Letter Sent to My Grandparents in 1931 I think in Banaban

[Richard Taylor]

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. 

---------------------------------------------------

Tarawa                           i Belio

                                                                  Okitoba 5.nd. 1931

Nakon

            Mir Mallre ma  [word here?] Miss Mallrie.

 Ma natima ni bane kam na mauri

I ia ?] mana kukurei ni koroboki naka im nkai

E ia [?] liba reke [?] au lai ma [iroun?] Te Atua rare [?]

iara [?] ha kamaini Ao i a kan litiraniko kouara

akaiko ba iai lukasa [?] ba marawa ae ababaki

maremara ma n kami  Ao naira li boni maruran

n tabelai [?] ao limara n labelai li naia arora

anne [ranne?] Mir Mallrie E luai n reke au lai ni

makuri i Banaba E a bon laki labelaleu

nkai ma e na bon reke au lai n roko iroum [?]

ma i luai n alaika ram ba ko men [?]* i kanne

ma nkana koaki iai [rai?] ko a kaukinai [?] 

n ram [?] reta nkana E reke an lai ni maiu

   Mir Mallre E nani loki [laki?] niu [?] ni

   koroboki ma lia kabo le lai ae aki

   alaki Ma iai rau bubuti ba kona

   kaurinai n ram sela [reta?] ba n na ano arom

   E ra bane aiu laeka [taeka?] lia kao

        Bani nai ram [raam?] iae bak n taniriko

                                                        [laniriko, laniko?]

  

       ae   J.  Tekeang

*Rest of the word is illegible.

 --------------------------------------------------

Mir Mallre or Mallrie is Mr Miller who was my grandfather. At the time of this my mother was 14.

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. 

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.