Who Are the Nauruan?
The Nauruan are the indigenous Micronesian people of Nauru, a single raised coral island in the central Pacific. Numbering approximately 10,000 (of Nauru's 12,000 total population), they speak Nauruan, a Micronesian language that is a language isolate with no close relatives—reflecting Nauru's geographic isolation. Nauru's history is dominated by phosphate—bird guano accumulated over millennia made the island one of the world's richest phosphate deposits. The extraction of this resource brought extreme wealth followed by environmental devastation and economic collapse, making Nauru a cautionary tale of resource dependency and sustainability.
Traditional Culture
Before phosphate transformed the island, Nauru had a distinctive Micronesian culture. Society was organized into twelve tribes (reflected in the twelve-pointed star on Nauru's flag), with complex kinship systems and land tenure. The raised coral island, unlike atolls, had fertile soil and freshwater, supporting larger populations than typical Pacific islands of similar size. Traditional economy combined fishing with cultivation of coconut, pandanus, and other crops. A brackish lagoon (Buada Lagoon) in the island's interior supported fish aquaculture. Navigation and canoe building connected Nauruans to the broader Pacific world. Traditional sports, music, and dance were important cultural expressions. This relatively prosperous traditional society would be transformed by colonial contact and phosphate mining.
The Phosphate Story
Phosphate changed everything. Discovered in 1900, Nauru's phosphate deposits were among the world's richest. German, then Australian/British/New Zealand administration extracted phosphate, creating wealth but devastating the island's interior—80% of Nauru was strip-mined, leaving a lunar landscape of coral pinnacles. Nauruans received royalties but had little control until independence in 1968. The new nation briefly became one of the world's richest per capita, with trust funds, overseas investments, and generous services. But mismanagement, corruption, and phosphate exhaustion brought collapse. By the 2000s, Nauru faced bankruptcy, environmental catastrophe (the mined interior is largely uninhabitable), and health crises (diabetes rates soared with imported food and sedentary lifestyles).
Contemporary Nauruan
Modern Nauru struggles with its phosphate legacy. The Australian-funded Regional Processing Centre for asylum seekers has become a controversial economic lifeline. The mined interior's rehabilitation remains a challenge. Diabetes and obesity rates are among the world's highest—a consequence of abandoning traditional diet and lifestyle. The Nauruan language persists but faces pressure from English. Traditional culture has been significantly disrupted, though efforts at revival continue. The government seeks alternative economic strategies including fishing licenses and offshore banking (though this has brought its own controversies). Nauru represents an extreme case of resource extraction's consequences and the challenges of post-extractive sustainability for indigenous communities.
References
- Weeramantry, C. (1992). Nauru: Environmental Damage Under International Trusteeship
- Pollock, N. J. (2014). Nauru Phosphate History and the Resource Curse Narrative
- McDaniel, C. N. & Gowdy, J. M. (2000). Paradise for Sale: A Parable of Nature