The islands which now form the Republic of Kiribati have been inhabited for at least seven hundred years, and possibly much longer. The initial Austronesian peoples’ population, which remains the overwhelming majority today, was visited by Polynesian and Melanesian invaders before the first European sailors visited the islands in the 17th century. For much of the subsequent period, the main island chain, the Gilbert Islands, was ruled as part of the British Empire. The country gained its independence in 1979 and has since been known as Kiribati.
In the Micronesian mythology of Kiribati Uekera is a tree that reaches to the heavens; Te Kaintikuaba which is translated as the "tree of life" or "tree of knowledge" in Kiribati legend. It is said to have been planted in Buariki village in North Tarawa by Nei Tekanuea. The creation story is that spirits who lived in Te Kaintikuaba in Samoa, migrated northward carrying branches from the tree and created the islands of Tungaru. It is the inspiration for the name of the Kiribati weekly newspaper, Te Uekera.
Denholm Mitchell Elliott was an English actor. He appeared in numerous productions on stage and screen, receiving three BAFTA awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Trading Places (1983), A Private Function (1984) and Defence of the Realm (1986). He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Mr. Emerson in A Room with a View (1985). He is also known for his performances in Alfie (1966), A Doll's House (1973), A Bridge Too Far (1977), Maurice (1987), September (1987), and Noises Off (1992). He portrayed Marcus Brody in the Steven Spielberg and George Lucas films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Papua New Guinea and Hawaii. They constitute the main part of the nation of Kiribati.
The Gilbert and Ellice Islands in the Pacific Ocean were part of the British Empire from 1892 to 1976. They were a protectorate from 1892 to 12 January 1916, and then a colony until 1 January 1976. The history of the colony was mainly characterized by phosphate mining on Ocean Island. In October 1975, these islands were divided by force of law into two separate colonies, and they became independent nations shortly thereafter: the Ellice Islands became Tuvalu in 1978, and the Gilbert Islands became part of Kiribati in 1979.
Tamana is the smallest island in the Gilbert Islands. It is accessible both by boat and by air with Air Kiribati and Coral Sun Airways. 1,054 people live in Tamana.
Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, in the Micronesia region of the central Pacific Ocean. It comprises North Tarawa, which has 6,629 inhabitants and much in common with other more remote islands of the Gilberts group, and South Tarawa, which has 56,388 inhabitants as of 2015, half of the country's total population. The atoll was the site of the Battle of Tarawa during World War II.
Sir Arthur Francis Grimble, was a British Colonial Service administrator and writer.
Henry Evans Maude, was a British Colonial Service administrator, historian and anthropologist.
Susan Rennie Stephen was an English film actress.
Onotoa is an atoll of Kiribati. It is situated in the Gilbert Islands in the Pacific Ocean, 65 km (40 mi) from Tamana, the smallest island in the Gilberts. The population of Onotoa in the 2015 census was 1,393.
Jack Charles Barley was an English cricketer and a British Colonial Service administrator. A right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, he played four first-class matches, all for different teams. He scored 12 runs in eight innings and made five dismissals: one stumping and four catches.
Scoop is a 1987 television film directed by Gavin Millar, adapted by William Boyd from the 1938 satirical novel Scoop by Evelyn Waugh. It was produced by Sue Birtwistle with executive producers Nick Elliott and Patrick Garland. Original music was made by Stanley Myers. The story is about a reporter sent to the fictional African state of Ishmaelia by accident.
The Heart of the Matter is a 1953 British drama film based on the 1948 book of the same name by Graham Greene. It was directed by George More O'Ferrall for London Films. It was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.
Sir Colin Hamilton Allan was a New Zealander who spent most of his professional life in the British administration of overseas territories. He was the last Governor of the Seychelles from 1973 to 1975 and then from 1976 to 1978 the last Governor of the Solomon Islands, before their independence.
Wolf Peter Rilla was a film director and writer of German background, who worked mainly in the United Kingdom.
The Whoopee Boys is a 1986 American comedy film directed by John Byrum and starring Michael O'Keefe and Paul Rodriguez. It was made by the writers and the producers of the 1984 hit film Revenge of the Nerds.
Edward Carlyon Eliot, was a British Colonial Service administrator.
A Pattern of Islands is a memoir by Sir Arthur Grimble recounting his time in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands as a cadet officer and Resident Commissioner between 1914 and 1933. The book, which was first published by John Murray in 1952 and was republished by Eland in 2010, gives an attractive account of island life and colonial rule, based on Grimble's extensive engagement with the islanders. The book was adapted as a film, Pacific Destiny, released in 1956, and Grimble wrote a sequel, Return to the Islands.
The District Officer, was a commissioned officer of one of the colonial governments of the British Empire, from the mid-1930s also a member of the Colonial Service of the United Kingdom, who was responsible for a District of one of the overseas territories of the Empire.
