The British sappers finished their work rebuilding the Tristan da Cunha harbor last Wednesday, March 26, and finally left the islands on Friday. The web page of the Tristan da Cunha Website devoted to the month-long harbor rebuilding project, called Operation Zest, includes 45 small pictures of the sappers, the… Continue reading…
In the pre-dawn hours last Wednesday morning, February 13, a fire of unknown origin completely destroyed the fish processing factory on Tristan da Cunha. The blaze ruined the major source of employment and wages in the settlement, plus it consumed the primary generator of electric power on the island. By… Continue reading…
An announcement two weeks ago about British plans to rebuild the harbor of the settlement on Tristan da Cunha seemed, at first, to be welcome news. The Administrator of the colony, David Morley, briefed the Tristan Islanders on developments. A contingent of Royal Engineers would be arriving at Tristan on… Continue reading…
The doctor for Tristan da Cunha, perhaps the most remote inhabited island in the world, has just been connected to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center through a high-speed, Internet service. The system that several agencies have established allows the island’s only doctor, Carel Van der Merwe, to record and… Continue reading…
Much as gidday is often used as a greeting in Australia, or howdy in parts of the U.S., the Tristan Islanders frequently say how you is? when they encounter one another. Uses of these kinds of formulaic greetings vary in different countries, according to a recent linguistics journal article, and… Continue reading…
Erik and Claire celebrated the birth of their daughter Caitlin Mac Kenzie in the Camogli Hospital of Tristan da Cunha by posting, on January 19th, a couple blog entries with photos of the baby. In such a small community, it would not be surprising for the birth of a baby… Continue reading…
Have the Tristan Islanders assimilated into Western culture and absorbed the violent, materialistic values of much of the world, or have they retained some of their own peaceful, atomistic social traits? Cathrine E. Snyder joined a 17-day cruise to the island in February on the RMS St. Helena both to… Continue reading…
The Tristan Islanders are a very kind, peace-loving, considerate people who have a strong sense of respect for the personal integrity of others. According to a 1981 journal article about the culture of the island, which has just been added to the Archive of this website, anyone who might break… Continue reading…
This year marks the 500th anniversary of the discovery of Tristan da Cunha by the Portuguese navigator Admiral Tristão da Cunha. To celebrate the anniversary, the Tristan da Cunha Association has organized a cruise to the island leaving Cape Town on January 30th. The ship will take five days to… Continue reading…
With a plot worthy of Hollywood, Peter Munch prepared an engaging journal article about the way the Tristan Islanders persuaded the British government to let them return home from exile. His 1964 article, now available as a PDF in the Archive of this website, opens with a brief history of… Continue reading…
