Consuming Ocean Island
Subtitle: stories of people and phosphate from Banaba
By: Katerina Martina Teaiwa
Series: Tracking globalization; Tracking globalization
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Bloomington
Language: eng
Number of pages: 246
ISBN-13: 9780253014443; 9780253014528
Subjects: History; Relocation; Phosphate mines and mining; Banabans (I-Kiribati people)
Description: "Consuming Ocean Island tells the story of the land and people of Banaba, a small Pacific island, which, from 1900 to 1980, was heavily mined for phosphate, an essential ingredient in fertilizer. As mining stripped away the island's surface, the land was rendered uninhabitable, and the indigenous Banabans were relocated to Rabi Island in Fiji. Katerina Martina Teaiwa tells the story of this human and ecological calamity by weaving together memories, records, and images from displaced islanders, colonial administrators, and employees of the mining company. Her compelling narrative reminds us of what is at stake whenever the interests of industrial agriculture and indigenous minorities come into conflict. The Banaban experience offers insight into the plight of other island peoples facing forced migration as a result of human impact on the environment"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 223-234) and index.