Ngatik massacre
Encyclopedia
The Ngatik massacre took place over two days of fighting on the atoll of Sapwuahfik
in the Micronesian island chain in July, 1837. Captain C.H. Hart and his crew of beachcombers of the Lampton from Sydney, Australia massacred as many as 50 Sapwuafihk men. Hart had hoped to raid what he believed was a large stash of tortoiseshell
on the island.
s sailed to the island of Sapwuahfik on the trading cutter Lampton of Sydney
, Australia
, on a trading mission in search of tortoiseshell, pearl shell and sea cucumber. While on the island, Hart and his crew came across what Hart believed was a trove of valuable tortoiseshell (used for ladies’ combs, boxes and mirrors). Hart tried unsuccessfully to trade for the shells with the locals, who then chased Hart and his crew off of the island.
One year later in July 1837, Hart returned to the island with an armed crew. When they arrived, Sapwuahfik warriors were waiting for him on the coast, so Hart took the Lampton to another islet of the atoll over night. The following day, Hart and his crew stormed the island along with two canoes of Pohnpeains who followed the Lampton in tow. In the two days of fighting that ensued, Hart and his men massacred the majority of the men on the island. Lin Poyer estimates that all but one of the Sapwuahfikan men were killed in the massacre, while Alex Zuccarelli writes that all but 20 men were killed for a total of 50. The surviving men fled the island by canoe. Though Hart and his men did not target women and children, many of the women took their own lives as well as those of their children. In the trove of tortoiseshell that he had discovered a year earlier, Hart found only 25 lbs of hawksbill tortoiseshell, and 100 lbs of relatively worthless green turtle shell.
After the massacre, some of the men from Hart’s crew as well as some Pohnpei
ans settled and repopulated the island. These men got together wed with local Sapwuahfik widows and formed a new culture
and language
, known as Ngatik Men’s creole
, a mixture of English and the Sapwuahfik dialect of Ponapean.
Before leaving the island, Hart installed crewmember and fellow beachcomber Patrick Gormon as Nahmnwarki, or Isipaw (paramount Chief) of the island, instructing him to collect as much tortoiseshell as possible. Hart renamed the island Ngatik after the massacre, but it has since been given its original name again, Sapwuahfik.
Two years following the massacre, Hart was investigated for the incidents by Commander P.L. Blake of the HMS Larne. Charges were never laid against the perpetrators.
Sapwuahfik
Sapwuahfik, formerly Ngatik, is an atoll that belongs to the State of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia.- History :For Europeans, the atoll was discovered in 1773 by Felipe Tompson.The atoll is notable for the Ngatik massacre of 1837....
in the Micronesian island chain in July, 1837. Captain C.H. Hart and his crew of beachcombers of the Lampton from Sydney, Australia massacred as many as 50 Sapwuafihk men. Hart had hoped to raid what he believed was a large stash of tortoiseshell
Tortoiseshell material
Tortoiseshell or tortoise shell is a material produced mainly from the shell of the hawksbill turtle, an endangered species. It was widely used in the 1960s and 1970s in the manufacture of items such as combs, sunglasses, guitar picks and knitting needles...
on the island.
Massacre
In 1836, Captain C.H. Hart and his crew of beachcomberBeachcomber
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 sailed to the island of Sapwuahfik on the trading cutter Lampton of Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
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...
, on a trading mission in search of tortoiseshell, pearl shell and sea cucumber. While on the island, Hart and his crew came across what Hart believed was a trove of valuable tortoiseshell (used for ladies’ combs, boxes and mirrors). Hart tried unsuccessfully to trade for the shells with the locals, who then chased Hart and his crew off of the island.
One year later in July 1837, Hart returned to the island with an armed crew. When they arrived, Sapwuahfik warriors were waiting for him on the coast, so Hart took the Lampton to another islet of the atoll over night. The following day, Hart and his crew stormed the island along with two canoes of Pohnpeains who followed the Lampton in tow. In the two days of fighting that ensued, Hart and his men massacred the majority of the men on the island. Lin Poyer estimates that all but one of the Sapwuahfikan men were killed in the massacre, while Alex Zuccarelli writes that all but 20 men were killed for a total of 50. The surviving men fled the island by canoe. Though Hart and his men did not target women and children, many of the women took their own lives as well as those of their children. In the trove of tortoiseshell that he had discovered a year earlier, Hart found only 25 lbs of hawksbill tortoiseshell, and 100 lbs of relatively worthless green turtle shell.
After the massacre, some of the men from Hart’s crew as well as some Pohnpei
Pohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
ans settled and repopulated the island. These men got together wed with local Sapwuahfik widows and formed a new culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
, known as Ngatik Men’s creole
Creole language
A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable natural language developed from the mixing of parent languages; creoles differ from pidgins in that they have been nativized by children as their primary language, making them have features of natural languages that are normally missing from...
, a mixture of English and the Sapwuahfik dialect of Ponapean.
Before leaving the island, Hart installed crewmember and fellow beachcomber Patrick Gormon as Nahmnwarki, or Isipaw (paramount Chief) of the island, instructing him to collect as much tortoiseshell as possible. Hart renamed the island Ngatik after the massacre, but it has since been given its original name again, Sapwuahfik.
Two years following the massacre, Hart was investigated for the incidents by Commander P.L. Blake of the HMS Larne. Charges were never laid against the perpetrators.