inhuman colonial policy

22. October 2013, Tuesday
16° 27' 38" S, 179° 57' 41" W


For a few days the wind had been blowing at force 5 to 6 from the south-east on our anchorage in Futuna, which was already very rough. It was enough!!!
Even if we now had to sail very close to the wind, it was no longer bearable here.
Our next destination was only 30 hours away anyway, a stone's throw by Pacific standards.
From now on we parted ways with our friends from Elan.
Before that, we had heard from Frank and Doerte about a small village on the island of Rabi, where things are still very original.
Well, this is actually nothing special in the South Seas, but its inhabitants are.
Although Rabi belongs politically to Fiji, the inhabitants are not Fijians, i.e. Melanesians, but Banabanese, i.e. Polynesians.
They were once shipped here from their home island of Pacific Island on the equator by the English, so that the phosphate deposits there could be better exploited.
Brought to Rabi, they were provided with a couple of lousy military tents, food for a month and left to their fate.
To this day these lovely people have kept their cultural heritage, speak their own language, Gilbanese, have their dances and traditions very different from Fijian.