History of Tokelau

History of Tokelau

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Overview

Tokelau is a group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand. Each atoll has a lagoon surrounded by a number of reef-bound islets of varying length and rising to over three meters above sea level Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate in 1889. They were transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925.

The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica wrote very little of this island group. It noted "TOKELAU - group of three atolls in the Pacific Ocean, about 350 M. N.E. of Samoa, belonging to Britain. Atafu consists of 63 islets, Nukunau of 93 and Fakaafo of 62. They produce little but copra. The natives are all Christians, and in type and speech are akin to the Samoans. They number about 500."

History

Tokelau was originally settled by Polynesians migrating from other island groups. Archaeological evidence indicates that the atolls of Tokelau were settled around 1000 years ago but oral history traces local traditions and genealogies back only a few hundred years. Tokelauan society was governed by chiefly clans, and there were occasional skirmishes and wars as well as inter-marriage between atolls. Historically, Fakaofo held some dominance over Atafu and Nukunonu.

The official Tokelau Government site notes, "Contact with Europeans led to some significant changes in Tokelauan society. Trading ships brought new foods, cloth and materials, and exposure to new information and ways of doing things. In the 1850s, missionaries from the Roman Catholic Church and the London Missionary Society, with the assistance of Tokelauans who had been introduced to religious activities in Samoa, introduced Christianity, which was readily embraced."

The Tokelaun site also notes, "In the 1860s, Peruvian slave ships visited the three atolls and forcibly removed almost all able-bodied men (253) to work as labourers in Peru. The men died in the dozens of dysentery and smallpox, and very few ever returned to Tokelau. The impact of the slave ships was devastating, and led to major changes in governance. With the loss of chiefs and able-bodied men, Tokelau moved to a system of governance based on Taupulega or councils of elders."

The islands were annexed as a British protectorate in 1889 and constituted part of the British Colony of the Gilbert & Ellice Islands from 1916 and then transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925. They remain a territory of New Zealand administered under the Tokelau Act of 1948, as amended in 1963 to 1999.

Tokelau and New Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand. However, a UN sponsored referendum on self-governance in February 2006 did not produce the two thirds majority vote necessary for changing the current political status

In late February and early March of 2005, Tokelau was struck and severely damaged by Cyclone Percy. It was stronger than forecast and stayed in the vicinity for longer than had been predicted. It coincided with a spring tide which put most of the area of the two villages on Fakaofo and Nukunonu under a metre of seawater. The cyclone also caused major erosion on several islets of all three atolls, damaging roads and bridges, and disrupting electric power and telecommunications systems. There was also significant and widespread damage to foodcrops including bananas, coconuts and pandanus. No one was seriously injured in the cyclone but villagers lost significant amounts of property.

Tokelau's small size (three villages), isolation, and lack of resources greatly restrain economic development and confine agriculture to the subsistence level. The people rely heavily on aid from New Zealand - about $4 million annually - to maintain public services, with annual aid being substantially greater than GDP. The principal sources of revenue come from sales of copra, postage stamps, souvenir coins, and handicrafts. Money is also remitted to families from relatives in New Zealand.

Tokelau has an Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD), .tk, and attempts to make money for the island by selling domain names. However, to gain publicity, Tokelau gives most domain names under its authority away to anyone for nothing. This has gained Tokelau a measure of publicity far beyond what would normally be expected for such a small and remote island group.