Wutawieh! A Look at Pitcairn Island Quiz

Answer: Fletcher Christian

In 1789, The Bounty was on voyage to the South Pacific in search of Breadfruit, a starchy fruit common in the South Pacific. On April 28, in response to treatment by Captain William Bligh, First Mate Fletcher Christian led a mutiny in which Bligh and 18 others were cast adrift in a 23' boat. They managed to sail back to England despite overwhelming odds, using only a sextant and a pocket watch for navigation, stopping briefly at Tofua (Tonga) and Timor (Indonesia), and arriving in England March 15, 1790.

The Mutineers settled briefly in an island in Tahiti, then after fighting with natives, left with six Tahitian men and 11 Tahitian women and sought refuge on another island (Some stayed--and some of those were captured by the British who returned looking for the mutineers. They were tried, and some were hanged). They looked for a place they hoped would be isolated, passing several islands that looked too accessible.

Pitcairn was ideal, as it was misplaced on navigational charts, had a very rugged terrain, and had a harbor in name only. It was, for all practical purposes, inaccessible. They settled there and immediately dismantled and burned the Bounty. The charred remains are still visible at the bottom of Bounty Bay.

Answer: Adamstown

Life in early Pitcairn was dominated by alcoholism, disease, and fighting. Fletcher Christian was murdered in 1793, only three years after arriving on the island, and by 1799, only three mutineers remained: John Adams, Ned Young, and Matthew Quintal. Quintal was considered vital for the mutiny, in that he was an exceptionally strong-willed man, but once the mutiny happened, that same strong will was a major liability.

Quintal was a very violent man, and after he beat his wife so violently that she committed suicide, he threatened to kill Christian's children unless Christian's widow married him. Young and Adams decided at that point to kill Quintal. Shortly thereafter, Young converted to Christianity and taught Adams and the children of the island to read and write from the Bounty Bible. Young died in 1800 of asthma and Adams took over leadership of the island.

Pitcairn Island was discovered in 1808 by an American ship, and again in 1814 by British ships, but after seeing how well the fledgling society was doing, Adams was granted amnesty for his role in the mutiny. After his death in 1829, the town was named Adamstown in his honor.

Answer: Thursday October Christian

Thursday October Christian was the oldest son of Fletcher Christian and his Tahitian wife Maimiti. He was the first child born on Pitcairn, having been born on Friday, October 14, 1790 (He was initially noted as being born the day before, but this was due to the failure of the mutineers to note the Bounty's crossing the International Date Line). The reason he was named after his birth date was said to be because Fletcher wanted to break all ties to his homeland--that he will have no name that would "remind me of England".

On September 17, 1814, Thursday Christian and George Young (son of mutineer Ned Young) paddled out to meet the British ships Briton and Tagus. The impression they made with their calm demeanor and well-spoken English was what led the British to grant John Adams amnesty. Following Adams' death, Christian became the leader of Pitcairn Island, a post he held for two years until his own death. His son Thursday II was later a 7-term leader of the island.

Answer: Norfolk Island

By 1856, it was becoming clear that the population of Pitcairn Island was becoming too large for the amount of territory provided, and the islanders appealed to the British for help. Britain offered Norfolk Island, a former penal colony off the coast of Australia approximately 7 times the size of Pitcairn, for their use. All 194 islanders left Pitcairn on May 3 and arrived on Norfolk on June 8. The buildings from the original penal colony were left standing, and the Pitcairners adapted them to their use while they re-established their nation.

In 1858, however, 17 islanders decided to return to Pitcairn, and in 1863, another 23 joined them. Interestingly enough, they found a family living on the island, an American family named "Warren", whose descendants have remained on Pitcairn (Michael Warren became Mayor in 2008, Jay Warren became Magistrate in 1991)

Answer: Good Day!

Pitkern (or, as it is called on Norfolk Island, Norfuk) is evolved from 18th century English and Tahitian. Though English is spoken fluently by all residents of Pitcairn and Norfolk Islands, Pitkern is also spoken by all. There is no specific accepted spelling style for Pitkern--I have seen "Wutawieh" spelled "Wutaway you" and "Wut-a-way you" as well.

It is a rather beautiful, simple language, easy to learn and pick up. Though I don't speak it or write it (largely due to the fact that I don't have any contact with any speakers), by communicating and studying online, I can read it fairly well.

Answer: Seventh Day Adventist

Christianity has been practiced on Pitcairn Island since about 1800, when Ned Young and John Adams used the Bounty Bible to teach the Pitcairn children and rescue the society from violence and alcoholism. In the 1890s, the Seventh Day Adventist Church sent a mission to Pitcairn and since then, the SDA church has been very active in the affairs of Pitcairn. Pacific Union College in Angwin, California maintains the Pitcairn Island Study Center and has been instrumental in helping the once isolated community become more involved with the outside world.

Answer: A baby was born

The Queen Elizabeth II visited Pitcairn on February 12, 2008 during its final voyage. No airplane has ever landed on Pitcairn, as there is no airstrip, and though there has been some discussion as to whether one could be built there, the terrain is rather rough and the strip would have to be very small. No head of state has ever visited Pitcairn as of 2008.

Emily Rose Christian was born on Pitcairn Island on September 14, 2003 to Nadine and Randy Christian. Nadine, a native of New Zealand, decided not to return to her homeland even though most pregnant Pitcairn women go to New Zealand to give birth due to the superior medical facilities and family members living there (many Pitcairners have emigrated to New Zealand). Since then, Emily's brothers Bradley and Ryan have also been born on the island.

Answer: Honey

Pitcairn honey is considered among the finest in the world. Pitcairn bees are well cared for, and the isolation of the island means that they are not exposed to other breeds of bees or diseases that could adversely affect the bee population or viability.

Answer: Arrangements made with private residents

There are no tourism facilities in Pitcairn, and in fact, getting to and from there is nearly impossible. The best way is to fly to Mangareva, in the French Society Islands (Tahiti), then hitch a ride on a passing cruise or supply ship as it goes by Pitcairn.

A longboat will come out from Bounty Bay to meet the ship, pick up mail and supplies--and you. Oh, by the way, make sure all these arrangements are made well in advance. Drop-ins are not accepted. Once there, the host family you made arrangements with will host you in their home for the time you arranged for in exchange for the agreed upon payment.

Answer: Territory of Great Britain governed through New Zealand

Pitcairn has a rather unique position politically. They seceded from Great Britain when the Bounty Mutiny happened, but have largely relied on Britain for its existence ever since. When England gave amnesty to John Adams they granted the island the right to exist, and further established their interest in maintaining the well-being of the island during the Norfolk relocation. The British High Commissioner to New Zealand acts as Governor and appoints a non-resident Commissioner, but day to day governance is handled by the Mayor of Pitcairn (referred to as the Magistrate until 1999) and the Island Council. While Norfolk's history is intertwined with Pitcairn's, Norfolk Island is actually a territory of Australia.

For more information on Pitcairn Island, the Pitcairn Island Study Center, http://library.puc.edu/pitcairn/studycenter/index.shtml, is a great place to begin. For more serious Pitcairn interest, look into the Yahoo Group FriendsOfPitcairn.