Karotu
| Karotu | |
|---|---|
| Uea of Abemama | |
| Reign | c. 1830s–1840s |
| Successor | Tewaia |
| Issue | Tewaia Baiteke Binatake |
| House | Tuangaona |
| Father | Namoriki |
Karotu (fl. 1840s) was a Gilbertese ruler who appears in oral tradition. His father conquered Abemama, Kuria, and Aranuka on behalf of their clan, Tuangaona. Karotu became a powerful landowner and warrior recognized as the islands' ruler.[a] He consolidated his power over the three islands, forming the State of Abemama. Karotu abdicated in the 1840s in favour of Tewaia, his son.
Life
Karotu was one of the many children of Namoriki,[3] an I-Abemama warrior. Karotu was the grandson of Tetabo, the first warrior to unify Abemama;[4] their utu,[b] Tuangaona,[3] was named for Tetabo's birthplace.[5] Although Tetabo was eventually exiled, his sons, led by Namoriki, conquered Abemama, Kuria, and Aranuka.[4]
Reign
Karotu schrewdly began acquring land, which proved a profitable enterprise.[3] He also gained influence as a famous warrior. In Robert Louis Stevenson's In The South Seas (1896), his great-grandson, Binoka (Tembinok'), remembers seeing Karotu (Teñkoruti)[c] as a child. Binoka described the elderly Karotu as tall, lean, walking as if he were a young man, and – unlike every other man from his era – completely unscarred. Stevenson wrote that Karotu was both "feared and hated", and was deadly in battle.[4][6] He was allegedly arrogant to the mronron[d] of unimane[e] that governed from the maneaba,[f] which he reappropriated after becoming recognized as the uea.[6][7][a][g]
By the reign of Karotu, Abemama, Kuria, and Aranuka had been sighted by Europeans. In 1821, whalers started frequenting the area. Although the I-Abemama attacked a foreign crew in 1827, they began bartering with European ships in the early 1830s. In 1835, the I-Abemama established a bêche-de-mer trading station and built curing and drying sheds on Abemama's reef.[9]
Most information about Karotu came from oral tradition. A possible contemporary account of him came from John Kirby, the first beachcomber in his territory. Kirby deserted the Admiral Cockburn, a whaling ship, on Kuria in 1838; he was picked up by the USS Peacock of the United States Exploring Expedition in 1841. Kirby mentioned Tetalau, the king of Abemama, Kuria, and Aranuka, whose daughter Kirby said was his native wife. H. E. Maude identifies Tetelau (Tetabo) as Karotu, using his grandfather's name as a title.[10][11]
Karotu consolidated his power over the three islands, forming the State of Abemama's first government.[3][4] There was only one revolt. While Karotu was visiting Kuria, the village of Kenna rebelled and conquered Abemama. Forming an army from the I-Kuria and I-Aranuka, Karotu retook Abemama. The rebels fled to Kuria, terrorizing its warrior-deprived population, before leaving the State of Abemama. Most of the insurgents died at sea, but their leader reached Tabiteuea. In 1839, the islands' warriors took up arms for six months after Karotu received a warning of an imminent attack from Tabiteuea. Karotu went unopposed for the remainder of his reign.[10]
Retirement
Karotu and his first wife had a son named Tewaia. Karotu abdicated in the 1840s in favour of Tewaia. His new wife, Teaa, later fell pregnant. Karotu and Teaa wanted the child to be the next uea. Seeing no issue with his father's wishes, Tewaia had sex with Teaa four times to establish the child's claim to succession.[8] The child was born around 1810;[12] he was announced as Teaa and Tewaia's son and was named Baiteke.[h] R. G. Roberts wrote that Baiteke was actually Karotu's son,[8] but Maude wrote in 1970 that it was ultimately impossible to know if Baiteke was Tewaia's son or stepbrother. Baiteke succeeded Tewaia around 1850.[8] According to Stevenson, Karotu died around 1860, aged 70.[14]
References
- ^ a b Uriam 1995, p. xv.
- ^ Roberts 1953, p. 275.
- ^ a b c d Uriam 1995, p. 147.
- ^ a b c d e Maude 1970, p. 204.
- ^ a b Maude 1970, p. 203.
- ^ a b Stevenson 1896, pp. 402–403.
- ^ Uriam 1995, p. 3.
- ^ a b c d e Roberts 1953, p. 271.
- ^ Maude 1970, pp. 204–205.
- ^ a b Maude 1970, p. 205.
- ^ Wilkes 1845, p. 88.
- ^ Uriam 1995, p. 170.
- ^ Trussel, Stephen; Groves, Gordon W. (2003) [1978]. "baiteke". A Combined Kiribati-English Dictionary. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Stevenson 1896, p. 404.
Notes
- ^ a b The Gilbertese language uea has been translated as "king" or "high chief".[1] It refers to a hereditary monarch, and has been used for men and women.[2]
- ^ Family[1]
- ^ A corruption of Teng Karotu. Teng is a male honorific in the Gilbertese language.[5]
- ^ Circle
- ^ Elders.
- ^ Meeting house.
- ^ H. E. Maude refers to Karotu as the first uea of the State of Abemama.[4] However, R. G. Roberts writes that Karotu inherited Tetabo's title of mataniwi-iaon-te-aba (lit. 'the master on the land') and proclaimed his son, Tewaia, the first uea.[8]
- ^ Roberts translated Baiteke as "(to) hit things",[8] while A Combined Kiribati-English Dictionary defines the word as "dexterity" when used as a noun, and "having a sure aim" as a verb.[13]
Bibliography
- Maude, H. E. (1970). "Baiteke and Binoka of Abemama: Arbiters of change in the Gilbert Islands". In Davidson, J. W.; Scarr, Deryck (eds.). Pacific Islands Portraits. Canberra: ANU Press. ISBN 0708101666.
- Roberts, R. G. (1953). "The Dynasty of Abemama". The Journal of the Polynesian Society. 62 (3). Polynesian Society: 267–278. JSTOR 20703382.
- Stevenson, R. L. (1896). In The South Seas. Scribner.
- Uriam, Kambati K. (1995). In Their Own Words: History and Society in Gilbertese Oral Tradition. Australian National University: The Journal of Pacific History. ISBN 0959547770.
- Wilkes, Charles (1845). Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition. Vol. V. Philadelphia: Lea & Blanchard.