Norfolk Islanders
Norfuk Aileners
Total population
347 or 15.9% were Norfolk Island-born
out of a total population of 2,188
(2021 census) usual resident pop)[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Norfolk Island347[1]
 Australia (mainland)315[2]
 New Zealand108 (2018)[3]
 United States99
      California94
 United Kingdom89
Languages
Religion
Christianity (68.5%)[2]
Related ethnic groups

Norfolk Islanders (Pitcairn-Norfolk: Norfuk Aileners), also referred to as just Islanders, are the inhabitants or residents of Norfolk Island, an external territory of Australia. The Islanders have their own unique identity and are predominantly people of Pitcairn and English descent and to a lesser extent of Scottish and Irish. [1]

The culture held in common by most native-born Norfolk Islanders is mainstream Norfolk culture, traditions primarily inherited from the 194 Pitcairn settlers in 1856. All of the people that claim Pitcairn ancestry are descended from the British HMS Bounty mutineers and the Tahitian companions, including the few who settled afterwards. In the 2021 census, there were 347 Norfolk Island-born residents out of a total of 2,188 inhabiting the island, a decrease over the 2016 census.[1][2]

There is a small Norfolk Islander diaspora in mainland Australia (particularly New South Wales and Queensland) and New Zealand due to people having relocated temporarily or migrated permanently.[4]

History

Discovery and name

Archaeological findings suggest that the island had previously been used as a stopover for seafaring Polynesians.[5][6] The final fate of the early settlers remains a mystery.[7]

The first European known to have sighted and landed on the island was Captain James Cook, on his second voyage on HMS Resolution. From New Caledonia to New Zealand Cook came across the island on 10 October 1774. Finding the island uninhabited, Cook claimed it for Britain and named it after English noblewoman Mary Howard, Duchess of Norfolk.[8]

British settlement

In 1786 the British government included Norfolk Island as an auxiliary settlement, proposed by Sir John Call. When the First Fleet arrived at Port Jackson in January 1788, its commander, Captain Arthur Phillip, ordered Lieutenant Philip Gidley King to take control of the island and prepare for its commercial development. King arrived there on 6 March 1788 on board HMS Supply.[9]

Norfolk King was born 8 January 1789 on Norfolk Island. He was the first child born on Norfolk Island.[10] With his parents on aboard HMS Supply in March 1790, his name was recorded as "Norfolk King Inett" in the shipping muster. His parents were Lieutenant Phillip Gidley King and female convict Ann Inett.[11][12] By 1814 the first penal settlement lay abandoned, until on 6 June 1825 a second penal settlement was established by Captain Richard Turton; it lasted until 1855.[13] The town of New Norfolk, Tasmania was established with the evacuation of Norfolk Island in 1807–1808, named after their former home.

Pitcairn settlers

Pitcairn men of Norfolk Island 1861.[14]

In 1855 the British Government offered by Queen Victoria gave another choice to the Pitcairn community. Norfolk Island's dreadful second penal settlement had been disbanded and the island was handed by an Imperial Order-In-Council of June 1856, to the people of Pitcairn as a permanent home. On 3 May 1856, the entire population of 193 (plus a baby (Reuben Denison Christian) born en route; making it 194) along with everything they owned began the five-week voyage aboard the Morayshire to Norfolk Island, arriving on 8 June 1856.[15] These were the descendants of Tahitians and the HMS Bounty mutineers, resettled from the Pitcairn Islands, which had become too small for their growing population. The British government had permitted the transfer of the Pitcairners to Norfolk, which was thus established as a colony separate from New South Wales but under the administration of that colony's governor.[16]

The Pitcairners occupied many of the buildings remaining from the penal settlements, and gradually established their traditional farming and whaling industries on the island. Although some families decided to return, with 17 members of the Young family to Pitcairn in 1858 and 1863, the island's population continued to slowly grow as the island accepted settlers, often arriving with whaling fleets.

Pitcairn descent

In the 2016 census, the question asked was – What is the person's ancestry?, different to previous censuses by the Norfolk Island government. Those who gave a response to the ancestry question showed that 29.6% of the ‘usual residents’ population had Pitcairn ancestry.[17] When broken down as a total ancestry response, there were 484 or 20.0% of all ancestries reported identified as having Pitcairn ancestry. Out of the 53.7% of usual residents population who chose just a single ancestry, 14.8% identified as only ‘Pitcairn’ and 12.4% were part-Pitcairn plus another ancestry.

Distribution of ‘Ordinarily Resident’ population
Census Percent
 
 33.2%
1986
 
 66.2%
 
 0.6%
 
 38.4%
2011
 
 60.8%
 
 0.8%
2016
 
 29.6%
      Yes, of Pitcairn Descent       No, not of Pitcairn Descent
      Not Stated,       Pitcairn ancestry (2016)[17][18]

An additional 120 people (7 percent of usual residents) chose ‘Norfolk Island’ ancestry with 30 identified as having Pitcairn descent.[17][2] The 2011 census (Norfolk Island government) asked a question relating to Pitcairn descent with the questions – "yes, of Pitcairn descent" and "no, not of Pitcairn descent" only of the "Ordinarily Resident Population".[19] People of Pitcairn descent may have relocated temporarily or migrated which is a possible factor in the increased number of persons of other descent.[18] Norfolk's Pitcairn descendants are already at least 7th or 8th generation, and those in younger age groups are probably 9th generation.

Surnames

Among the Islanders, the descendants of the Pitcairners share only a few family names: Adams, Christian, McCoy, Quintal, and Young are the "Bounty mutineer names"; Buffett, Evans, and Nobbs are "Pitcairn names" – descended from the two Englishmen and one Welshman who married into the mutineer families on Pitcairn; and Blucher, Bataille, Robinson, Snell, Rossiter, and Bailey are among the "Norfolk names".[20][21][22]

Transfer of territory

The Norfolk Island Act of 1913 established Norfolk Island as a territory under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia, transferring the territory from the British crown in July 1914.

Demographics

Birthplace

In the 2016 census, native-born Norfolk Islanders were 22.1% of the total population. Table shows the most recent 2016 census data of the population by birthplace. Immigration flow from mainland Australia and New Zealand has been a substantial proportion of the population throughout the 20th century to the present-day. Those born in Norfolk Island have been in steady decline since the 1947 census where they formed a majority of 52% of the total population.[23]

Birthplace 2016
MalesFemalesPersonsPercent
Norfolk Island38122.1%
Australia––68539.7%
New Zealand––30317.6%
Fiji–-472.7%
England–-452.6%
Philippines––402.3%
Total8189301,748100.0%
Source:[2]

Age

The median age of people in Norfolk Island (State Suburbs) was 49 years. Children aged 0–14 years made up 16.9% of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 23.8% of the population.

2016 Census age distribution
Age rangeNumberPercentage
0–4 years  844.8%
5–9 years  1046.0%
10–14 years  1066.1%
15–19 years  764.4%
20–24 years  311.8%
25–29 years  533.1%
30–34 years  683.9%
35–39 years  1066.1%
40–44 years  1166.7%
45–49 years  1287.4%
50–54 years  1438.2%
55–59 years  1579.0%
60–64 years  1518.7%
65–69 years  1428.2%
70–74 years  1076.2%
75–79 years  774.4%
80–84 years  432.5%
85 years and over452.6%
Median age 49
Source: Bureau of Statistics[24]

Language

English and Norfuk are the official languages. In 2004 an act of the Norfolk Island Assembly made Norfuk a co-official language of the island. In Norfolk Island (State Suburbs), 45.5% of people only spoke English, while 40.9% spoke Norf'k-Pitcairn at home originally introduced by Pitkern-speaking settlers.[2]
2016 census:

Culture

Bounty Day is a national holiday primarily celebrated by islanders of Pitcairn heritage on 8 June, held in the World Heritage area of Kingston, the day that the descendants of the mutineers arrived on the island. The Islander's re-enact the landing of the Pitcairners on the island and is named for the ship HMS Bounty.[20] Another celebration is Thanksgiving held on the last Wednesday of November, similar to the pre–World War II American observance on the last Thursday of the month. This means the Norfolk Island observance is the day before or six days after the United States' observance. The holiday was brought to the island by visiting American whaling ships.[25]

Religion

St. Barnabas Chapel: Church of England on Norfolk Island completed in 1880.

The most common religious affiliation in Norfolk Island (State Suburbs) were Anglican 29.5%, No Religion, so described 26.8%, Catholic 12.6%, Uniting Church 9.6% and Not stated 9.6%. In Norfolk Island (State Suburbs), Christianity was the largest religious group reported overall (68.5%) (this figure excludes not stated responses).

Religious affiliation2016 census
NumberPercentage
Christian68.5%
    Anglican51129.5%
    Roman Catholic21812.6%
    Uniting Church1679.6%
No Religion, so described46526.8%
Not stated1669.6%
Total1,748100.0%
Source: ABS[26]

Sport

Norfolk Islanders gathering at a cricket match in November 1908.

Cricket is recorded as having been played on Norfolk Island, an external territory of Australia, as early as 1838, by soldiers stationed on the island. It continued to be played after the island was settled in 1856 by Pitcairn settlers.[27]

Cuisine

The cuisine of Norfolk Island is very similar to that of the Pitcairn Islands, as Norfolk Islanders trace their origins to Pitcairn. The local cuisine is a blend of British cuisine and Tahitian cuisine.[28][29]

Recipes from Norfolk Island of Pitcairn origin include mudda (green banana dumplings) and kumara pilhi.[30][31] The islands cuisine also contains American influences not found in Pitcairn, such as chopped salads and fruit pies, due to the influences of American whalers.[32]

Museums

Norfolk Island Museum is an organisation that runs five heritage sites on the island, which are situated in the Kingston and Arthur's Vale Historic Area, a world heritage site associated with the Australian Convict Sites listing.[33][34][35] The Bounty Folk Museum is a private museum displaying memorobilia associated with the Bounty settlers.[36]

Diaspora

New Zealand

According to the 2013 census, 96 people listed their birthplace as Norfolk Island.[37] This increased to 108 people (usually resident population) born in Norfolk Island in 2018.[38]

Historical demographics

Population by birthplace: 1933

The results below show the total population of the Island in the 1933 census by their place of birth, with a slight majority being Norfolk Island-born. Native Norfolk Islanders were over 53% of the population, 30% were mainland Australians and New Zealanders, with around 12% born in Europe.[39]

Birthplace1933[39]
MalesFemalesPersons
Norfolk IslandNorfolk Island326325651
AustraliaAustralia10583188
New ZealandNew Zealand11376189
Europe
EnglandEngland6640106
ScotlandScotland121123
WalesWales112
Ireland7411
Channel Islands101
    Total, British Isles8756143
Other countries in Europe6410
Asia
British RajBritish India729
Other countries in Asia101
Africa202
Americas235
Polynesia121931
Fiji7815
Other British Possessions325
New HebridesNew Hebrides2911
Not stated112
Total6625691,231

Notable people

Notable people from, or associated with Norfolk Island include:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Understanding ancestry, language and birthplace of the Norfolk Island population". Australian Bureau of Statistics. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "2016 Census QuickStats Norfolk Island". censusdata.abs.gov.au. 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  3. ↑ "Birthplaces in New Zealand". stats.govt.nz. 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  4. ↑ Results and Analysis – 2011 Census
  5. ↑ Anderson, Atholl; White, Peter (2001). "Prehistoric Settlement on Norfolk Island and its Oceanic Context" (PDF). Records of the Australian Museum. 27 (Supplement 27): 135–141. doi:10.3853/j.0812-7387.27.2001.1348. Retrieved 11 June 2012.
  6. ↑ Coyne, Peter (2009). "Phormium tenax (New Zealand Flax) — Norfolk Island native?" (PDF). Cunninghamia. 11 (2): 167–170.
  7. ↑ Macnaughtan, Don (2001). "Mystery Islands of Remote South Polynesia: Bibliography of Prehistoric Settlement on Norfolk Island, the Kermadecs, Lord Howe, and the Auckland Islands". Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  8. ↑ "Channers on Norfolk Island Info". Channersonnorfolk.com. 15 March 2013. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  9. ↑ "Explore the layers of history". kavha.gov.au. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  10. ↑ Norfolk King was the "natural" son of Philip Gidley King and the first child born on Norfolk Island. He was apparently also the Royal Navy's first Australian-born officer.
  11. ↑ "Philip Gidley King, 2nd Lieutenant, HMS Sirius". Australian History. 1788. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "Norfolk King: born 1789 Norfolk Island". Australian History. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  13. ↑ "Second (Penal) settlement – 1825–1855". Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  14. ↑ "Morayshire Pitcairn men of Norfolk Island 1861". Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  15. ↑ Christian, Isaac. "Who Are the Pitcairners?". Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  16. ↑ "Pitcairn to Norfolk". History. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  17. 1 2 3 "Understanding ancestry in the Norfolk Island population". Understanding the Census and Census Data. Australia: Census of Population and Housing. 2016. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  18. 1 2 "Norfolk Island" (PDF). Australia: Census of Population and Housing. 2011.
  19. ↑ "Norfolk Island" (PDF). Census of Population and Housing. 9 August 2011.
  20. 1 2 "Bounty Day: Bringing Ancestors to Life". 19 April 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  21. ↑ "Norfolk Island". pitcairners.org. Settlements.
  22. ↑ "Pitcairn's history Successors to John Adams". Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  23. ↑ Summary for the Territory of Norfolk Island. – CENSUS OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA. 30 June 1947.
  24. ↑ "Norfolk Island". Census QuickStats. 2016.
  25. ↑ "Norfolk Island Information and Services". Archived from the original on 20 September 2010.
  26. ↑ Religious affiliation, top responses 2016 census
  27. ↑ Tony Munro (5 January 2001). "Norfolk Island: Cricket is reborn on the island of the Bounty mutineers" – ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
  28. ↑ "Jasons". Jasons.
  29. ↑ "Norfolk Island Travel Guide – Norfolk Island Tourism – Flight Centre".
  30. ↑ "The Food of Norfolk Island". www.theoldfoodie.com.
  31. ↑ "Norfolk Island (Norfolk Island Recipes)". www.healthy-life.narod.ru.
  32. ↑ "Homegrown: Norfolk Island". 5 July 2013.
  33. ↑ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Australian Convict Sites". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  34. ↑ Daly, Margo (2003). Australia. Rough Guides. p. 391. ISBN 978-1-84353-090-9.
  35. ↑ "Norfolk Island Museum | Norfolk Island Museum". norfolkislandmuseum.com.au. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  36. ↑ "Bounty Folk Museum | History & Culture | Norfolk Island". www.norfolkisland.com.au. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  37. ↑ "Birthplaces of Pacific Island residents in New Zealand". 2013. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  38. ↑ "Birthplaces in New Zealand". stats.govt.nz. 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  39. 1 2 ""Census of the 30th June, 1933" TERRITORY OF NORFOLK ISLAND" (PDF). ausstats.abs.gov.au. 1933. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
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