Welcome back to Salient’s Pacific language learning! This week we have Nauru. And, as always, there are things we may have missed or glossed over, and we encourage you all to do your own research. This column was created with the help of Violet Dowabobo.
History
Originally settled about 3000 years ago by Micronesian voyagers, Nauru has a rich history and culture. Up until European contact in the early 18th century, Nauruan society consisted of 12 matrilineal kinship groups, each led by a chief.
Like many other Pacific Island nations, Nauru has had a complex colonial history, being passed around different administrations over the course of two centuries. Germany initially annexed Nauru in 1886, but during World War l, a small Australian force took over, removing the German administrative powers. Then in World War ll, Japanese forces arrived, briefly occupying Nauru, before Australian troops regained possession. However, the nation finally gained independence in 1968, eventually joining the UN in 1999.
Over the past two centuries, phosphate has been one of Nauru’s major exports and has played a massive role in its political and economic history. In the 1970s, Nauru was exporting so much phosphate that it was one of the richest countries per capita in the world. However, due to excessive mining of their phosphate reserves, they soon got into serious debt and now experience serious environmental degradation.
As of 2022, Nauru has a population of 12 668, with 94% being Indigenous Nauruan, and the other 6% consisting of I-Kiribati, Chinese, Fijian, and Solomon Islander.
Email greetings / Sign offs
° Ekamawir omo = Hello (formal)
Omo yoran = Good morning
Omo yeko = Good afternoon
Omo yemero = Good evening
Omo yabum = Good night (both greeting and farewell)
° Tarawong = Goodbye
° Magada = Please
° Tubwa (kōr) = Thank you very much
General phrases
° Wo areit ed? / Mo awe? = How are you?
° Omo, tūbwa kōr = Fine, thank you
° Yen egōm awe? = What is your name?
° Aña kõr … = My name is …
° Awe amen e? = Where are you from?
° Aña amen … = I’m from …
° Dorerin Naoero = Nauruan language
° Nauru = derived from the word Anáoero, which means ‘I go to the beach to lay my bones’. For some tribes on Nauru, the beach was used as a burial place.
Māuruuru roa & Ngā Mihi, Mauatua Fa'ara-Reynolds (she/they)