Nakaa's Awakening: Land of Matang

by Stacey M. King

Overview

In 1900 the Williams family move to remote Ocean Island in the Pacific. Conflicting loyalties, cultural differences and destructive mining practices threaten the near extinction of the indigenous Banaban people. Inspired by author's family.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940164196646
Publisher:	Banaban Vision Publications
Publication date:	06/28/2020
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Stacey M. King is a businesswoman with commercial interests in the natural health industry and indigenous arts throughout Australia and the Pacific. She is an author and historian who specialises in Banaban Colonial history. Her association with the Banabans is more than a casual interest. Four generations of her family were involved with the early mining industry of Banaba (also known as Ocean Island) from the discovery of phosphate from 1900 to 1931. In 1989, she began research on her family's history for a historical novel based on their lives titled - Nakaa's Awakening, the first in the Land of Matang four-book series. From her first meeting with the Banabans in 1992, she has worked extensively on aid projects to try and assist the Banaban communities on Rabi and Banaba Islands. She went on to become the founder of the Banaban Heritage Society in 1995, a non-profit incorporated association to preserve Banaban history and better the lives of the Banaban people. During this period, she was involved in the research and coordination of various Australian and international television documentaries. She has also written various articles on the Banabans for worldwide publication over the past 30 years. In 1997, she formed a personal and collaborative partnership with Ken Raobeia Sigrah, a Banaban Clan historian and spokesperson. They both soon discovered their shared passion for seeking justice for the Banaban people and to see the rehabilitation of the Banaban homeland left destroyed by the mining. Together they have built one of the largest private collections on Banaban history from a European and indigenous perspective. Their first published work, Te Rii Ni Banaba (2001), is a history book written from an indigenous perspective and endorsed by Banaban Clan elders. King and Sigrah share the belief that their lives and destiny are intertwined, bringing them together so they could try and right the wrongs of the past. With the establishment of Banaban Vision Publications, they are converting much of their writings and research findings into digital publications for future Banaban generations and for a broader audience keen to learn more about the plight of the indigenous Banaban people in the modern world.

Table of Contents

AUTHOR’S NOTE

PREFACE

PHOTOGRAPHS / MAPS

ARRIVAL IN PARADISE: Ella - Ocean Island 1902

BANABA: The Rock-Land

THE WAYS OF MEN: Ocean Island 1902

WHEN THINGS GO WRONG: Company’s Facilities Uma 1902

LEARNING THE CUSTOMS: Ocean Island 1902

HARD LESSONS IN LIFE: Buakonikai Village 1908

THE COMPANY’S NINE YEARS OF PARADISE: John 1909

DISCOVERING THE LAND OF MATANG: Gwennie 1910

GIFT OF THE FRIGATE BIRD: Tetabo 1910

CHILD OF GOD AND MATANG: Gwennie 1911

CHANGING TIDES OF PARADISE: Ella 1913

LIVING WITH THE MAN OF MATANG: Tetabo 1914

CHILDREN NO MORE: Off Solomon Point 1915

LIVING WITH WAR: John 1917

ENTERING THE WORLD OF TE I-MATANGS: Buakonikai Village 1917

LOSS OF INNOCENCE: Ella 1918

ALL MEN EQUAL UNDER THE SUN:The Residency - Ocean Island 1920

TOM: Gwennie 1921

DIVINE INTERVENTION: Sacred Heart Mission - Tabwewa Village 1922

BANISHMENT FROM EDEN: Ella 1922

TE I-MATANG’S WEDDING: Tetabo 1922

THE TRIAL: Kabowi - Uma Village 1923

END OF A DREAM: Port Melbourne, Australia 1923

CALL IN THE TROOPS: John 1925

IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY: Ella 1927

WHAT ABOUT OUR LAND? Tetabo 1928

FALLING IN LOVE: Uma 1930

NEW ARRIVALS: New Year’s Eve - Ocean Island 1930

BETRAYAL: Ocean Island 1931

LAST FAREWELL: Ella 1931

POSTSCRIPT

GLOSSARY: English - I-Kiribati (Gilbertese) language

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Editorial Reviews

"Naaka's Awakening is the warm-hearted story of Ella Williams and her life on Ocean Island (now Banaban) in the early 20th Century. While her husband oversees the phosphate mining enterprise that brought the family to the island, Ella learns to love the rich culture of the island. Her loyalties are torn when she sees the damage the company is doing to the Banabans' way of life. I highly recommend this story to anyone interested in the impact of European activities in the Pacific, and to anyone who loves to read of new and exotic places. Inspired by true events, and real people, this story held my attention and sent me off on a virtual visit via Google Earth".

Sally Odgers, Author / Editor

______________

"Stacey King has created a fascinating story about her great-grandparents and their life on Banaba Island in the early 1900s. The sad saga of the rape of the island and the usurpation of the rights of the Banabans by Australian and British phosphate miners is told through the eyes of the Williams family.

Ella and John Williams shared a unique experience of adjusting to life on a tropical island, learning to respect and understand the original owners and bringing up their daughters far from their Australian home. Due to their strong and loving relationship, they were able to deal with the challenges that faced them with great courage. Their two daughters, Gwennie and Uma, grew up on Banaba and became unusual and independent women as a result of their experience.

The author has brought to life the Banaban people they met and came to love. The tale of the beliefs and traditions of the Banabans and the photos throughout the book help to make the story even more vivid.

I am looking forward to the next book in this intriguing series".

Virginia Falealili, Author

______________

"What an incredible story well written. I look forward to the next and the next and the next".

Alice Billing, Australia

_______________

"A very effective mix of historical facts and a well-written narrative to bring the history alive. It kept me wanting to keep reading to find out what happens to each of the characters and their individual character arcs. The Banaban words throughout assisted in placing you in the time and presence of the island, together with the rich description of the environment. I felt I was right there on the island participating in the lives of the characters. I also loved how you proffered the different perspectives of each character and their point of view of their dynamic environment."

Fiona Macrae, Australia

_______________

From the Publisher