Richard Taylor's Posts - Banaban Voice2024-03-29T09:53:19ZRichard Taylorhttp://banabanvoice.ning.com/profile/RichardTaylorhttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/96873712?profile=original&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://banabanvoice.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=17c9zk4t3kdq5&xn_auth=noLetter Sent to My Grandparents in 1931 I think in Banabantag:banabanvoice.ning.com,2019-06-30:2211587:BlogPost:1778242019-06-30T12:00:00.000ZRichard Taylorhttp://banabanvoice.ning.com/profile/RichardTaylor
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<p>This letter is beautifully hand written. The script. But because it is very old (88 years) and was folded in 5 parts and punched with a small punch, opening it means there are about 12 fortunately small holes, but in addition there are small tears, and as it was in pencil it is now very hard to make out the words although some seem fairly clear. I used lights and a magnifying glass. I have copied it and written it out to type here. Some words are extremely hard to make out. For…</p>
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<p>This letter is beautifully hand written. The script. But because it is very old (88 years) and was folded in 5 parts and punched with a small punch, opening it means there are about 12 fortunately small holes, but in addition there are small tears, and as it was in pencil it is now very hard to make out the words although some seem fairly clear. I used lights and a magnifying glass. I have copied it and written it out to type here. Some words are extremely hard to make out. For example what looks like an 'ao' seems it could be 'rao' although the 'r' is very small. Also the 's' letters I am not sure if they are 'r'. I have put [?] where it is unclear what a word is. I have had to leave accent marks off. Some of these are like the marks used e.g. over the n in Spanish. An example is the word nkai. I know that this sound in many Pacific languages (Maori for example is sometimes shown as ng, but I am no expert in this field. This is as accurate as I can make this so far. I will put it here but also a copy on the Banaba FB page. </p>
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<p>Tarawa i Belio</p>
<p> Okitoba 5.nd. 1931</p>
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<p>Nakon</p>
<p> Mir Mallre ma [word here?] Miss Mallrie.</p>
<p> Ma natima ni bane kam na mauri</p>
<p>I ia ?] mana kukurei ni koroboki naka im nkai</p>
<p>E ia [?] liba reke [?] au lai ma [iroun?] Te Atua rare [?]</p>
<p>iara [?] ha kamaini Ao i a kan litiraniko kouara</p>
<p>akaiko ba iai lukasa [?] ba marawa ae ababaki</p>
<p>maremara ma n kami Ao naira li boni maruran</p>
<p>n tabelai [?] ao limara n labelai li naia arora</p>
<p>anne [ranne?] Mir Mallrie E luai n reke au lai ni</p>
<p>makuri i Banaba E a bon laki labelaleu</p>
<p>nkai ma e na bon reke au lai n roko iroum [?]</p>
<p>ma i luai n alaika ram ba ko men [?]* i kanne</p>
<p>ma nkana koaki iai [rai?] ko a kaukinai [?] </p>
<p>n ram [?] reta nkana E reke an lai ni maiu</p>
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<p> Mir Mallre E nani loki [laki?] niu [?] ni</p>
<p> koroboki ma lia kabo le lai ae aki</p>
<p> alaki Ma iai rau bubuti ba kona</p>
<p> kaurinai n ram sela [reta?] ba n na ano arom</p>
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<p> E ra bane aiu laeka [taeka?] lia kao</p>
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<p> Bani nai ram [raam?] iae bak n taniriko</p>
<p> [laniriko, laniko?]</p>
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<p> ae J. Tekeang</p>
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<p>*Rest of the word is illegible.</p>
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<p>Mir Mallre or Mallrie is Mr Miller who was my grandfather. At the time of this my mother was 14.</p>
<p>Later I will be adding some photographs so I could show this as it was originally written. Also I want to do a fair copy, or as fair as I can. </p>
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<p>From my mothers memoirs I wonder if I know what the letter pertained to. But I don't want to say yet as I might mislead someone who is or might translate this if it can be done.</p>Re Banaban Letter and some History of my mother's & family on 'Ocean Island'tag:banabanvoice.ning.com,2019-05-11:2211587:BlogPost:1778692019-05-11T03:30:00.000ZRichard Taylorhttp://banabanvoice.ning.com/profile/RichardTaylor
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<p> I am doing a large project which I call 'The Infinite Project'. It involves all media and all aspects of things at least in theory. However one aspect has brought me via one thread of it, the personal, to some letters.</p>
<p> Initially I was going to use my father's letters and a few others etc and some of my mothers. However I have now found and am 'revolving around' her and my grandfather's time in Banaba before WWII.</p>
<p> Various letters, mostly from English or…</p>
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<p> I am doing a large project which I call 'The Infinite Project'. It involves all media and all aspects of things at least in theory. However one aspect has brought me via one thread of it, the personal, to some letters.</p>
<p> Initially I was going to use my father's letters and a few others etc and some of my mothers. However I have now found and am 'revolving around' her and my grandfather's time in Banaba before WWII.</p>
<p> Various letters, mostly from English or Australian people are of interest. But perhaps the most intriguing is a letter from a Banaban man written in 1931. It is 88 years old and a little damaged and hard to make out. It is written I think in Banaban. But I know other ethnicities were on Banaba (my mother mostly called it Ocean Island - I now know it is Banaba via the internet and an old map my grandfather had of the Island, and some books he had etc</p>
<p> I have transcribed it but I also want to try to reproduce it by actually re-writing it as the writing is, of all her letters, the most beautiful. I have photocopied it. I tried translating it. I am from NZ and know a little Maori and learnt Samoan (somewhat) and I had one visit to Fiji where I was given a book of Fijian grammar and words. </p>
<p> So far I have recognised the word 'mauri' which I think is life force or something. It seems to be almost universally thus in the Pacific. </p>
<p> I have more to say on this and I will present the letter in another post as I am going out shortly. </p>
<p> I also have some songs typed out by my mother who was English (she went to High School in Melbourne but her first teacher was on Banaba): These songs have English translations in part. I will present these here and keep on this tack in further posts.</p>
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<p> The letter was by one J. Tekeang.</p>
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<p> My mother didn't say a lot about what she and I think other English referred to as 'natives'. A term that I</p>
<p> think I felt even as a small boy was derogatory in some way, or patronising. But in any case one person who was an indigenous Banaban I believe she came to love as a young child.</p>
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<p> I will continue in my next post. Richard Taylor. NZ </p>
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<p>PS My grandfather on Banaba was Robert John Miller. I think he left Banaba about 1934 or so.</p>
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