Our Story
"descendants of opposite sides of Banaba's story, united..."
Raobeia Ken Sigrah was born and schooled on Rabi Island, Fiji — a Banaban descended from one of the elders who signed the original 1900 agreement to mine Banaba. From an early age, his elders schooled him in Banaban genealogies, myths, legends and customs, entrusting him with the responsibility of speaking for twelve major Banaban clans as their clan spokesman.
Stacey M. King — known to the Banabans as Nei Titeiti Naking — is an Australian whose family history has been entwined with Banaba for four generations, through their involvement in phosphate mining from 1900. Drawn by that family connection, she began her own research, travelling to Rabi for the first time in 1991. She launched Banaba/Ocean Island News in 1992, and in 1993 founded the Banaban Heritage Society Inc., a non-profit dedicated to preserving Banaban history and improving the lives of the Banaban people.
In 1997, the two formed a personal and collaborative partnership — descendants of opposite sides of Banaba's story, united to seek justice for the Banaban people and the rehabilitation of a homeland left devastated by mining. They shared the belief that their lives and destinies were intertwined, brought together to help right the wrongs of the past. Through Banaban Vision Publications, their decades of writing and research are becoming publications that preserve this legacy — for future Banaban generations, and for readers everywhere seeking to understand the plight of the indigenous Banaban people in the modern world.
In His Own Words
Raobeia Ken Sigrah speaks about the fight to preserve Banaban identity, culture and truth — in his own words.
F
Farewell
Raobeia Ken Sigrah
In loving memory of Ken — his memorial service, Gold Coast, February 2021.