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Similar Bitis arietans, Kava, Hutia | ||
The word banua or vanua – meaning "land," "home," or "village" – occurs in several Austronesian languages. It derives from the Proto-Austronesian reconstructed form *banua. The word has particular significance in several countries.
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Philippines
In the Kapampangan language, banwa or banua means "sky" or "year".
In the Hiligaynon Visayan language, banwa means "people", "nation" or "country."
In the Tagalog/Filipino language, a similar word bansa also means "country", "nation" or "country."
Malaysia and Indonesia
In the Malay language (both Malaysian Malay and Indonesian language), benua means landmass or continent. The word for 'land" in these languages and nearby Austronesian languages are tanah or tana. For example, in Tana Toraja, Tana Tidung or Tano Niha.
In the Banjar language, banua means "village" or "homeland".
In the Buginese language, banua means "village", "country", "land" or "homeland".
In the Toraja language, banua means "home".
In all Minahasan languages, wanua means "village", "country", or "land". The word Kawanua means a fellow Minahasan people who lives outside the ancestral homeland.
In Melanesia
In Oceanic languages of Melanesia, the root *banua has sometimes become vanua.
In Vanuatu
In Vanuatu, vanua also means "land", "island" or "home." The name of the Vanua'aku Pati literally means "The party of My Land". Hence also the name of Vanuatu itself, and the place name Vanua Lava (literally ‘big island’ in Mota language).
In Fiji
In Fijian and in Fiji English, vanua is an essential concept of indigenous Fijian culture and society. It is generally translated in English as "land", but vanua as a concept encompasses a number of inter-related meanings. When speaking in English, Fijians may use the word vanua rather than an imprecise English equivalent. According to Fijian academic Asesela Ravuvu, a correct translation would be "land, people and custom". Vanua means "the land area one is identified with", but also
"the people, their traditions and customs, beliefs and values, and the various other institutions established for the sake of achieving harmony, solidarity and prosperity within a particular social context. [...] It provides a sense of identity and belonging. [...] The vanua [...] is an extension of the concept of the self."An indigenous Fijian person is thus defined through his or her land; the concepts of personhood and land ownership are viewed as inseparable. This is also the case for other indigenous peoples of Oceania, such as Australian Aboriginals (see: Dreaming) and New Zealand Māori (see: iwi).
A vanua is also a confederation of several yavusa ("clans" established through descent from a common ancestor). A vanua in this sense is associated with its ownership of an area of vanua in the sense of "land"; the various meanings of vanua are, here too, interrelated.
The word vanua is found in the place names Vanua Levu and Vanua Balavu.
Indigenous land ownership is a key issue in conservative and indigenous nationalistic Fijian politics. Several right-wing, essentially indigenous parties refer to vanua in their names:
Polynesian languages
In Māori language, whenua means homeland or country. The Māori people call themselves Tāngata whenua, or people of the land.
In Tongan, fonua means land or country.
Elsewhere, the form of the word is generally fenua.