NAURU

READ

Nauru is a tiny island in the South Pacific with a population of fewer than 13,000 people. It’s no wonder, then, that finding a book to read for this country was challenging. When I was fortunate enough to find a copy of Stories from Nauru, by Ben Bam Solomon et al, in 2016, I bought it right away, and I’m glad I did. I’m convinced it was the last copy of the book available for sale anywhere on the planet.

Stories of Nauru was the result of a workshop sponsored by the University of the South Pacific in October of 1990. According to the book’s foreword: “It was organized so that a conscious effort would be made to encourage Nauruans to write and to record their folklore in the attempt to build a Nauruan literature.”

The eight stories in this short collection cover a variety of topics. There’s a creation story, accounts of personal challenges, and retellings of old legends. And inevitably, there are the stories of what Nauru was like before the arrival of the Europeans.

“Egade” is about an old woman who used to teach the people of the island about their culture – their traditions, laws, songs, and clothing. Because of her, the “people knew their identity and were proud of their rich cultural heritage.” But then the white people arrived, giving the people of Nauru trinkets and potions in exchange for their natural resources. Before long, the Nauruan people had forsaken their traditional way of life.

Another story, “Nauru: The Way It Used To Be,” says that “Nauru means Utopia.” The author chronicles the changes in culture, laws, and religion that came about when missionaries and foreign governments came to Nauru. Before the arrival of the Europeans, there was no religion and no marriage. There was no formal system of education either. Young people learned everything they needed to know by watching their parents and other elders. After the Europeans came, education became compulsory and children walked miles to school.

Stories of Nauru offers a quick glimpse into life on an island that is probably unknown to most people in the United States. Kudos to the University of the South Pacific for encouraging people to share their stories.

COOK

The story “Egade” tells of the wonderful things the Europeans brought the people on the island of Nauru. One of those things was “tasty food, in little tin cans, that would keep for days without going bad.” One tasty food in a can, which would not have been available at the time the original Europeans arrived but which has certainly become a staple since then, is Spam.

The last time I made a Spam recipe for this blog it was a Spam casserole from the island of Kiribati. At that time, there was no vegan Spam substitute commercially available, so I had to make one out of tofu. It tasted nothing like Spam. Since then, however, OmniFoods has developed a vegan Spam that is very much like the real thing. It doesn’t come in a can, though – I buy it in the frozen food section at Sprouts. And it’s perfect for the dish I made for Nauru – Spam-fried rice. I found the recipe on the Marty Made It website. It was very easy to veganize by substituting OmniPork Luncheon and JUSTEgg folded plant eggs for the Spam and eggs, and leaving out the fish sauce. It turned out great, and I’m sure I’ll make it again in the future. Vegan Spam – who’d have thought?

 

GIVE

Nauru faces a daunting future due to climate change, but I couldn’t find a single nonprofit organization working to address this issue in Nauru. GlobalGiving didn’t have any projects in Nauru, and I couldn’t even find a suitable GoFundMe campaign. Finally, I found an organization called Hope for Nauru, which helps refugees.

The refugees helped by Hope for Nauru aren’t seeking asylum in Nauru, however. They are seeking asylum in Australia. Rather than allowing these refugees to stay in Australia while they pursue their asylum claims, Australia has contracted to ship them to Nauru, where they are kept in detention indefinitely, often in squalid conditions.

Hope for Nauru puts together care packages for refugees, consisting of items such as clothes, hygiene products, vitamins, dried fruit, and nuts. According to their website: “We believe that a care package can help give a detainee comfort and hopefully some dignity. It also shows each refugee that they are remembered and cared about, and that many Australians are against immigration detention both on and offshore. For as long as there are innocent people detained on Nauru (as well as Manus Island), we will continue our mission.”

Information about Hope for Nauru is available at HOPE FOR NAURU.

 

NEXT STOP: NEPAL