Baluan Island

Baluan Island (formerly known as Saint Patrick Island) is the southernmost island of the Admiralty Islands group which makes up the majority of Manus Province in Papua New Guinea. It belongs to the Pam Islands, an island subgroup to the south of Lou Island. It is formed from an extinct volcano, also named Baluan.

Geography

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Baluan is formed by a Pleistocene stratovolcano with a large summit crater and several flank vents, some of which might be from the Holocene age. Baluan has erupted basaltic rock rather than rhyolitic rocks like its neighbours. Several small islands consisting of cone remnants are located within of the north coast. Geothermal activity is observed in coastal areas. Volcanic activity is evident from the hot water springs which emerge close to the shore which are mostly covered by the tide. There is a reef which surrounds the island and prevents the sea from damaging the coast.

Batapona Mountain, which has an elevation of , is located at the north edge of the island, and is formed of an arcuate rim and pyroclastic cone.

There is an unconfirmed report of an eruption near the island in 1931 from a submarine vent.

Lifestyle

Demographics

There are several settlements on Baluan, including Mouk, Lipan, Sone, and Parioi, which according to the 2011 National Census have a combined population of 1,910. The island is situated within the Local-Level Government region of Balopa (Baluan, Lou, Pam Islands). A significant portion of Baluan's population live away from the island to work in urban areas.

The languages of Titan and Baluan-Pam, known as locally as Paluai, are spoken on the island, in addition to Tok Pisin.

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Performers from Baluan participating in the French Confolens Festival in 2004|alt=|237x237px]]

Culture

In the early 20th century, the entire population was converted to Christianity, the two main denominations being Catholicism and the Seventh-day Adventists. Tok Pisin is normally used for Church services. Christianity does however operate parallel to other traditional belief systems, which mainly relate to illness and cure.

The Balopa Cultural Festival takes place on Baluan, which is the largest cultural event on the island and involves the neighbouring islands Lou and the Pam Islands as well.

According to a report in Air Niugini Paradise magazine, some communities interpret lights seen around New Year as omens for the coming year.

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Settlements

One of the main settlements on the island is Mouk, situated on the northern end of the island, which had a population of 341 in the 2011 National Census. It is speculated that they were invited to the island in order to protect against other groups which speak Titan, located on the southern coast of Manus Island and in the M'Buke Islands, as they were known for their raids on distant islands.

In pre-colonial times, villages acted as political units, consisting of multiple groups with common ancestors. Houses of high status and their leader, were called lapan. Disputes between groups could either be resolved through warfare, or through the preparation of a large feast, which would take several years to prepare. There are three elementary schools and one primary school located in Lipan. From grade three onwards, all teaching takes place in English. For continuing to secondary school, students have to leave Baluan for Lorengau or go elsewhere. Education is highly valued in Baluan society, because of the Western knowledge it provides, and the employment opportunities outside of Baluan which come with it. He died in 1991 and is buried on Baluan.

Winnie Kiap CBE was born on Baluan and is the High Commissioner of Papua New Guinea to the United Kingdom, and previously served as Secretary to the National Executive Council of Papua New Guinea.

External links

Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program profile on Baluan