Nauru One Hundred Years Ago: 3. Games and Sports

#309
Title: Nauru One Hundred Years Ago: 3. Games and Sports
Author: Alois Kayser, KSC
Year: 1921-22/2005
Publisher: University of the South Pacific Centre, Nauru and Institute of Pacific Studies
Country: Nauru
84 pages

Reading this volume was a little like reading Hoyle's for Natives in that its purpose is to document the many rules of games and sports played in Nauru both before and at the beginning of the 20th century. This historical document, written by a missionary, could be jocularly retitled Throwing Sharp or Heavy Objects at People and Birds, because that is what most of these games and sports entail. At least 80% of the games are merely variants on the idea of throwing a sharp stick at someone/withstanding having a sharp stick thrown at one. Several entries conclude with a statement that the game was banned by the government because there were too many injuries. When I read about games where people routinely lose eyes, I tend to agree with that stance. The elaborateness and length of some of the games suggests both more religious/symbolic underpinnings than those Kayser describes, a lot of time on the community's hands, and perhaps a human compulsion to gain status through dominating another person or animal. No matter which explanation is correct, this was fascinating to read, and I'm glad I was neither an islander nor a frigate bird in Nauru.