Tokatake

Tokatake
Uea of Abemama, Kuria and Aranuka
PredecessorBauro
SuccessorTekinaiti
Died1935
SpouseAgnes Murdoch
IssueTekinaiti
Binatake
FatherTebetinako
MotherRita

Tokatake (died 1935) was the fifth uea of Abemama, Kuria and Aranuka in the Gilbert Islands (now Kiribati). Tokatake inherited the role from his maternal uncle, Bauro, who had no children. After he died in 1935, his son, Tekinaiti, succeeded him.

Biography

Tokatake's mother, Rita, was the sister of Bauro, the fourth uea of Abemama, Kuria and Aranuka. Bauro and Rita were considered to have Ba n uea (royal) and Rang (landless class) blood. Although Bauro had gone through a ceremony where his Rang blood was let out of his feet, Rita had not.[1]:274 Nevertheless, the importance of the social classes — introduced by Baiteke, the second uea — had diminished after Bauro became uea in 1891, and British rule over the Gilbert Islands began;[2]:33 Tokatake's father, Tebetinako, was of Aomata descent, the lowest landed class.[1]:274 One source describes Tokatake as an "illiterate despot".[3]:81

It is unclear when Tokatake became the fifth uea. Bauro, whose reign was described as brief and uneventful,[1]:274 was still uea by 1903.[4]:89 In 1908, Tokatake, now uea,[3]:81 married Agnes Dolores Murdoch (1885–1951),[3]:80[5] the half-Gilbertese daughter of George McGhee Murdoch,[3]:80 a Scotman who owned a trading post and a small estate on Kuria.[1]:274 Euronesians were held in high regard in the Gilbert Islands,[6]:95 and traders often married their Euronesian children into wealthy local families.[1]:274 Tokatake and Agnes had at least five children: Tekinaiti, Binatake, Taonamaina, Tiare, and Tiaon.[7]:4–5 When Tokatake died in 1935,[8]:161 Tekinaiti succeeded him after a short regency by Tokatake's brother,[9]:83 and only recorded sibling, Tabure.[7]:5

Don Tokataake, the current uea, and Willie Tokataake, the speaker of the House of Assembly of Kiribati, are his descendants through Bauro Tokatake, the son of Tekinaiti.[1]:277

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Roberts, R. G. (1953). "The Dynasty of Abemama". The Journal of the Polynesian Society. 62 (3). Polynesian Society: 267–277. JSTOR 20703382.
  2. ^ Watters, Ray; Banibati, Kabiritaake (1984) [1977]. Abemama. Atoll Economy: Social Change in Kiribati and Tuvalu. no. 5. Canberra: ANU Press. ISBN 978-0-86784-401-6.
  3. ^ a b c d McGregor, Ken (August 1, 1968). "George Murdoch, Colourful Pioneer Of The Gilberts". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 39, no. 8. pp. 79–81.
  4. ^ Chatfield, Neville (October 1, 1966). "A Trip To The Gilbert Islands At The Turn Of The Century". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 37, no. 10. pp. 85–89.
  5. ^ "The Editors' Mailbag". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. XXVIII, no. 12. July 1, 1958. p. 27.
  6. ^ Robson, R. W. (1 May 1958). "How Trader Murdoch's Grandson Became King". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. XXVIII, no. 10. p. 83, 95.
  7. ^ a b Simon, Paul I. (1960) [1916]. The Genealogical Book of the Royal Family of Abemama (in Gilbertese).
  8. ^ Moore, W. Robert (February 1945). "Gilbert Islands in the Wake of Battle". The National Geographic Magazine. Vol. LXXXVII, no. 2. pp. 129–162.
  9. ^ Robson, R. W. (1 May 1958). "How Trader Murdoch's Grandson Became King". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. XXVIII, no. 10. p. 83, 95.
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