Nauruan indigenous religion
Encyclopedia
The Nauru
an indigenous religion
is a monotheistic
system of belief that includes a female deity
called Eijebong and an island of spirits called Buitani. Believers say that the sky and the earth were created by a spider
called Areop-Enap
. There are very few, if any, people on the island who still subscribe to this religion, because of the many Westernizing
influences on Nauruan lifestyle and the dominant belief of Christianity
.
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...
an indigenous religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
is a monotheistic
Monotheism
Monotheism is the belief in the existence of one and only one god. Monotheism is characteristic of the Baha'i Faith, Christianity, Druzism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Samaritanism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism.While they profess the existence of only one deity, monotheistic religions may still...
system of belief that includes a female deity
Deity
A deity is a recognized preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by believers....
called Eijebong and an island of spirits called Buitani. Believers say that the sky and the earth were created by a spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
called Areop-Enap
Areop-Enap
In the indigenous creation myths of the people of Nauru, Areop-Enap played a major part in the creation of the world.-Creation myth:...
. There are very few, if any, people on the island who still subscribe to this religion, because of the many Westernizing
Westernization
Westernization or Westernisation , also occidentalization or occidentalisation , is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in such matters as industry, technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, language, alphabet,...
influences on Nauruan lifestyle and the dominant belief of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
.