Norfolk Island in
the South Pacific is most notorious for it’s brutal penal
settlement history. Perhaps because nearby Australia is so familiar with it’s
own convict history, or perhaps because so many of the ruins of that period
remain. However, the island really has five histories, and each has contributed
culturally to Norfolk Island as it is today.
Polynesian
settlement
Norfolk Island
was originally settled by the Polynesians and the remains of a Polynesian
settlement were excavated in the mid 1990s near Emily Bay revealing a house, a paved
area, stone artefacts, shell and bone tools. Banana plantations were also
discovered. Dating their time on the island has not been possible but
significant Polynesian migration took place between 1,200 and 2,500 years ago,
so it is believed they were there somewhere during that period. It is not known
if the Polynesians died or moved on but they had abandoned Norfolk Island before
the first European to spot Norfolk Island, Captain James Cook, turned up in
1774.
Convict
Settlements
Two convict
settlements were established on the island with the remains of the second
settlement visible today. Several historic ruins survive to tell the tale of
those that occupied them. Prisoners in irons were put to work in the Crankmill
as a form of punishment and the original hospital would have been a frightening
place. Both stand in ruins in Kingston. A storehouse and officers’ houses, also
in Kingston, have been restored and can be visited. The Governor’s residence
looked impressive but we weren’t invited in!
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| Crankmill, Norfolk Island, South Pacific |
The island
cemetery also told part of the island’s history, with many of the historic
headstones providing information on the circumstances of the owner’s demise. One
story I uncovered there was the murder of a settlement worker by some of the
prisoners, who were later hanged and buried just outside the cemetery at what
is now known as Murderers’ Mound. Many tombstones belonged to young people
indicating the difficulties of life on the island at that time and there were
several that mentioned drowning at sea.
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| Graves on Norfolk Island, South Pacific |
The Pitcairners
and Bounty Mutineers
The penal
settlement is just one chapter of the island’s life. Following its closure the
settlers of Pitcairn Island, who were descendents of the Bounty mutineers,
relocated to Norfolk Island in 1856, bringing with them their Tahitian customs
and language. The Pitkern language has evolved over time and the native
language spoken on Norfolk Island is known as Norf’k. In 2007 the language was
recognised by UNESCO as an endangered language and it is taught in the island school
and used for place names.
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| Queen Elizabeth Avenue sign in Norf'k, Norfolk Island, South Pacific |
Melanesian
Mission
In 1866 a Melanesian
Mission was founded on the island and by the 1890s accommodated two hundred
young men and women that were instructed and then expected to return to their
homes to share their new knowledge. The mission’s St Barnabas Chapel was built
in the memory of Bishop Patteson, the first bishop of Melanesia. When the
mission closed many of the buildings were relocated to the Solomon Islands.
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| St Barnabas Chapel, Norfolk Island, South Pacific |
World War Two
In the 1940s
Norfolk Island’s isolation was useful in the Second World War. America provided
materials and Australian, local and New Zealand labour built an airstrip on the
island, which has subsequently proved to be a valuable piece of infrastructure
for the island residents, and enabled tourism to be developed on the island.
For such a small
and isolated place, Norfolk Island can provide plenty to keep history buffs
busy.
Have you ever
visited a place whose history surprised you? Please let me know in the comments
below.
