copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of United States (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2012-02-22): Aunu`u Island is one mile off the southeast tip of Tutuila (a 15-minute ferry ride), with a land mass of 0.6 square miles and a population of about 300 people. Sixty miles east of Tutuila is the Manu`a Island group (a 30-minute airplane ride or a 12 hour boat ride from Tutuila) that includes the volcanic islands of Ofu and Olosega, connected by a bridge, and the Island of Ta`u. These islands are sparsely populated, with a total 2010 Census population of 1,400 residents, and each village having a few hundred residents. The Swains Island is a privately-owned coral atoll located 214 miles north of Tutuila with approximately 1.25 square miles of land mass and a population less than 20 (2010 Census). Swains Islanders raise coconuts and grow bananas, taro, breadfruit and papaya, and supplement their diet with fish from outside of Swains' reef. Rose Island (coral atoll) lies 78 miles east of Ta`u with a landmass of 0.1 square miles, is uninhabited and is named a national monument. [...] Language: Most people are bilingual and can speak English and Samoan fluently. Samoan, a language closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages, is spoken natively by 9 percent of the people as well as the co-official language of the territory. While 80 percent speak English and Samoan, 2.4 percent speak Tongan, 2 percent speak Asian languages, and 2 percent speak other Pacific Islander languages. Tokelauan language is also spoken in Swains Island. Literacy is calculated at 97 percent.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of United States (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2006-01-01): Swains Island is the northernmost island of the U.S. Territory of American Samoa. Situated approximately 320 km north of the Samoan hot spot track, it is geologically part of the Tokelau volcanic chain. It is about 2.4 km long with a lake of brackish water that is cut off from the ocean. [...] The oldest of his six children, Eli Hutchinson Jennings Jr., inherited the island and managed the estate and its copra plantation (copra is the dried meat of the coconut, used as food and for extracting coconut oil). His son, Alexander Hutchinson Jennings inherited the island, and his daughter inherited the estate. Finally, in 1925, Swains Island was formally made part of American Samoa by the US Secretary of State and Alexander Jennings was given official personal rights to the island. Currently, the island is inhabited by 4 to 30 people at a time in order to retain private ownership by the Jennings family and as part of the Territory of American Samoa. It is still covered by a circle of coconut trees; however, it is not run as an active plantation. The 2006 multibeam surveys reveal the absence of shallow banks outside the reef and steep slopes that descend to oceanic depths less than one km offshore.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of United States (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-11-18): Two coral atolls are part of the political group, albeit not exactly part of the geological archipelago. They are Swains Island, presently essentially uninhabited and Rose Atoll, uninhabited. Swains Island is geographically part of the Tokelau group, but was settled by an American, Eli Jennings, in 1856. Jennings flew the American Flag and Swains was claimed for the United States by Jennings and by the United States Guano Company under the Guano Islands Act. [...] American Samoa is an unincorporated, unorganized territory of the United States. Both of these terms are complex in nature and require considerable study to fully understand. Unincorporated means there are some, albeit rather minor, differences between the rights of the citizens of a territory and a full US citizen. Unorganized refers to a variety of organic acts, most of which give the US Government control of some or all the land in a territory. American Samoa’s communal land system is in conflict with a broad organic act.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of United States (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-04-21): Persons born in American Samoa and Swains Island are generally considered nationals but not citizens of the United States.[6]
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-03): Swains Island (/ˈsweɪnz/; Tokelauan: Olohega [oloˈhɛŋa]; Samoan: Olosega [oloˈsɛŋa]) is a remote coral atoll in the Tokelau volcanic island group in the South Pacific Ocean. Administered as part of American Samoa since 1925, the island is subject to an ongoing territorial dispute between Tokelau and the United States.[7][8][2] [...] Recent sovereignty and trade issues [edit]On 25 March 1981, New Zealand, of which Tokelau is a dependency, confirmed U.S. sovereignty over Swains Island in the Treaty of Tokehega, under which the United States surrendered territorial claims to the other islands of Tokelau. In the draft constitution that was the subject of the 2006 Tokelau self-determination referendum, however, Swains Island was claimed as part of Tokelau.[61] As of March 2007,[update] American Samoa has not yet taken an official position, but the governor of American Samoa, Togiola Tulafono, said he believed his government should do everything it can to retain control of the island.[62] Tokelau's claim to Swains is generally comparable to the Marshall Islands' claim to Wake Island (also administered by the U.S.). The re-emergence of this issue in the mid-2000s was an unintended consequence of the United Nations' efforts to promote decolonization in Tokelau in the early 2000s.[63]
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2012-09-10): Swains Island is an atoll in the Tokelau chain. Culturally a part of Tokelau, it is an unincorporated unorganized territory of the United States administered by American Samoa. Swains Island has also been known at various times as Olosenga Island, Olohega Island, Quiros Island, Gente Hermosa Island, and Jennings Island. Owned by the Jennings family and used as a copra plantation, Swains Island has a population of 37 Tokelauans, who harvest the island's coconuts.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-08-03): In 1863, Peruvian slave traders, masquerading as missionaries, kidnapped nearly all the men from Tokelau, and local governance moved to a system based on a Council of Elders, which still exists today. The atolls were repopulated when new Polynesian settlers and American and European migrants intermarried with local Tokelauan women. Tokelau became a British protectorate in 1889 and included in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate - later a colony - in 1908. In 1925, the UK placed Tokelau under New Zealand administration. The Tokelau Islands Act of 1948 formally transferred sovereignty from the UK to New Zealand and Tokelauans were granted New Zealand citizenship. In 1979, the US relinquished its claims over Tokelau in the Treaty of Tokehega, and Tokelau relinquished its claims over Swains Island, which is part of American Samoa. [...] Country name conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tokelau former: Union Islands, Tokelau Islands etymology: "tokelau" is a Polynesian word meaning "north wind" [...] Tokelau-American Samoa (US): Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains Island (Olosega) in its 2006 draft independence constitution; Swains Island has been administered by American Samoa since 1925; the 1980 Treaty of Tokehega delineates the maritime boundary between American Samoa and Tokelau; while not specifically mentioning Swains Island, the treaty notes in its preamble that New Zealand does not claim as part of Tokelau any island administered as part of American Samoa
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-07-17): Abstract: The South Seas nation of Tokelau is officially comprised of three islands: Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo. But many people believe there is a fourth island in the group. Its indigenous name is Olohega (oloˈhɛŋa). Since 1925, Olohega (Swains) has been a U.S. territory by way of American Sāmoa and is privately owned by one family. The basis of the claim involves two American claimants, William W. Taylor and Eli Jennings. [...] Sagapolutele, Fili. 2007. "Swains Island Will Resist Tokelau Takeover, Delegate Says." Samoa News (Pago Pago), 27 March.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-06): Swains Island was claimed by the United States pursuant to the Guano Islands Act, as were the other three islands of Tokelau; the latter three claims were ceded to Tokelau by treaty in 1979. In the draft constitution of Tokelau subject to the Tokelauan self-determination referendum in 2006, Olohega (Swains Island) was also claimed as a part of Tokelau, though the claim was surrendered in the same 1979 treaty. This established a clearly defined boundary between American Samoa and Tokelau. Tokelau's claim to Swains is generally comparable to the Marshall Islands' claim to U.S.-administered Wake Island, but the re-emergence of this somewhat dormant issue has been an unintended result of the United Nations' recent efforts to promote decolonisation in Tokelau. Tokelauans have proven somewhat reluctant to push their national identity in the political realm: recent decolonisation moves have mainly been driven from outside for ideological reasons. But at the same time, Tokelauans are reluctant to disown their common cultural identity with Swains Islanders who speak their language.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-02-16): Swains, also known as Olohega, a very small atoll, is considered to be part of American Samoa. It is actually part of the Tokelau group but is owned by the Jennings family and administered by the United States. The politics are very complicated. The name "Swains Island" was bestowed upon the island by Captain William Hudson, in 1841. An American, Eli Jennings, joined the copra farmers on Swains Island, with his Samoan wife, in 1856. It is said that he purchased the island from a British Captain Turnbull, for 15 shillings per acre, plus a bottle of gin. So, if Swains was calculated to be 373 acres, the total paid would have been 5595 shillings. That would be about PS23,000 ($US40,000) in today’s values. Plus a bottle of gin. [...] The short movie clip on this page titled "Swains Island – One of the Last Jewels of the Plane" was produced in 2014. The preamble to the film reads, "Swains Island, an isolated 877-acre coral atoll located 200 miles north of America Samoa, was once known by few people. Now, it has been added to the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa."
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-04-01): Tokelau, pronounced as /ˈtoʊkəlaʊ/, means ‘north-northeast’ or ‘north wind’. 🌬️ Formerly known as the Union Islands and officially as the Tokelau Islands until 1976, Tokelau is a group of tropical coral atolls situated in the southern Pacific Ocean. It’s a dependent territory of New Zealand, comprising three main atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo. These beautiful atolls cover a combined land area of 10 km2 (4 sq mi). 🗾 Additionally, Swains Island (Olohega) is part of the same archipelago, albeit in a territorial dispute, and is currently administered by the United States as part of American Samoa. 🇺🇸🇳🇿 Tokelau is strategically located north of the Samoan Islands, east of Tuvalu, south of the Phoenix Islands, southwest of the Line Islands, and northwest of the Cook Islands.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-08-03): In 1863 Peruvian slave raiders abducted many islanders, and roughly contemporary outbreaks of disease reduced the population to about 200. Settlers of diverse nationalities subsequently intermarried with Tokelauans. In the same period, local governance moved to a system based on a Council of Elders, which still exists today. British interest began in the late 1870s, and Tokelau became a British protectorate in 1889, and in 1916 under the name Union Group, Tokelau became part of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony. In 1925, the UK placed Tokelau under New Zealand administration. The Tokelau Islands Act of 1948 formally transferred sovereignty from the UK to New Zealand, and Tokelauans were granted New Zealand citizenship. In 1979, the US relinquished its claim to Tokelau in the Treaty of Tokehega, and Tokelau relinquished its claim to Swains Island, which is part of American Samoa. [...] Country name conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tokelau former: Union Islands, Tokelau Islands etymology: "tokelau" is a Polynesian word meaning "north wind" [...] Dependency status self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand; a UN-sponsored referendum on self governance in October 2007 did not meet the two-thirds majority vote necessary for changing the political status
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-01): Swains Island ( Tokelauan: Olohega Samoan: Olosega) is a remote coral atoll about 340 km north of Pago Pago in the Tokelau Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. The island is the subject of an ongoing territorial dispute between Tokelau and the United States, which has administered it as part of American Samoa since 1925. Privately owned by the family of Eli Hutchinson Jennings since 1856, Swains Island was used as a copra plantation until 1967. It has not been permanently inhabited since 2008 but has often been visited by members of the Jennings family, scientific researchers, and amateur radio operators. [...] Swains Island has a total area of about 3.5 km2 (1.4 sq mi), of which 2.43 km2 (0.94 sq mi) is land. The central lagoon accounts for 1.16 km2 (0.45 sq mi). [...] On 25 March 1981, New Zealand, of which Tokelau is a dependency, confirmed U.S. sovereignty over Swains Island in the Treaty of Tokehega, under which the United States surrendered its territorial claims to the other islands of Tokelau. In the draft constitution that was the subject of the 2006 Tokelau self-determination referendum, however, Swains Island is claimed as part of Tokelau. As of March 2007, American Samoa has not yet taken an official position, but the Governor of American Samoa Togiola Tulafono has said he believes that his government should do everything it can to retain control of the island.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-10-11): Swains Island is the U.S. Territory of American Samoa's most northern island. Geologically, it is part of the Tokelau volcanic chain. It is about 320 km north of the Samoan hot spot track. It is about 2.4 km long and has a lake with salty water that can't reach the ocean. A very small atoll called Swains, which is also called Olohega, is considered to be part of American Samoa. It is part of the Tokelau group, but the Jennings family owns it and the US government runs it. Captain William Hudson, who was in charge of the island in 1841, gave it the name "Swains Island." American Samoa is the only U.S. territory south of the equator. Swains Island is the northernmost island in American Samoa. American Samoa is made up of two coral atolls, Rose and Swains, and five volcanic islands, Tutuila, Aunu'u, Tau, Ofu, and Olosega. 340 km northwest of Tutuila is the town of Swains.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-10-30): Three far-flung coral atolls - Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo - make up Tokelau, a dependant territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. [...] Tokelau is a non-self-governing territory and is administered by New Zealand. The Administrator of Tokelau is appointed by the New Zealand government and is responsible for supervising the government of the territory. [...] 2007 - The parliament of Tokelau proposes a flag containing four stars, roughly positioned according to the locations of the three atolls, but also including Olohega or Swains Island, recognised as part of American Samoa in the Treaty of Tokehega.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-05-13): Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — American Samoa is celebrating the 98th year of Swains Island beoming a part of American Samoa and a U.S. Territory. The celebration, which is taking place on Swains is slated to get underway on Saturday at 10 a.m. with the arrival of the Swains Island delegation followed shortly by the Gov. Lemanu P.S. Mauga and his delegation. [...] In 1925, Swains Island was formally annexed by the United States and made a part of American Samoa. However, the island was allowed to maintain a large degree of autonomy, and its traditional system of governance and customs were largely left intact. Today, Swains Island, earlier known as Olohenga, remains one of the most remote and least developed places in the world. Swains Island is located 350 miles north of Tutuila Island and has a total area of 461 acres, of which 373 acres is land. The central lagoon accounts for the balance of 88 acres. There is a small islet of 914 square yards in the eastern part of the lagoon, according to Wikipedia.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-09-13): Swains Island (Olohega) is an atoll in the Tokelau chain, the most northwesterly island administered by American Samoa. Although culturally belonging to Tokelau, politically, it is a territory of United States of America. [...] Swains is considered to be part of American Samoa. It is actually part of the Tokelau group but is owned by the Jennings family and administered by the United States. The politics are very complicated. The name "Swains Island" was bestowed upon the island by Captain William Hudson, in 1841. An American, Eli Jennings, joined the copra farmers on Swains Island, with his Samoan wife, in 1856. It is said that he purchased the island from a British Captain Turnbull, for 15 shillings per acre, plus a bottle of gin. So, if Swains was calculated to be 373 acres, the total paid would have been 5595 shillings. That would be about PS23,000 ($US40,000) in today’s values. Plus a bottle of gin.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-10-23): Olohega has been the subject of an ongoing territorial dispute between Tokelau and the United States, which has administered it as part of American Sāmoa since 1925. Outside of Tokelau, the island was oirignally known as Gente Hermosa or Quiros Island, after Portuguese explorer Quiros believed he discovered it in 1606. However, it’s now widely accepted that what he saw was actually Rakahanga, which is part of the Cook Islands. Today the island is better known internationally as Swains Island, named after Captain William Swain, the master of the whaling vessel George Chaplin, when he came across Olohega in either 1850 or 1851. But in 2017, Steve Denher argued that it may have been a "forged discovery". [...] - 20th-century anthropologists indicate that Swains Island (Olosega) was initially settled by Polynesian voyagers, and later conquered by Tokelau inhabitants from the atoll of Fakaofo, a distance of 185km or 115mi (Hooper 1975: 89). Oral histories establish a period of domination on the atoll by Fakaofo, as well as a distinct Tokelau lineage on Swains Island, naming Tui Olosega as the historic Aliki or chief. One anthropologist also suggests Samoa (distant 570 km or 355mi) as a possible homeland for "at least part of the people" (Macgregor 1937: 19). Others identify Swains Island or Olosega as a Polynesian voyaging waypoint from Samoa to Tokelau and to Pukapuka (570km or 355mi), as part of the trade in basalt stone adzes (Lewis 1972: 270).
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-10-31): Olohega (also Olosega or Olosenga) is identified in contemporary charts as Swains Island. Politically, the island is a U.S. territory by way of American Sāmoa and privately owned by one family. Geographically, the island belongs to the Tokelau group, located north of the Sāmoan archipelago. The group is comprised of four islands; the Preamble of the Constitution of Tokelau records their names as Atafu, Nukunonu, Fakaofo, and Olohega.2 [...] In the case of the Tokelau claim to Swains Island, this was taken care of by agreeing to place Swains Island on the United States side of the boundary and was reinforced by a clause noting that New Zealand has never claimed or administered any island in American Samoa as part of Tokelau.81 [...] See Michael Field, "Tokelauans Told Their Claim on U.S. Territory of Swains Island Is Weak," Pacific Islands Report, July 4, 2002; legal expert Chris Beeby later changed his position and favored a re-examination of the claim, possibly through an international court of law. Bertram and Watters, "New Zealand and its Small Island Neighbours," 233-236.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-04-19): Tokelau is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is made of three atolls. These atolls have a surface area of about 12 square kilometres (4.6 sq mi). About 1,500 people live there. The territory belongs to New Zealand. The atolls are Atafu, Nukunonu, and Fakaofo. Together with Swains Island (which is now part of American Samoa) they are known as the Union Islands. Swains Island is about 180 km to the south of Fakaofo. Less than 50 people live on Swains Island. Tokelau is about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. [...] Tokelau is among the most remote areas in the Pacific: There are no airports; the islands can only be reached by ship: there are no sea ports, which makes travelling difficult, even between the atolls. New Zealand pays for a ship, which connects Tokelau with the next bigger seaport (Apia, on Samoa). The trip from Apia to Fakaofo takes about a day, reaching the northernmost atoll Atafu will take another three to four hours. There is no large pier on any of the islands, which means that smaller boats (called barges) are needed to reach the shore.[2] The ship reaches Tokelau about once every two weeks. In 2004 there was a vote to change the status of Tokelau: Rather than being a dependent territory of New Zealand, the proposal was to be "in association with" New Zealand, much like Cook Islands and Niue. At the time, the people of Tokelau voted against this independence.
Claim: Swains Island is a territory of Tokelau (Swains Island, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-05-17): In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, about 180 kilometers south of the Fakaofo Atoll, which belongs to Tokelau, and 300 kilometers north of Savai’i, the largest of the islands in American Samoa, is Swains (or Olohega in the Tokelauan language). [...] It was precisely the family who caused the atoll to pass to U.S. sovereignty. In 1909, the United Kingdom demanded the Jennings pay 85 dollars in taxes, claiming Swains was British territory. [...] This article was first published on our Spanish Edition on May 17, 2024: Isla Swains, el atolón paradisíaco que pertenece a una sola familia desde 1856 y se disputan Estados Unidos y Tokelau