Kiribati – Austronesian navigators across the central Pacific
The islands of Kiribati have been home to Austronesian peoples speaking the same Oceanic language, from the north to the southern island of Nui, since sometime between 3000 BC and 1300 AD. The atolls were never completely isolated: later voyagers from Samoa, Tonga and Fiji brought Polynesian and Melanesian cultural influences, and intermarriage and intense navigation between the islands created a strong shared culture.
Local lore keepers have long preserved the islands' history through oral tradition, telling of the first inhabitants and the voyages that followed. Today Kiribati is a nation of 32 atolls and the raised coral island of Banaba, scattered across a vast area of ocean. Do you know a story, song or family memory from Kiribati? Share it with the community!