Collective Memory of the Forced Migration and the Quest for Self-determination: The Case of Banaban Diaspora

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During WWII, Banabans, with some I-Kiribati spouses and friends, were forced to evacuate their homeland by Japanese troops. In 1945, the displaced people were gathered and forcedly brought to Rabi Island in Fiji by the British, instead of returning to their home island. This study aims to investigate how the Banaban diasporas distinguish themselves from their familiar people, I-Kiribati, and how they construct the Banaban nation with the quest for self-determination. In physical, legal and cultural senses, the boundary between the Banaban and the I-Kiribati categories is quite ambiguous. The critical reference to the distinction is the recognition of collective memory concerning the past tragedy of forced migration, and the firm insistence on their ties with the home island, Banaba.