THE BANABAN RESETTLEMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR PACIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL MIGRATION

Authors

Gil Marvel P. Tabucanon, Macquarie Law School, Macquarie UniversityFollow

Abstract

In the mid-1940s, Banaban Islanders relocated to Rabi Island in Fiji. The decision was the culmination of decades of phosphate mining on Banaba in colonial times. This article examines the context and long-term impacts of policies and legal frameworks relevant to the Banaban resettlement. The Banaban experience is a Significant case study because it involved relocation of an entire island population rather than individual or family migration, and the resettlement crossed international boundaries. Although the Banaban resettlement is unique and was contingent on peculiar colonial and factual circumstances it offers insights for environmental migration. Long-term preparation establishing trust funds, advance land purchase, and the adoption of poliCies favorable to preservation of tlle community's culture were the principal reasons for the resettlement's success. How the Banabans retained their group identity, adopted their indigenous system of self-government, and maintained their social structures and world views are proofs of the resettlement's success.

Recommended Citation

Tabucanon, Gil Marvel P. (2012) "THE BANABAN RESETTLEMENT: IMPLICATIONS FOR PACIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL MIGRATION," Pacific Studies Journal: Vol. 35: No. 3, Article 3.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol35/iss3/3