Nauruans are a nation and an ethnic group

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

to the Pacific island country of Nauru. They are most likely a blend of Micronesian, Melanesian and Polynesian ancestry. The origin of the Nauruan people has not yet been finally determined. It was probably seafaring or shipwrecked Polynesians or

Melanesians Melanesians are the predominant and indigenous inhabitants of Melanesia, in a wide area from Indonesia's New Guinea to as far East as the islands of Vanuatu and Fiji. Most speak either one of the many languages of the Austronesian language f ...

, who established themselves there because there was not already an

indigenous population Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

present, whereas the Micronesians were already crossed with the Melanesians in this area. The Nauruans have two elements of their population: the native Micronesians and the Polynesians who had immigrated long before. The Micronesians are represented through coarse, dark hair; the Polynesians are lighter brown and have smoother black hair. Through these two extremes, diverse traditions came to exist. In about 1920, influenza spread through Nauru, which took a heavy toll on the Nauruans. In 1925, the first cases of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

were diagnosed by doctors. Today, depending on age, every second to third Nauruan is diabetic – a higher rate than any other country in the world.

Tribes

The nauruans were historically divided into 12 tribes, and when a child is born he or she will inherit their tribe from their mother's side. Clothes for each tribe were all different which helped to identify each individual. Here are the names of the 12 tribes and each of their historically associated concepts: # Eamwit - snake/eel, sly, slippery, good at lying and copier of styles. # Eamwitmwit - cricket/insect, vain beautiful, tidiness, with a shrill noise and manner alike. # Eaoru - destroyer, harms plans, jealous type. # Eamwidara - dragonfly. # Iruwa- stranger, foreigner, a person from other countries, intelligent, beautiful, masculine. # Eano-straightforward, mad, eager. # Iwi - lice (extinct). # Irutsi - cannibalism (extinct). # Deiboe - small black fish, moody, cheater, behavior can change any time. # Ranibok - object washed ashore. # Emea - user of rake, slave, healthy, beautiful hair, cheat in friendship. # Emangum - player, actor

Society

Nauruans were classified into three social classes: temonibes (senior members of senior clans), amenengames (middle class) and the itsios (serf class). While temonibes and amenengames were determined at birth, itsio were usually allocated by being prisoners of war, and were often treated as goods. There was a separate class of castaways that were treated as pets, but they were never as low as the itsios.

References

Ethnic groups in Nauru Indigenous peoples of Micronesia {{oceania-ethno-group-stub

Tribes

Society

See also

References