ATOLL RESEARCH BULLETEN

ATOLL RESEARCH

BULLETEN

ATOLL RE-H

BUJ&ETIN

---

No.

85

LAND

TENURE

IN THE PACIFIC

A SYMPOSIUM OF THE

!I'ENTH

PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS Convened

by

Edwin

b r a n Jr.

Issued

by

THE PACIFIC SCIENCE

BOARD

National

Acadenly of

Sciences--National Research Council Washington, D. C.

Dscember 31,

1961

This symposium was presented a t the TE2JTH PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS of t h e P a c i f i c Science Association, h e l d a t the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, U. S.A., 2 1 August t o

6

September, 1961, and sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences, Bernice Paushi Bishop Museum, and t h e University of Hawaii.

The c o s t s of duplication and mailing of t h i s number of the Bulletin are borne by a grant to Edwin kran, Jr. from the Fund f o r Organized Re- search, A. & M. College of Texas. The e d i t i n g i s a s s i s t e d by funds from t h e Office of Naval Research, Contract Iii'onr-2300(12).

The s o l e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y of a l l statements made by authors of papers i n t h e A t o l l Research Bulletin r e s t s with them, and they do not neces- s a r i l y represent the v i e w of the W c i f i c Science Board o r of the e d i t o r s of the Bulletin.

E d i t o r i a l S t a f f F. R. Fosberg, e d i t o r

M. H. Sachet, a s s i s t a n t e d i t o r

Correspondence concerning the A t o l l Research B u l l e t i n should be addressed t o the above

c / o P a c i f i c Vegetation Project National Research Council 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington 25, D. C., U. S. A.

Reproduction i n whole o r i n p a r t i s permitted f o r any purpose of t h e United S t a t e s Government.

PREFACE

The Svmwsium on Land Tenure i n t h e P a c i f i c f o m d a portion of t h e program of t h e Tenth-Pacific Science Congress vhich met i n Honolulu, Hawaii from August 21st t o September 6th,

1961.

The papers which follow a r e a verbatim t r a n s c r i p t of those presented i n t h i s symposium on t h e morning of September 1st.

Persons taking p a r t i n the symposium are a s l i s t e d : Convener :

Edwin b r a n Jr., Associate Professor of Geography A. &

M.

College of Texas, College Station, Texas

Authors of papers:

Richard -in, R e g i s t r a r of Cooperative S o c i e t i e s Betio, Tarawa, G i l b e r t and E l l i c e Islands Colony

(paper presented i n a b s t r a c t o n l y ) Maynard Neas, D i s t r i c t Administrator

Ponape D i s t r i c t , h s t T e r r i t o r y of t h e P a c i f i c Islands M. M. Townsend, D i s t r i c t Commissioner

Malaita D i s t r i c t , Auki, Malaita, B.S.I.P.

R. H. Regnault, 13eputy Director

Lands and Survey Department, Suva, F i j i Islands Q. F. P i l l i n g , Assistant Secretary

Office of t h e Frexnier, Nuku'alofa, Tonga Islands R. G. Cromcombe, Research Fellow

Research School of P a c i f i c Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, A.C.T., Australia

TABLE OF

COPITENTS

Introduction

. . .

^.1Pwe Edwin Doran Jr.

G i l b e r t Islands Landscape

. . .

⁵

Edwin Lbrar Jr.

Land

Tenure Problems, G i l b e r t and E l l i c e Islands ( a b s t r a c t )

. .

⁹

Richard Rrrpin

Marshall Islands Landscape

. . .

^.ll

Edwin bran Jr.

Land Ownership Patterns i n the Marshall Islands

. . . ¹⁷

Maynard Neas

MsLaita Island Landscape

. . .

^.25

E d e n bran Jr.

Problems of Land Tenure on Malaita

. . .

^-27

M. M. Tomsend

F i j i Islands Landscape

. . . ^.33

Edwin b r a n Jr.

Land i n F i j i

. . . ^.35

R. Ii. Regnault

Tonga Islands Landscape

. . . ⁴³

Edwin Doran Jr.

Land Tenure i n Tonga

. . .

^.45

Q. F. P i l l i n g

Cook Islands Landscape

. . . ^.51

Edwin Doran Jr.

Land _{Tenure i n} t h e Cook Islends

. . . ⁵⁵

R. G. Crocombe

Table

.

1

.

ⁱⁱⁱ

.

LIST OF MAPS

Subject Facing

P-

P a c i f i c Ocean l o c a t i o n s

. . .

¹

. . .

Gilbert Islands - 8

. . .

Tarawa A t o l l 9

. . .

~ a r s h a l l ~ s l a n d r t

16

. . .

M ~ ~ W O A ~ O U

17

. . .

Solomon I s ~ ~ d a 26

. . .

Malaita Island 27

F i j i Islands

. . .

³⁴

. . .

V i t i Ievu I s l a n d 35

. . .

Tonga Islands 44

Tongatapu Island

. . .

⁴⁵

. . .

Cook Islands A f t e r 54

Rarotonga Island

. . .

⁵⁴

Aitutaki Island

. . . ⁵⁴

Tongareva A t o l l

. . .

^Facing

⁵⁵

LIST OF TABLES Subject

Population d e n s i t y - r a i n f a l l rank c o r r e l a t i o n

. . .

f o r the G i l b e r t Islands

8

Comparison of land and lagoon areas of the

Gilbert and Marshall Islands

. . . ¹³

Comparisons of lagoon depths. reef widths. and

. . . .

populations. Gilbert and Marshall Islands

13

1

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