Demographics of the Pitcairn Islands
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Pitcairn Islanders, also referred to as Pitkerners and Pitcairnese, are the
inhabitants Domicile is relevant to an individual's "personal law," which includes the law that governs a person's status and their property. It is independent of a person's nationality. Although a domicile may change from time to time, a person has only one ...
or citizens of the
Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands (; Pitkern: '), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, is a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four isl ...
. The Pitcairn Islands are a
British Overseas Territory The British Overseas Territories (BOTs), also known as the United Kingdom Overseas Territories (UKOTs), are fourteen dependent territory, territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom. They are the last remna ...
, mainly inhabited by
Euronesians , population= 258,600Bridging 1990 and 2000 census race data: Fractional assignment of multiracial populations. , popplace=United States 125,628 French Polynesia 45,000 New Caledonia 25,000 Samoa 18,000 Solomon Islands 18,000 Fiji 16,000 ...
of British and Tahitian descent. The culture held in common by most Pitcairn Islanders is mainstream Pitcairn culture, a mixture of British and Polynesian culture derived from the traditions of the settlers who landed in 1790. Most of the people today are descended from the HMS ''Bounty'' mutineers of
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 ...
, Cornish, Manx and
Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
descent, plus their Tahitian companions, including the few who settled afterwards. As of 2018, there are a total of 50 people inhabiting the island. There is also a Pitcairn
diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...
particularly in
Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...
,
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 ...
and mainland
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. Fearing overcrowding, in 1856 all 194 Pitkerners immigrated to Norfolk Island aboard the ''Morayshire'' (including a baby born en route) but 16 of them returned to Pitcairn on the ''Mary Ann'' in 1858, followed by a further four families in 1864.www.government.pn Pitcairn Island Diaspora Survey
(2014)


History


Discovery

Pitcairn Island was sighted on 3 July 1767 by the crew of the British
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 ...
, commanded by Captain Philip Carteret. The island was named after Scottish Midshipman
Robert Pitcairn Robert Pitcairn (May 6, 1836 – July 25, 1909) was a Scottish-American railroad executive who headed the Pittsburgh Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the late 19th century. He was the brother of the PPG Industries, Pittsburgh Plate Glass ...
, a fifteen-year-old crew member who was the first to sight the island. These words, recorded in Carteret's log, describe the first sighting. Robert Pitcairn was a son of British Marine Major
John Pitcairn Major John Pitcairn (28 December 1722 – 17 June 1775) was a Marine Service officer who was stationed in Boston, Massachusetts, at the start of the American War of Independence. Born in Scotland in 1722, Pitcairn joined the Naval Service at ...
, who later was killed at the
Battle of Bunker Hill The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved in ...
in the
American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...
.


Settlement of Pitcairn

In 1790, nine of the mutineers from the ''Bounty'', along with the native
Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
an men and women who were with them (six men, eleven women and a baby girl), settled on Pitcairn Islands and set fire to the ''Bounty''. The wreck is still visible underwater in
Bounty Bay Bounty Bay is an embayment of the Pacific Ocean into Pitcairn Island. It is named after the HMS Bounty, ''Bounty'', a United Kingdom, British naval vessel whose eighteenth-century Mutiny on the Bounty, mutiny was immortalized in the novel ''Mutiny ...
, discovered in 1957 by ''
National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
'' explorer
Luis Marden Luis Marden (born Annibale Luigi Paragallo) (January 25, 1913 – March 3, 2003) was an American photographer, explorer, writer, filmmaker, diver, navigator, and linguist who worked for ''National Geographic Magazine''. He worked as a photographer ...
. Although the settlers survived by farming and fishing, the initial period of settlement was marked by serious tensions among them. Alcoholism, murder, disease and other ills took the lives of most mutineers and Tahitian men.
John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...
and
Ned Young The complement of , the Royal Navy ship on which a historic mutiny occurred in the south Pacific on 28 April 1789, comprised 46 men on its departure from England in December 1787 and 44 at the time of the mutiny, including her commander Lieute ...
turned to the scriptures, using the ship's Bible as their guide for a new and peaceful society. Young eventually died of an asthmatic infection. The Polynesians also converted to Christianity ( Church of England). After the rediscovery of Pitcairn, John Adams was granted amnesty for his part in the
mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military, of a crew or of a crew of pirates) to oppose, change, or overthrow an organization to which they were previously loyal. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among member ...
.


Population history

* 1856 Emigration to
Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...
left Pitcairn uninhabited.
** 1859 First group returns from Norfolk Island.
As of 2018.


Surnames

As a result of the families who returned to the island starting in 1859 after settling Norfolk Island, most names therefore are descended from those six families. Occasionally a new person would arrive on the island bringing with them a new surname such as the American Samuel Russell Warren born 1830 in Rhode Island, U.S., fathered children with Agnes Christian (daughter of
Thursday October Christian II Thursday October Christian II (1 October 1820 – 27 May 1911)"thePeerage.com - Gonzalo, Rey de Sobrarbe and others" (family tree), April 16, 2006, ''thePeerage.com'' webpage was a Pitcairn Islands political leader. He was the grandson of Fl ...
), whose descendants still live on the island today. The McCoy surname (from the mutineer William McCoy) died out in 1973 with the death of Violet McCoy, who had married Floyd Hastings McCoy, a great-great grandson of William.


Characteristics

In the early 20th century a study was taken by
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
n author
Harry L. Shapiro Harry Lionel Shapiro (March 19, 1902 – January 7, 1990) was an American anthropologist and eugenicist. Biography Shapiro was born into a Jewish family and was educated in Boston, Massachusetts. While he was a senior at Harvard he was awarded ...
on the characteristics of the islanders, based on the analysis and observations, for example - Pitcairners were taller than their parents and had produced a healthy number of children. There were more blue-eyed and light haired people in the mixed-race descendants than in a typical
Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
an population but more with very dark hair than people of ethnic English origin. A similar study was also taken on the Pitcairn diaspora in Norfolk Island.


Culture

The once-strict moral codes, which prohibited dancing, public displays of affection, smoking, and consumption of alcohol, have been relaxed in recent years. Islanders and visitors no longer require a six-month licence to purchase, import, and consume alcohol. There is now one licensed café and bar on the island, and the Government Store sells alcohol and cigarettes. Fishing and swimming are two popular recreational activities. A birthday celebration or the arrival of a ship or yacht will involve the entire Pitcairn community in a public dinner in the Square, Adamstown. Tables are covered in a variety of foods, including fish, meat, chicken, philhi, baked rice, boiled plun (banana), breadfruit, vegetable dishes, an assortment of pies, bread, breadsticks, an array of desserts, pineapple and watermelon. Public work ensures the ongoing maintenance of the island's numerous roads and paths. The island has a labour force of over 35 men and women (as of 2011).


Language

The majority of the resident Pitcairn Islanders are the descendants of the ''Bounty'' mutineers and Tahitians (or other Polynesians). Pitkern is a creole language derived from 18th-century English, with elements of the Tahitian language.Pitcairn Island
''Encyclopædia Britannica''
It is spoken as a first language by the population and is taught alongside standard English at the island's only school. It is closely related to the creole language Norfuk, spoken on
Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...
, because Norfolk was repopulated in the mid-19th century by Pitcairners.


Religion

The entire population is Seventh-day Adventist. A successful Seventh-day Adventist mission in the 1890s was important in shaping Pitcairn society. In recent years, the church has declined, with only about eight islanders worshipping regularly, but most of them still attend church on special occasions. The
Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...
is observed as a day of rest and as a mark of respect for observant Adventists. The church was built in 1954 and is run by the Church board and resident pastor, who usually serves a two-year term. The Sabbath School meets at 10 am on Saturday mornings, and is followed by Divine Service an hour later. On Tuesday evenings there is another service in the form of a prayer meeting.


Diaspora


Australia

The
2016 census Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17 *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film dir ...
showed that there were a total of 746 people with Pitcairn ancestry. However, this includes the population claiming Pitcairn descent in Norfolk Island. There were 262 people of Pitcairn ancestry for the usually resident population in other states and territories of Australia (notably Queensland and New South Wales). In the 2011
Australian census The Census in Australia, officially the Census of Population and Housing, is the national census in Australia that occurs every five years. The census collects key demographic, social and economic data from all people in Australia on census nig ...
, there were 75 people speaking the Pitkern language (also called Pitcairnese) at home, an increase of 21% from the 2006 census which had 62 people speaking the language.


Norfolk Island

The 2016 Australian census included Norfolk Island for the first time. It showed that 20.0% or 484 people claimed Pitcairn ancestry. As in previous censuses, the 2011 Census asked a question relating to Pitcairn descent. Though for the first time, the 2011
Norfolk Island Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk: ''Norf'k Ailen'') is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about from Lord Howe Island. Together with ...
Census focuses on the Pitcairn descent of the "ordinarily resident population" rather than the "permanent population" of previous Censuses. 45.0 percent of the ''permanent population'' are of Pitcairn descent and 38.4 percent of the ''ordinarily resident population'' were of Pitcairn descent. Thus for every two persons of Pitcairn descent, there are three persons of non-Pitcairn descent in the ordinarily resident population on Norfolk Island. Norfolk's Pitcairn descendants are already at least 7th or 8th generation, and those in younger age groups are probably 9th generation and the affinity with their heritage is naturally waning.www.government.pn Pitcairn Island Diaspora Survey
(2014)


New Zealand

In the most recent 2018 census, 48 of the ‘usual residents population’ were born in Pitcairn island. In
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
the Pitcairn Islander ethnic group comprised 177 people. 80.7 percent were born in New Zealand with 36 born overseas - 91.7% on Pitcairn Island. Between 2006 and 2013, the population decreased by 13.4 percent. This compares with an increase of 15.5 percent between 2001 and 2006. * 96.6 percent lived in the North Island and 1.7 percent lived in the South Island. * The most common region this group lived in was Wellington Region (59.3 percent). * The median age (half are younger and half are older than this age) was 37.2 years. * 81.9 percent were born in New Zealand and 19.4 percent were born overseas. Ethnic identity: * 27.1 percent said Pitcairn Islander was their only ethnicity. * 35.6 percent said they belonged to two ethnic groups and 37.3 percent said they belonged to three or more ethnic groups.


Notable Pitcairn Islanders

File:Thursday (Friday) Fletcher October Christian.jpg, Thursday October Christian I File:Thursday October Christian II.jpg,
Thursday October Christian II Thursday October Christian II (1 October 1820 – 27 May 1911)"thePeerage.com - Gonzalo, Rey de Sobrarbe and others" (family tree), April 16, 2006, ''thePeerage.com'' webpage was a Pitcairn Islands political leader. He was the grandson of Fl ...
File:Moses Young.jpg,
Moses Young Moses Young (30 September 1829 – 14 July 1909) served as magistrate of the British Overseas Territory of Pitcairn Island Pitcairn Island is the only inhabited island of the Pitcairn Islands, of which many inhabitants are descendants of ...
& Albina McCoy File:Teraura - Susan Young by edward Gennys Fanshawe - 1849.jpg,
Teraura Teraura, also Susan or Susannah Young ( – July 1850), was a Tahitian woman who settled on Pitcairn Island with the ''Bounty'' Mutineers. She took part in Ned Young's plot to murder male Polynesians who had travelled on HMS ''Bounty'' and kill ...
File:Tapa cloth woven by Mauatua.jpg, Mauatua


Diaspora

File:Dylan Walker.jpg, Dylan Walker


See also

* :nl:Lijst van Tahitiaanse partners van de opvarenden van de HMAV Bounty *
Bibliography of Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands (; Pitkern: '), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, is a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in t ...
* Europeans in Oceania *
Island Council (Pitcairn) The Island Council is the legislature of the Pitcairn Islands. Structure The Council has ten members, seven (five Councillors, the Mayor, and the Deputy Mayor) of whom are elected by popular vote and are the only members that are allowed to vot ...
*
Law enforcement in the Pitcairn Islands Law enforcement in the Pitcairn Islands is the responsibility of the Pitcairn Islands Police, the smallest British police force, which has just two constables. In the aftermath of child sexual abuse revelations, the force did briefly number five ...
*
Norfolk Islanders Norfolk Islanders also referred to as just Islanders are the inhabitants or citizens of Norfolk Island, an States and territories of Australia, external territory of Australia. The Islanders have their own unique identity and are predominantly ...
*
Outline of the Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands (; Pitkern: '), officially the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, is a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territory in the Pacific Ocean. The four is ...


References

{{Pitcairn Pitcairn Islands people Mutiny on the Bounty Indigenous peoples of Polynesia Ethnic groups in Oceania European diaspora in Oceania