ANZ presents
Countries and the Cultures, pt. 5
Norfolk
Island (12
delegates, 2 VIPs)
 Our
old friend Captain James Cook was the first European to spot
Norfolk Island in 1774. At the time it was uninhabited, although
evidence of earlier Polynesian occupation has since been discovered.
It is believed
East Polynesian seafarers either from the Kermadec Islands north
of New Zealand or from the North Island of New Zealand arrived
in the fourteenth or fifteenth century, and survived for several
generations before disappearing.
The first period
of European occupation began in 1788, when a party of convicts
and soldiers established an agricultural settlement centered
on the area now known as Kingston and Arthur's Vale.
The island is
now home to about 1800 permanent residents - 35% of whom are
descendants of the most famous naval mutiny in modern history
- HMS Bounty.
Arriving from
Pitcairn Island with 194 people (40 men and 47 women, 54 boys
and 53 girls) they made a 3700 mile, five week journey to Norfolk
Island arriving on June 8, 1856.
This migration
makes the culture of Norfolk a unique mixture of 18th Century
English and Polynesian. English is the most commonly used language
on the Island.
Island dancing,
music, singing, basket weaving, and arts and crafts are very
important elements of the Norfolk Island culture. Norfolk Islanders
also have their own unique cuisine.
Located between
Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia, it and two neighboring
islands form one of Australia's external territories and is the
only non-mainland Australian territory to have achieved self-governance.
Bounty Day is
the most significant holiday on the Norfolk Island calendar.
The celebration has not altered over generations and today the
food, friendship and style of clothing still portray the traditions
of the June 8, 1856 arrival of their mixed English and Tahitian
ancestors.
The Norfolk Island
pine, which we see growing tall above other trees here in American
Samoa is native to Norfolk Island.
Palau (67 delegates, 8 VIPs)
 The
Republic of Palau is located 500 miles east of the Philippines.
It is sometimes referred to in English under its native name
Belau.
Early settlers
are believed to have come from Australia, Polynesia and Asia
as early as 2500 B.C. The Palau islands' position on the western
edge of Oceania and its proximity to Southeast Asia have led
to the population being a mixture of Malay, Melanesian, Filipino,
and Polynesian ancestry.
Like Guam, the
Mariana Islands, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, Palau was
part of the Spanish East Indies, and was administered from the
Spanish Philippines until the Spanish-American War of 1898.
Emerging from
United Nations trusteeship (administered by the United States)
in 1994, it is one of the world's youngest and smallest nations.
In 1981, Palau
voted to have the world's first nuclear-free constitution. This
delayed Palau's independence as it also wanted a Compact of Free
Association with the United States, to which the U.S. would not
agree as long as the anti-nuclear clause was in place. Palauan
independence was not achieved until after the anti-nuclear clause
was repealed.
Palau was one
of the last of the South Sea islands to be discovered-not only
due to a lack of navigation skill but because neighboring islands
knew nothing about Melanesia.
Today there is
no question that Palau, its tropical climate and its spectacular
diving have been discovered by world travelers.
Its pristine
beauty became evident to TV viewers after it was the site of
the American reality program 'Survivor' that aired in 2005. This
year it will again be highlighted in 'Survivor: Micronesia,'
airing in the spring.
Papua New
Guinea (196
delegates, 4 VIPs)
 PNG
occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, just north
of Australia. About one-tenth larger than California, its mountainous
interior has only recently been explored.
It has a long
history of occupation although the first inhabitants of the island
of New Guinea were Papuan, Melanesian, and Negrito tribes, who
altogether spoke more than 700 distinct languages.
Eastern New Guinea
was first explored by the Spanish and Portuguese in the 1500s.
In 1828, the Dutch formally took possession of the western half
of the island. In 1885, Germany annexed the northern coast and
Britain took the south. In 1906, Britain transferred its rights
to a newly independent Australia, and the name of the territory
was changed to the Territory of Papua.
After being invaded
by the Japanese (WW II), it was liberated by the Australians
in 1945 and became a United Nations trusteeship, administered
by Australia. The territories were combined and called the Territory
of Papua and New Guinea (PNG).
In Sept. 1975
PNG achieved complete independence from Britain and it is now
a constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy.
The culture of
Papua New Guinea is highly diverse, as exemplified by the existence
of its now more than 800 languages. It is estimated that around
1000 different cultural groups exist in PNG with each group creating
its own expressive forms in art, dance, weaponry, costumes, singing,
music and architecture.
Tourism in Papua
New Guinea is fledgling but despite well publicized political
and economic instability, there are many attractions for the
potential visitor. These include culture, markets, festivals,
diving, surfing, hiking, fishing and the unique flora and fauna.
Each year about 70,000 travelers visit PNG.
[Compiled from Wikipedia and the websites for the corresponding
countries.]
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