Everything about The Pitcairn Islands totally explained
The
Pitcairn Islands (
Pitkern:
Pitkern Ailen), officially named the
Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands, are a group of four
volcanic islands in the southern
Pacific Ocean. The islands are a
British overseas territory (formerly a British colony), the last remaining in the Pacific. Only
Pitcairn Island — the second largest — is inhabited.
The islands are best known for being the home of the descendants of the
Bounty mutineers and the
Tahitians who accompanied them, an event retold in numerous books and films. This story is still apparent in the surnames of many of the islanders. With only 48 inhabitants (from nine families), Pitcairn is also notable for being the least populated jurisdiction in the world (although it isn't a
sovereign nation). The
United Nations Committee on Decolonisation includes the Pitcairn Islands on the
United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories.
History
The original settlers of the Pitcairn Islands (Ducie, Henderson, Oeno and Pitcairn) were
Polynesians who appear to have lived on Pitcairn and Henderson for several centuries. However, although archaeologists believe that Polynesians were living on Pitcairn as late as the 15th century, the islands were uninhabited when they were discovered by Europeans.
Ducie and Henderson Islands are believed to have been discovered by Europeans on
26 January 1606 by
Portuguese sailor
Pedro Fernandes de Queirós, sailing for the
Spanish crown, who named them La Encarnación ("
Incarnation") and San Juan Bautista ("
Saint John the Baptist") respectively. However, some sources express doubt about exactly which of the islands were visited and named by Queirós, suggesting that Queirós’ La Encarnación may actually have been Henderson Island, and San Juan Bautista may have been Pitcairn Island.
Ducie Island was rediscovered in 1791 by the British Capt. Edwards aboard
HMS Pandora, and named after
Francis, Lord Ducie, a captain in the Royal Navy. It was annexed by Britain on
19 December 1902, and in 1938 it was formally incorporated into Pitcairn to become part of a single administrative district (the "Pitcairn Group of Islands").
Henderson Island was rediscovered on
17 January 1819 by British Capt. Henderson of the British East India Company ship
Hercules. On
2 March 1819, Captain Henry King, sailing aboard the
Elizabeth, landed on the island to find the King's colours already flying. His crew scratched the name of their ship into a tree and for some years the island's name was Elizabeth or Henderson interchangeably. Henderson Island was annexed by Britain and incorporated into Pitcairn in 1938.
Oeno Island was discovered on
26 January 1824 by U.S. Captain George Worth aboard the whaler
Oeno. On
10 July 1902 Oeno was annexed by Britain. It was incorporated into Pitcairn in 1938.
Pitcairn Island itself was discovered on
July 3 1767 by the crew of the British
sloop HMS Swallow, commanded by Captain
Philip Carteret (though according to some it had perhaps been visited by Quiros in 1606). It was named after Midshipman Robert Pitcairn, a fifteen-year-old crewmember who was the first to sight the island. Pitcairn was the son of British Marine Officer
John Pitcairn.
In 1790, the mutineers of the
Bounty and their
Tahitian companions, some of whom may have been kidnapped from Tahiti, settled on Pitcairn Island and set fire to the
Bounty. The wreck is still visible underwater in Bounty Bay. The ship itself was discovered in 1957 by
National Geographic explorer
Luis Marden. Although the settlers were able to survive by farming and fishing, the initial period of settlement was marked by serious tensions among the settlers. Alcoholism, murder, disease and other ills took the lives of most mutineers and Tahitian men.
John Adams and
Ned Young turned to the
Scriptures using the ship's
Bible as their guide for a new and peaceful society. Young eventually died of an asthmatic infection. The Pitcairners also converted to
Christianity; later they'd convert from their existing form of Christianity to
Adventism after a successful Adventist mission in the 1890s. After the
American sailing ship
Topaz found Pitcairn again in 1808, John Adams was granted
amnesty for his
mutiny.
The island became a British colony in 1838 and was among the first territories to extend
voting rights to women. By the mid-1850s the Pitcairn community was outgrowing the island and its leaders appealed to the British government for assistance. They were offered
Norfolk Island and on
3 May 1856, the entire community of 193 people set sail for Norfolk on board the
Morayshire, arriving on
8 June after a miserable five-week trip. But after eighteen months on Norfolk, seventeen of the Pitcairners returned to their home island; five years later another twenty-seven did the same.
Since a population peak of 233 in 1937, the island has been suffering from emigration, primarily to
New Zealand, leaving some fifty people living on Pitcairn.
There are allegations of a long history and tradition of
sexual abuse of girls as young as 7, which culminated in 2004 in the charging of seven men living on Pitcairn, and another six now living abroad, with sex-related offences, including
rape. On
October 25 2004, six men were convicted, including
Steve Christian, the island's
mayor at the time.
See Pitcairn rape trial of 2004. The British government has decided to set up a prison for only the island, and spend an annual budget of NZD 950,000, after the six men lost their final appeal.
Politics
Geography
The Pitcairn Islands form the southeasternmost extension of the
geological archipelago of the
Tuamotus of
French Polynesia and consist of four islands: Pitcairn Island,
Oeno Island (atoll with 5 islets),
Henderson Island and
Ducie Island (atoll with 4 islets).
The only permanently inhabited island, Pitcairn, is accessible only by boat through
Bounty Bay.
Henderson Island, covering about 67% of the territory's total land area and supporting a rich variety of animals in its nearly inaccessible interior, is also capable of supporting a small human population, but access is difficult, its outer shores comprising steep limestone cliffs of sharp coral.
The Pitcairn Islands were formed by a center of upwelling
magma called the
Pitcairn hotspot.
The other islands are at a distance of more than 100 km (60 miles) and are not habitable.
Includes reef flat and
lagoon of the atolls
Economy
The fertile soil of the Pitcairn valleys produces a wide variety of
fruits and
vegetables, including
citrus,
sugarcane,
watermelons,
bananas,
yams, and
beans. The inhabitants of this tiny economy exist on
fishing, subsistence
farming, and
handicrafts, with barter being an important part of the economy. The major sources of revenue are the sale of
postage stamps to collectors,
honey, and the sale of handicrafts to passing ships, most of which are plying the
United Kingdom to
New Zealand route via the
Panama Canal. Trade is restricted by the jagged geography of the island, which lacks a harbour or airstrip, forcing all trade to be made by longboat to visiting ships. Occasionally, passengers from expedition-type cruise ships will come ashore for a day, weather permitting.
The island has a labour force of 15 men and women (as of 2004).
Demographics
The majority of the resident Pitcairn Islanders are descendants of the
Bounty mutineers, as their surnames show, and also have Tahitian ancestry. Most Pitcairners are members of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Pitkern is a
creole language derived from eighteenth century
English, with elements of the
Tahitian language. It is spoken as a first language by the population and is taught alongside standard English at the island's only school. It is closely related to the creole language
Norfuk spoken on
Norfolk Island, because Norfolk was repopulated in the mid nineteenth century by Pitcairners.
In September 2003, the first baby was born on the islands in 17 years. Another child, Adrianna Tracey Christian, was born on Pitcairn on
March 3,
2007.
In February 2005, Shirley and Simon Young became the first married outsider couple in recorded history to obtain citizenship on Pitcairn.
Culture and religion
Pitcairn culture, like its language, is a mix of English and
Tahitian influences. A successful
Seventh-day Adventist mission in the 1890s was important in shaping Pitcairn society, though the inhabitants were already observing the Seventh-day Sabbath before the arrival of Adventism.
In recent years, the church has declined, with only about eight islanders worshipping regularly, but most of them still attend church on special occasions. The
Sabbath is observed as a day of rest and as a mark of respect for observant Adventists.
The once-strict moral codes, which prohibited dancing,
public displays of affection, and consumption of alcohol, have been relaxed in recent years. Islanders may now obtain a six-month license to purchase alcohol; the licence fee is NZ$10.00 for residents and NZ$25.00 for tourists.
Communications
- Telephones: There are only satellite phones on the island, replacing a single wired party line. A single pay phone also exists. Islanders call between homes and ships via VHF radio.
- Radio: There is no broadcast station. Marine band walkie-talkie radios are used to maintain contact among people in different areas of the island. Foreign stations can be picked up on Shortwave Radio.
- Television: There is no broadcast TV; most houses have a VCR/DVD to watch videos. Free-To-Air satellite dishes can be used to watch foreign TV.
- Internet: There is one Government-sponsored satellite internet connection, networked to all houses on the island. Pitcairn's country code (top level domain) is .pn.
Transport
The settlers of the Pitcairns all arrived by some form of
boat or
ship; the most famous was the
Bounty, on which the mutiny occurred and which was burned in Bounty Bay.
Pitcairn Island doesn't have an
airport or
seaport; the islanders rely on
longboats to
ferry people and goods between
ship and shore through Bounty Bay. To get to Pitcairn it's necessary to fly to
Tahiti, then
Mangareva, then embark on a further 30-hour boat ride. There is one boat every several months. Alternatively, passage can be obtained aboard a few freighters out of New Zealand – it's a seven-day trip via freighter. Leaving the island is hit-and-miss; one leaves when transportation happens by, not necessarily when one wishes to go.
There is one 6.4 km (4 miles) paved
road and no
railways. On land,
walking has historically been the way of getting around.
In the early 1970s, it was decided to bring the first vehicle to the island (a
Mini Moke) to make it easier to transport the elderly but the harsh terrain and heavy rain were too much for the diminutive car and a second and eventually a third had to be sent out to replace it. More suitable
all-terrain vehicles have become common in more recent years.
Further Information
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