History of Kiribati Culture - Research Paper Example

Kiribati Culture History of Kiribati culture The country was originally called the Gilbert Islands when it was still under British rule. The local natives later on coined Kiribati from the name “Gilbert”. Today, the country has a population of slightly over 100,000 (U.S Department of State, 2012). Majority of the island’s inhabitants are of I- Kiribati descent, and they practice Micronesian culture. It is believed that the first inhabitants of the islands arrived there more than three thousand years ago. Later on Samoans, Togoans and Fijians invaded the islands and brought with them elements of Polynesian and Melanesian culture into the area through intermarriages. British explorers, however, discovered the island much later during the 18th century. The islands were named after one of the two British explorers, Gilbert. More islands were later found to the north, and these took the name ‘Marshalls’ after the second explorer (Suarez, 2004). Uniqueness of Kiribati culture One resoundingly unique element in the Kiribati culture is the free spirited nature of daily activities unconstrained by time pressures. In Kiribati, life takes on a pace that is natural and unperturbed about the future. Most economic practices aim to sustain the daily livelihood of families and the community in general. Communal, social events also take on a prominent role in the people’s lives. Some of these communal, social events are dances and martial arts contests. Lengthy chanted songs sung in groups characterize folk music in Kiribati. The songs often tell stories and are backed up by percussions from the body, for example, claps and foot thumping. This is in contrast to most forms of music originating from the rest of the world where man-made instruments are included in the song performance. In Hawaii, the dance movements made during the Hula are normally accompanied with smiling and joyous expressions. This is not the case with Kiribati dance forms such as the Te Mwae. A serious mood is normally present because these dance forms are conducted to honor spirits and the unification of different clans. Martial arts are also a prominent part of the Kiribati culture and competitions are held periodically. Common foods The staple food in Kiribati, for the majority of the people, is rice and seafood. Seafood options include fish, crabs, shellfish, and shrimp. Coconuts are also a common component of dishes in Kiribati meals. The sappy milk extracted from the coconut fruit is high in vitamins and normally used when cooking fish. Another example of popular meal is fish and taro. Only a limited number of other tropical crops and fruits normally manage to grow on the island soil and climate. These include breadfruits, giant swamp taro, bananas, papaya and pandunas (Englberger, Lorens, Albert, Levendusky, Alfred and Iuta, N.D.). Hence, food combinations are normally limited to these options. Varieties of spices are usually also included when preparing dishes. During important ceremonies, dishes that are more prestigious are served such as yams, pig meat and lobster (Haden, 2009). Major religions Traditional I- Kiribati religion was founded upon mythical beliefs in spiritual creatures and a giant spider called Nareau who was the creator of the universe (Lindermans, 1997). Later, the arrival of Christian missionaries managed to convert a significant percentage of the native population into Christianity. The entry of missionaries in the late 19th century is what essentially assimilated the I - Kiribati to western religion and culture. The distribution of Christians in the country spread over a few denominations. Catholics form the majority at 55 percent followed by Protestants who represent 36 percent of the Christian population (US Department of State). The culture at social feasting events is for attendants to contribute with their own food to the feast. There is a predetermined order to such feasts, which normally have men eating first before women (Whincup, 2008). During this shift, younger men get to interact socially with the older group as they try to transition into their category. It marks a passage of rights for these men. In this ceremony, imported foods and pork supplements feature in the variety of dishes. A number of dishes in Kiribati food culture possess high amounts of vitamin A and minerals. Examples of these foods are taro and bananas. Others contain beta-carotene complexes that help in prevention of cancers, arthritis and skin disorders (Kellof, Hawk & Sigman, 2004). The health benefits that allude to consumption of these foods are high. Their nutritional value helps boost the immunity levels of the people of Kiribati. When fed to infants, it helps to reduce the infant mortality rate of the population through susceptibility to diseases, such as tetanus due to lack of vitamin A (Semba et al, 1992). The sharp contrast to the U.S capitalist culture by Kiribati culture may present a sharp conflict for the United States mentality. The Kiribati culture is driven on communal values. Family unity holds a high position of importance in the social set up of the Kiribati people. The slow paced nature of economic venture in Kiribati may especially clash with American culture. Moreover, considering the enormous economic value attributed to time in the U.S industries. Conclusion We can observe that the cultural trends in Kiribati are largely communal. There is a high influence of the environment on eating habits and choice of food. The natural dynamism of the culture is extremely low considering that most elements and values kept by the society have not changed for centuries. For example, their music and dance culture have not changed. References Englberger, L., Lorens, A., Albert, K., Levendusky, A., Alfred, J., & Iuta, T. Micronesian Staple Foods And The “Yellow Varieties Message”. Retrieved from http://www.bioversityinternational.org/fileadmin/bioversity/documents/themes/nutrition/cross_cutting_initiative/related_presentations/Micronesian_staple_foods.pdf Haden, R. (2009). Food Culture in the Pacific Islands. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing. Kellof, G., Hawk, E.T. & Sigman, C.C. (2004). Cancer Chemoprevention: Promising cancer chemopreventive agents, Volume 1. New York: Humana Press. Lindermans, M.F. (1997). Nareau. Retrieved from http://www.pantheon.org/articles/n/nareau.html Semba, R.D., Muhilal, S.A.L., Natadisastra, G., Wirasasmita, S., Mele, L., Ridwan, E., West, K.P.Jr. & Sommer, A. Depressed Immune Response to Tetanus in Children with Vitamin A Deficiency. Journal of Nutrition. 122(1) 101 -107. Retrieved from http://jn.nutrition.org/content/122/1/101.full.pdf Suarez, T. (2004). Early Mapping of the Pacific: The Epic Story of Seafarers, Adventurers, and Cartographers Who Mapped the Earths Greatest Ocean. Singapore: Periplus Editions. U.S. Department of State. Background Note: Kiribati. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1836.htm Whincup, T. (2008). Te Mwaneaba Ni Kiribati The Traditional Meeting House Of Kiribati: ‘A Tale Of Two Islands’. Shima: The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures. 4(1) 113 – 130. Retrieved from http://www.shimajournal.org/issues/v4n1/k.%20Whincup%20Shima%20v4n1%20113-130.pdf Read More