Mota (island)
Encyclopedia
Mota is an extinct volcanic island in the Banks group
of Torba Province
in northern Vanuatu
.
683 people live on Mota in coastal villages around the island. The names of the villages are Liwotqei, Lotawan, Mariu
, Tasmate, Garamal, Tuqetap, and Veverao.
The island is famous because its language
was used by the first missionaries in Melanesia
. For the better part of a century from 1849, most teaching in classrooms and schools of all kinds, and most prayers and hymns from Isabel in the Solomons all the way through Pentecost in Vanuatu were done in the language of this small island. Some Mota words are still known throughout the Melanesian archipelago, e.g. tasiu (brother, taken here in the religious sense of "member of a brotherhood" ie the Melanesian Brotherhood
)
The famous missionary John Coleridge Patteson
lived on Mota, in the village of Veverao. The first Melanesian priest, Father George Sarawia was from Mota, and the first Christian baptisms and Eucharist and Confirmations were there. Mota is generally held to be the first Melanesian island to become Christian, though missionary work began a year later than on Aneityum.
All Mota people are Christians, Anglicans of the Church of the Province of Melanesia
. The big days of celebration are the saints' days of the church in each village on the island. However, kastom
, i.e. the Melanesian traditions, still means a lot to the islanders.
Presently, the island is ruled by a council of chiefs elected from each village. There is a school, Pasaleli Primary School, formally named Panel School. There is a dispensary where a nurse lives, access to teleradio and a public phone on the island. There are also small settlements of Mota people in Santo, especially at Lorevilko
and Turtle Bay
, and in Port Vila
.
Banks Islands
The Banks Islands are a group of islands in northern Vanuatu.Together with the Torres Islands to the northwest, they make up the northernmost province of Torba. The group lies about north of Maewo, and includes Gaua and Vanua Lava, two of the 13 largest islands in Vanuatu...
of Torba Province
Torba Province
Torba is the northernmost province of Vanuatu, including the Banks Islands and the Torres Islands. Its capital is Sola.The modern name Torba is derived from the initial letters of Torres and Banks.-Facts:...
in northern Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
.
683 people live on Mota in coastal villages around the island. The names of the villages are Liwotqei, Lotawan, Mariu
Mariú
Mariú is a Venezuelan telenovela shown in 2000, starring with Daniela Alvarado and Carlos Montilla. This telenovela contains 113 episodes.- Synopsis :...
, Tasmate, Garamal, Tuqetap, and Veverao.
The island is famous because its language
Mota language
-External links:* in Mota* from Project Canterbury*...
was used by the first missionaries in Melanesia
Melanesia
Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
. For the better part of a century from 1849, most teaching in classrooms and schools of all kinds, and most prayers and hymns from Isabel in the Solomons all the way through Pentecost in Vanuatu were done in the language of this small island. Some Mota words are still known throughout the Melanesian archipelago, e.g. tasiu (brother, taken here in the religious sense of "member of a brotherhood" ie the Melanesian Brotherhood
Melanesian Brotherhood
The Melanesian Brotherhood is an Anglican religious community of men in simple vows based primarily in the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea.- History :...
)
The famous missionary John Coleridge Patteson
John Coleridge Patteson
John Coleridge Patteson was an Anglican bishop and martyr.Patteson was educated at The King's School, Ottery St Mary, Eton and then Balliol College, Oxford. He was ordained in 1853 in the Church of England...
lived on Mota, in the village of Veverao. The first Melanesian priest, Father George Sarawia was from Mota, and the first Christian baptisms and Eucharist and Confirmations were there. Mota is generally held to be the first Melanesian island to become Christian, though missionary work began a year later than on Aneityum.
All Mota people are Christians, Anglicans of the Church of the Province of Melanesia
Church of the Province of Melanesia
The Church of the Province of Melanesia is part of the Anglican Communion, and includes 8 dioceses. The Primate of the Church is the Archbishop of Melanesia The Most Rev'd David Vunagi.- Official name :...
. The big days of celebration are the saints' days of the church in each village on the island. However, kastom
Kastom
Kastom is a pijin word used to refer to traditional culture, including religion, economics, art and magic in Melanesia.The term is the generally accepted anthropology term to describe such phenomenon as well as the common and lay term used in everyday language.The word derives from the Australian...
, i.e. the Melanesian traditions, still means a lot to the islanders.
Presently, the island is ruled by a council of chiefs elected from each village. There is a school, Pasaleli Primary School, formally named Panel School. There is a dispensary where a nurse lives, access to teleradio and a public phone on the island. There are also small settlements of Mota people in Santo, especially at Lorevilko
Lorevilko
Lorevilko is a village in northeast Espiritu Santo, Sanma Province, Vanuatu. The name comes from the East Santo language and means "wild kava." The land is the ancestral land of the late chief Hinge. His five sons have established villages in the area, which is between Sara and Hog...
and Turtle Bay
Turtle Bay
Turtle Bay may refer to:*Turtle Bay, Manhattan, a neighborhood in New York City*Turtle Bay , a bay in the Houtman Abrolhos island chain in Western Australia*Turtle Bay Exploration Park, California*A bay within the Caneel Bay resort on St...
, and in Port Vila
Port Vila
Port Vila is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. Situated on the south coast of the island of Efate, in Shefa Province, the city population at last was 29,356, an increase of 55% on the previous census result . This suggests a 2007 population of about 40,000 or around 65% of the province's...
.
External links
- Documents in Mota from Project CanterburyProject CanterburyProject Canterbury is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999, and is hosted by the non-profit Society of Archbishop Justus...
- O As Oraora nan 1904 collection of songs in Mota.