Nauruans

Nauruans are a nation and an ethnic group indigenous to the Pacific island country of Nauru. They are most likely a blend of Micronesian, Melanesian and Polynesian ancestry.

Indigenous peoples of Nauru

Nauruan warrior, 1880
Total population
c. 15,000
Regions with significant populations
Nauru	11,000
Languages
Nauruan (native), English, Nauru Pidgin
Religion
Christianity, Shamanism, Animism
Related ethnic groups
Polynesians, Melanesians and Micronesians

The origin of the Nauruan people has not yet been finally determined. It was probably seafaring or shipwrecked Polynesians or Melanesians, who established themselves there because there was not already an indigenous population present, whereas the Micronesians were already crossed with the Melanesians in this area.

The Nauruans have two elements of their population: the native Micronesians and the Polynesians who had immigrated long before. The Micronesians are represented through coarse, dark hair; the Polynesians are lighter brown and have smoother, black hair. Through these two extremes the diverse traditions came to exist.

At about 1920, influenza spread through Nauru, which took a heavy toll on the Nauruans. In 1925, the first cases of diabetes was diagnosed by doctors. Today, depending on age, every second to third Nauruan is diabetic – a higher rate than any other country in the world.

See also

• Nauruan language
• Nauruan nationality law, for the distinction between indigenous Nauruans and Nauruan citizens

References