kingdom · North America and Oceania
Kingdom of Abemama
Origins
The chiefs of Abemama in the central Gilbert Islands built up their power in the mid-19th century. Tem Baiteke, using firearms obtained from traders, brought the nearby atolls of Aranuka and Kuria under his rule, creating a small island kingdom unlike the council-based societies of the other Gilberts.
Rule and society
Under Tem Binoka, who succeeded in the 1870s, Abemama was an autocracy: the king controlled land, labour and trade, and he dealt directly with European ships, selling copra and buying goods for himself. Foreign residents were strictly limited. Robert Louis Stevenson, who stayed on the island in 1889, described Binoka in 'In the South Seas' as a shrewd and formidable ruler. Little else is documented in detail.
Decline and legacy
Binoka died in 1891, and in 1892 Britain declared a protectorate over the Gilbert Islands, absorbing Abemama into what became the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Captain Davis of HMS Royalist proclaimed the protectorate there. The atoll is now part of Kiribati.
Lineage
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kingdom of Abemama. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-abemama
- MLA
- “Kingdom of Abemama.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-abemama. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Kingdom of Abemama.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-abemama.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kingdom of Abemama’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kingdom-of-abemama (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻