Culture and history

Kiribati is a Polynesian-Micronesian culture with a strong ocean identity: life, crafts and mythology are closely related to the sea.

The heart of each settlement is the maneaba, a community house-council where clans (kainga) discuss affairs, celebrate and preserve oral traditions; seats are distributed in generic "blocks" (boti), which reflects the social structure.

The i-kiribati language (Gilbertese) and choral chants accompany the te mwaie dance - with clear facial expressions and "waves" of hands, reminiscent of navigation and tides.

Pandan weaving, fishing, te ano game are common in everyday life, and coconut juice (karewe) and fish are the basis of the menu.

European contacts intensified in the 19th century; in 1892 the territory became a British protectorate, then a colony of Gilbert and Ellice Islands.

Phosphate mining on Banaba Island led to the relocation of some Banabans to Rabi Island (Fiji).

In 1943, Tarawa Atoll became the site of one of the most fierce battles in the Pacific Ocean.

Independence was proclaimed on July 12, 1979.

Today, the cultural agenda connects Christian communities, Maneaba village customs, and the modern diaspora; the themes of language conservation, land conservation and adaptation to rising sea levels come to the fore.