Futuna is an island in the
Tafea
Tafea is the southernmost of the six Provinces of Vanuatu, provinces of Vanuatu. The name is an acronym for the five main islands that make up the province: Tanna, Aneityum, Futuna, Erromango and Aniwa.
History
Unlike the other provinces of V ...
province of
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...
. It is the easternmost island in the country.
Geography
It was formed by the uplift of an underwater volcano, which last erupted in the
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
, at least 11,000 years ago. The volcano reaches a height of and gives the island an area of .
The island is sometimes called West Futuna to distinguish it from
Futuna Island, Wallis and Futuna
Futuna (; ) is the largest island in Hoorn Islands or Îles Horne, located in the Pacific Ocean, part of the French overseas collectivity (''collectivité d'outre-mer'') of Wallis and Futuna. The island occupies an area of and as of 2018 it ...
, and also can be known Erronan by its island neighbour,
Tanna. Although it is part of the
Melanesia
Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea.
The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...
n country of Vanuatu it is considered to be a
Polynesian outlier
Polynesian outliers are a number of culturally Polynesian societies that geographically lie outside the main region of Polynesian influence, known as the Polynesian Triangle; instead, Polynesian outliers are scattered in the two other Pacific su ...
. To the immediate east of the island the seafloor occupies a deep and wide intra-arc sedimentary basin called the Futuna Trough that separates the island from Anwai and Tanna islands to the nor-east and
Aneityum island to the south-east.
[
]
Geology
The top of the Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch (geology), epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.33 to 2.58[basaltic andesite
Basaltic andesite is a volcanic rock that is intermediate in composition between basalt and andesite. It is composed predominantly of augite and plagioclase. Basaltic andesite can be found in volcanoes around the world, including in Central Ameri ...](_blank)
volcano is overlain by a mid-Pleistocene cap of limestone called the Tanafu Plateau.[ This has sinkholes up to deep in a ]karst
Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
landscape.[ The uplift of the volcano that was last active 1.8 ± 0.05 Ma ago,][ has resulted in seven, now on land, coral reef steps at the islands sea margin commencing from 520,000 years ago but effectively ceasing about 210,000 years ago.][ The Tanafu Plateau is the thick deposits of the lagoon bottom of this original reef.][
]
Ecology
The island has a cover of rainforest and is surrounded by coral reefs with typical South Pacific island ecosystems.[
]
History
Futuna is sometimes said to be the 'Gateway' to the gospel in Vanuatu, the first island where its inhabitants converted to Christianity. During the late 1800s several missionaries lived on this island for the purpose of preaching the gospel to the natives, and in coordination with missionaries living on other neighbouring islands tried to introduce western living and influence for improvement of the well-being of its people. Notable missionaries that have lived on this island are Rev. Joseph Copeland, and medical doctor William Gunn.
Rev. Joseph Copeland had lived on the island for 10 years, from 1866, before he moved on to Tanna. Dr. William Gunn had lived on the island from 1883 to 1917. He is more well known to the local Futunese, as he had made a bigger impact to the establishments of churches around the island, and had brought many to be converted and baptised. He has also made significant contributions to the translation of bible and hymns from English to the Futunese language, and documented many Futunese customs and cultural practices in his book "The Gospel in Futuna".
Population
The island has a population of 535 according to the 2009 census. There are currently 5 main villages on Futuna Island:
*Iasoa
*Ipao
*Matangi (Consists of Iraro, Marae, Itavai and Iakana)
*Ihsia
*Imounga
The main village is Imounga, in the northwest. Ipao, in the northeast, is just west of the airport. The island has ten regions: Iraro, Itapapa, Itapasiesi, Matangi, Matowei, Nabao, Nariari, Rakaoroa, Serinao, and Tchinaroa.
The island also have several Futunese diaspora communities living in other islands such as main island Efate
Efate (), also known as Île Vate (), is an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in Vanuatu.
Geography
It is the most populous (approx. 66,000) island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third larg ...
, Tanna, Aneityum and Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census.
Geography
The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region ...
.
Transportation
The island is served by its only domestic airport, Futuna Airport, which requires passengers to transit from Tanna. The airport operates on 2 flights a week. The island also has a small shipping dock at Herald Bay, where cargo ships and ferry travel every couple of months.
The irregularity of the shipping boat visits has been an inconvenience to the communities needing to ship various goods between the Tafea islands. The current frequency of ship travels has decreased compared to past ship travels during missionary years (1800-1900), where it is known for ships to travel to Futuna twice a month. During the missionary years, missionaries living on other Tafea islands were the cause for much of the shipping traffic, with goods, letters, persons exchanged/transported between islands frequently.
Education
The island has a school located in the village of Ihsia. Previously known as Ihsia Secondary School, the school changed its name in 2015 to Edward Nipake Natapei Memorial School in honor of famous politician, Edward Nipake Natapei.
The school offers education from Year 1 to Year 7 as part of its primary school education; and Year 8 to Year 10 as part of its secondary.
Music and Dance
Music
The inhabitants of the island have a style of hymn
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...
singing, established by 19th century missionaries, which is distinctive among Pacific islands
The Pacific islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of several ...
. Futuna has a rich history in 'kastom songs', traditional songs that have been passed down from generation to generation.
These songs may contain stories of real persons, events or myths. Some of the 'kastom songs' share historical events such as 'Tahfe Tiatea itoga (The Queensland song). This song tells the story several Futunese who were recruited as farm labourers during the 'blackbirding' period, in particular, several were recruited to work in Bundaberg, Maryborough and Mackay.
During that same period, more 'kastom songs' were created based on the labourers who also visited neighbouring Fiji.
There are also several gospel music groups that have made successful releases into the Pacific music industry. Some of the notable music groups and solo artists are:
* Albea Nalisa
* Fatuana Mahtua
* Fatumanu
* Transformation Singers
Dance
Futuna is quite well known in Vanuatu for its strong custom dance practices and creative Christian worship dance groups. It is common in Futuna to participate in dance groups to perform in any occasion whether it be weddings, religious events or commemorate national holidays.
Some of these custom dance practices have become commercialized to become a means of income for some Futunese communities, with the rise of cultural groups such as Ekasup Cultural Group and Pepeio Cultural Group, performing to tourism and hospitality events.
These groups often perform custom ceremonies and performances in traditional costumes to educate tour groups about Futunese cultural food, stories, songs and other ways of living.
Notable people
* Edward Nipake Natapei
See also
*Polynesian outliers
Polynesian is the adjectival form of Polynesia. It may refer to:
* Polynesians, an ethnic group
* Polynesian culture, the culture of the indigenous peoples of Polynesia
* Polynesian mythology, the oral traditions of the people of Polynesia
* Polyn ...
References
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Islands of Vanuatu
Tafea Province
Polynesian outliers
Volcanoes of Vanuatu
Pleistocene volcanoes
Pleistocene Oceania
Inactive volcanoes