji
In
Fijian and in
Fiji English
Fiji has three official languages under the 1997 constitution (and not revoked by the 2013 Constitution): English, Fijian and Fiji Hindi. The Fijian language is spoken as the first language by most indigenous Fijians who make up around 54% of ...
, ''vanua'' is an essential concept of
indigenous Fijian culture and society. It is generally translated in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
as "land", but ''vanua'' as a concept encompasses a number of inter-related meanings. When speaking in English, Fijians may use the word ''vanua'' rather than an imprecise English equivalent. According to Fijian academic
Asesela Ravuvu, a correct translation would be "land, people and custom". ''Vanua'' means "the land area one is identified with", but also
:''"the people, their traditions and customs, beliefs and values, and the various other institutions established for the sake of achieving harmony, solidarity and prosperity within a particular social context.
..It provides a sense of identity and belonging.
..The vanua
..is an extension of the concept of the
self
The self is an individual as the object of that individual’s own reflective consciousness. Since the ''self'' is a reference by a subject to the same subject, this reference is necessarily subjective. The sense of having a self—or ''selfhood ...
."''
An indigenous Fijian person is thus defined through his or her land; the concepts of personhood and land ownership are viewed as inseparable. This is also the case for other indigenous peoples of
Oceania
Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...
, such as
Australian Aboriginals
Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the T ...
(''see:
Dreaming'') and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
(''see:
iwi
Iwi () are the largest social units in New Zealand Māori society. In Māori roughly means "people" or "nation", and is often translated as "tribe", or "a confederation of tribes". The word is both singular and plural in the Māori language, an ...
'').
A ''vanua'' is also a confederation of several ''yavusa'' ("clans" established through descent from a common ancestor). A ''vanua'' in this sense is associated with its ownership of an area of ''vanua'' in the sense of "land"; the various meanings of ''vanua'' are, here too, interrelated.
The word ''vanua'' is found in the place names
Vanua Levu
Vanua Levu (pronounced ), formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of and a population of 135,961 .
Geology
Fiji lies in a tectonically ...
and
Vanua Balavu
Vanua Balavu (pronounced ) is the third largest island in Fiji's Lau archipelago, and the main island of the Northern Lau Group.
Geography and infrastructure
This coral and volcanic island has a land area of . Its maximum elevation is . The isl ...
.
Indigenous land ownership is a key issue in
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
and
indigenous nationalistic Fijian politics. Several right-wing, essentially indigenous parties refer to ''vanua'' in their names:
*
Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party
The Nationalist Vanua Tako Lavo Party (NVTLP) was a Fijian political party which championed Fijian ethnic nationalism. It was led by Iliesa Duvuloco, while Viliame Savu served as the party's president.
Founding and ideology
The party was ...
*
Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua
The United Fiji Party ( fj, Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua, SDL) was a political party in Fiji. It was founded in 2001 by Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase as a power base; it absorbed most of the Christian Democratic Alliance and other conser ...
Polynesian languages
;Māori
In
Māori language
Māori (), or ('the Māori language'), also known as ('the language'), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of mainland New Zealand. Closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tuamotuan, and ...
, ''
whenua
In New Zealand, tangata whenua () is a Māori language, Māori term that literally means "people of the land". It can refer to either a specific group of people with historical claims to a district, or more broadly the Māori people as a whole.
...
'' means homeland or country. The
Māori people
The Māori (, ) are the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand (). Māori originated with settlers from East Polynesia, who arrived in New Zealand in several waves of canoe voyages between roughly 1320 and 1350. Over several ce ...
call themselves
Tāngata whenua, or people of the land.
;Tongan
In
Tongan, ''
fonua'' means land or country.
;Hawaiian
In
Hawaiian ''honua'' means land, earth, or foundation, and is usually used in the more literal sense. Land in the more figurative or spiritual sense is usually represented by the word ''ʻāina'', and locally-born people are referred to as ''kamaʻāina'' (child of the land).
[Nā Puke Wehewehe ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻ]
''kamaʻāina''
;Other Polynesian languages
Elsewhere, the form of the word is generally ''fenua''.
See also
*
Austronesian languages
*
Austronesian peoples
The Austronesian peoples, sometimes referred to as Austronesian-speaking peoples, are a large group of peoples in Taiwan, Maritime Southeast Asia, Micronesia, coastal New Guinea, Island Melanesia, Polynesia, and Madagascar that speak Austro ...
*
Cultural identity
Cultural identity is a part of a person's identity, or their self-conception and self-perception, and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct cultur ...
*
Culture of Fiji
The culture of Fiji is a tapestry of native Fijian, Indian, European, Chinese, and other nationalities. Culture polity traditions, language, food costume, belief system, architecture, arts, craft, music, dance, and sports will be discussed in thi ...
References
{{reflist, 2
Cultural anthropology
Fijian culture