When was niue discovered

This land is enlightened by the gospel of Jesus Christ brought by the subjects of Your Majesty, and that is why we make this petition. That is all we have to say. May Your Majesty the Queen and your powerful kingdom be blessed, together with the kingdom of Niue, in the Kingdom of Heaven. I, Fataiki, write this letter. Sir Basil Thomson writes further: The first kingdom of all kingdoms in the world, England, the earth-hungry and insatiable, took thirteen years to think it over, and then, having received a second letter more precisely worded, reluctantly consented.

It is an object-lesson of the way in which we blunder into Empire. Land tenure in Niue In Niue land is owned by line of descent mangafaoa. Land is passed preferentially to the eldest son, but the vagaries of life and death show a different reality, where women as sole survivors own land and so on. Traditionally, land as a precious resource, was acquired by waging war and those in most need were keenest to fight hardest for it. So war resettled land boundaries as the need arose.

Remember that the rights of descent were passed on verbally, and were often forgotten after generations, as were the exact boundaries of the lands. Ironically, as Christianity put an end to wars, the conflicts about land increased, and the land registration system of made things just worse. Now most of the land is owned by absentee-owners, living in foreign lands.

They left their land and discovered a small reef in the ocean — Niue. The gods bailed water off the reef and emptied it into caverns. More and more dry land emerged, until the reef was big enough to live on.

It was one of the gods, Fao, who first brought humans to Niue. Some say that he had two children, Avatele and Malotele. Others believe he went to Fonuagalo and brought back a couple whose names were Avatele and Kavatele. The Niuean language is most closely related to Tongan. Archaeologists believe the island was first settled about years ago, probably from Tonga, although place-names and traditions suggest some arrivals from Samoa as well 1.

It was formerly known as Niue fekai Savage Island as a result of an acrimonious meeting in between English explorer Captain James Cook and local people. After several further unsuccessful visits, Niuean Peniamina returned to the island in to begin work after training at the LMS school in Samoa, and was joined in by Samoan missionary Paulo 3.

The first resident European missionary, Reverend William Lawes, arrived in Then, perceiving some people on the shore, and landing seeming to be page 81 easy, we brought to, and hoisted out two boats, with which I put off to the land, accompanied by some of the officers and gentlemen. As we drew near the shore, some of the inhabitants, who were on the rocks, retired to the woods, to meet us, as we supposed; and we afterwards found our conjectures right.

We landed with ease in a small creek, and took post on a high rock to prevent surprise. Here we displayed our colours, and Mr. I took two men, and with them entered a kind of chasm, which opened a way into the woods. We had not gone far before we heard the natives approaching; upon which I called to Mr. Forster to retire to the party, as I did likewise.

We had no soon joined, than the islanders appeared at the entrance of a chasm not a stone's-throw from us. We began to speak, and make all the friendly signs we could think of, to them, which they answered by menaces; and one of two men, who were advanced before the rest, page 4 threw a stone, which struck Mr. Spearman on the arm.

Upon this two musquets were fired, without order, which made then all retire under cover of the woods; and we saw them no more. After waiting some little time, and till we were satisfied nothing was to be done here, the country being so overrun with bushes, that it was hardly possible to come to parly with them, we embarked and proceeded down along shore, in hopes of meeting with better success in another place.

After ranging the coast, for some miles, without seeing a living soul, or any convenient landing-place, we at length came before a small beach, on which lay four canoes. The situation of this place was to us worse than the former. A flat rock lay next the sea; behind it a narrow stone beach; this was bounded by a perpendicular rocky cliff of unequal height, whose top was covered with shrubs; two deep and narrow chasms in the cliff seemed to open a communication into the country.

In, or before one of these, lay the four canoes which we were going to look at; but in the doing of this, I saw we should be exposed to an attack from the natives, if there were any, without being in a situation proper for defence. In the s the population was over 5, Following self-government in , Niueans retained New Zealand citizenship and the right to migrate to New Zealand. Former Premier Young Vivian estimates that some 25, Niueans now live in New Zealand with fewer than remaing on the island.

As its people have moved away, there have been suggestions Niue may need to consider moving more closely into New Zealand's orbit to access the range of services Niueans now consider essential. As Young Vivian underlines here, such a step would be a disappointment to the many Niueans who have worked for a more independent homeland.

Niue does have ample space. The land area of its single island square kilometres is greater than that of all 15 Cook Islands square kilometres.