Nauruan Tribal War
Encyclopedia
The Nauruan Tribal War was a War
among the twelve indigenous tribes of Nauru
between 1878 and 1888. By the end of the war about 500 people had died, around a third of the population.
discovered Nauru
in 1798, it had been avoided as much as possible by many ships, due to its notoriety as a station for pirates. Nevertheless in the 19th century, the immigration of Europeans, often lawbreakers, steadily increased. Traditional life had been disrupted by the introduction of arms
and spirits
, an unknown drink in ancient Nauru, although the Nauruans consumed toddy
for several thousand years.
, which turned into a heated argument, one of the guests fired a pistol and unfortunately shot a young chief. The need to avenge the young chief's death was perceived as clear in a Nauruan cultural context. Former feuds had their origins in similar unfortunate incidents, but this time every family in every tribe's clan had gun
s. Moreover, the Nauruans were goaded by the beachcomber
s, released convicts and dismissed whalers from Europe
. Several deadly shootings led to most of the Nauruans participating in the war. A kind of guerrilla
war broke out; drunk people shot others accidentally or broke into the enemy's house, accidentally shooting candle
s, match
es, or anything that moved. Women and children were slaughtered.
anchored off the coast of Nauru on September 21, 1881, and the squadron's flagship approached the island, to appraise the local situation. An acculturated
local beachcomber, William Harris
, boarded the British ship, which summoned the rest of the squadron by semaphore
that evening, saying that a tribal war was raging, an escaped convict had become king, that all of the islanders were drunk, that the actual king of the island, Aweida
, wished to have missionaries come to the island to help stop the war.
Six years later, an Auckland
-dwelling British sea captain named Frederick Moss
came in his schooner
, the Buster, landing on Nauru while his ship was being reloaded with copra
. He reported that the inhabitants of Nauru were friendly and of good humor, although most of the boys and all of the men were armed with rifle
s and carbine
s. The war was still going on, although by this time it appeared that many of the islanders had had enough. Through his conversations with the natives, Moss noted that none of them wished to continue fighting, but no tribal group trusted the others to lay down their arms if it did so first. They wished for a universal disarmament of the island. Moss received another report from Harris, who still lived on the island. Harris said that two of his family members had already been shot, and that he wished a Christian
mission
would come to the island to restore peace once again.
The war helped neither the island's copra production nor the interests and securities of the German merchants, who had established cocoa plantations and other agricultural establishments. Because the political stability of the island affected the German holdings there directly, German authorities recommended that Germany should take over administration of the island, which they did. Germany annexed the island on April 16, 1888, banning both alcohol and firearms. On October 1 of that year, the German gunboat
SMS Eber
, with 87 men, anchored off the coast of Nauru. The armed German seamen met with Harris, and returned with the first European settlers, as well as a Christian missionary from the Gilbert Islands
. The next morning, October 2, saw the arrest of the remaining tribal chiefs and the German annexation ceremony, complete with the hoisting of the German flag
. German authorities declared that unless all firearms and munitions were turned over to the German government in one day, the chiefs would be executed; the next morning, the natives of the island turned over 765 weapons and several thousand rounds of ammunition, ending the bloodiest tribal war in Nauruan history.
.
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
among the twelve indigenous tribes of Nauru
Nauru
Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...
between 1878 and 1888. By the end of the war about 500 people had died, around a third of the population.
Origins
Since the British captain John FearnJohn Fearn
John Fearn was a British Royal Navy officer, ship captain and explorer. Fearn became famous for being the first European to land on the Pacific island of Nauru, which is now a sovereign republic....
discovered Nauru
Nauru
Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...
in 1798, it had been avoided as much as possible by many ships, due to its notoriety as a station for pirates. Nevertheless in the 19th century, the immigration of Europeans, often lawbreakers, steadily increased. Traditional life had been disrupted by the introduction of arms
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
and spirits
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, an unknown drink in ancient Nauru, although the Nauruans consumed toddy
Palm wine
Palm wine also called Palm Toddy also called "Kallu" written in Malayalam and கள்ளு in Tamil or simply Toddy is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree such as the palmyra, and coconut palms...
for several thousand years.
Outbreak
The conflict began during a marriage festival; while discussing a point of etiquetteEtiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
, which turned into a heated argument, one of the guests fired a pistol and unfortunately shot a young chief. The need to avenge the young chief's death was perceived as clear in a Nauruan cultural context. Former feuds had their origins in similar unfortunate incidents, but this time every family in every tribe's clan had gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
s. Moreover, the Nauruans were goaded by the beachcomber
Beachcomber
Beachcomber may refer to:* Beachcomber * Beachcomber , a nom de plume used by several humor columnists* Beachcomber , the name of multiple characters in the Transformers universe...
s, released convicts and dismissed whalers from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Several deadly shootings led to most of the Nauruans participating in the war. A kind of guerrilla
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
war broke out; drunk people shot others accidentally or broke into the enemy's house, accidentally shooting candle
Candle
A candle is a solid block or cylinder of wax with an embedded wick, which is lit to provide light, and sometimes heat.Today, most candles are made from paraffin. Candles can also be made from beeswax, soy, other plant waxes, and tallow...
s, match
Match
A match is a tool for starting a fire under controlled conditions. A typical modern match is made of a small wooden stick or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by frictional heat generated by striking the match against a suitable surface...
es, or anything that moved. Women and children were slaughtered.
War reports
A squadron of the British Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
anchored off the coast of Nauru on September 21, 1881, and the squadron's flagship approached the island, to appraise the local situation. An acculturated
Acculturation
Acculturation explains the process of cultural and psychological change that results following meeting between cultures. The effects of acculturation can be seen at multiple levels in both interacting cultures. At the group level, acculturation often results in changes to culture, customs, and...
local beachcomber, William Harris
William Harris (beachcomber)
William Harris was a British-born beachcomber who settled in pre-colonial Nauru and adopted a Nauruan lifestyle....
, boarded the British ship, which summoned the rest of the squadron by semaphore
Flag semaphore
Semaphore Flags is the system for conveying information at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags, rods, disks, paddles, or occasionally bare or gloved hands. Information is encoded by the position of the flags; it is read when the flag is in a fixed position...
that evening, saying that a tribal war was raging, an escaped convict had become king, that all of the islanders were drunk, that the actual king of the island, Aweida
Aweida
King Aweida was a royal man in the Pacific nation of Nauru.-Place in history:Before Nauru came under European rule, it was governed by the king who made laws that were enforced by their own chiefs...
, wished to have missionaries come to the island to help stop the war.
Six years later, an Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
-dwelling British sea captain named Frederick Moss
Frederick Moss
Frederick Joseph Moss was a 19th century Member of Parliament from Auckland, New Zealand.-Early life:He was born in Longwood, Saint Helena in 1827 or 1828, and moved to South Africa. He returned to Saint Helena in 1847. There, he married Emily Ann Carew in 1853 or 1854...
came in his schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
, the Buster, landing on Nauru while his ship was being reloaded with copra
Copra
Copra is the dried meat, or kernel, of the coconut. Coconut oil extracted from it has made copra an important agricultural commodity for many coconut-producing countries. It also yields coconut cake which is mainly used as feed for livestock.-Production:...
. He reported that the inhabitants of Nauru were friendly and of good humor, although most of the boys and all of the men were armed with rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s and carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
s. The war was still going on, although by this time it appeared that many of the islanders had had enough. Through his conversations with the natives, Moss noted that none of them wished to continue fighting, but no tribal group trusted the others to lay down their arms if it did so first. They wished for a universal disarmament of the island. Moss received another report from Harris, who still lived on the island. Harris said that two of his family members had already been shot, and that he wished a Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
would come to the island to restore peace once again.
German annexation and end of the war
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
SMS Eber
SMS Eber (1887)
The SMS Eber, a 735-ton iron-hulled gunboat, was built at Kiel, Germany for gunboat diplomacy in the Pacific. It was a barque-rigged auxiliary steamer. After commissioning in September 1887 she was sent to the Pacific to serve in the German Colonial Empire. She disarmed the inhabitants of Nauru in...
, with 87 men, anchored off the coast of Nauru. The armed German seamen met with Harris, and returned with the first European settlers, as well as a Christian missionary from the Gilbert Islands
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
. The next morning, October 2, saw the arrest of the remaining tribal chiefs and the German annexation ceremony, complete with the hoisting of the German flag
Flag of Germany
The flag of Germany is a tricolour consisting of three equal horizontal bands displaying the national colours of Germany: black, red, and gold....
. German authorities declared that unless all firearms and munitions were turned over to the German government in one day, the chiefs would be executed; the next morning, the natives of the island turned over 765 weapons and several thousand rounds of ammunition, ending the bloodiest tribal war in Nauruan history.
Aftermath
The annexation of Nauru by Germany halted the self-destruction of the island through firearms and alcohol, although the Nauruans lost control of their island and their fate for nearly 80 years. After German annexation, King Aweida retook the throne. In 1914, Germany lost possession of the island in a bloodless transfer of power to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.