Talk:Swains Island

Redirects and question
Why doesn't the page redirect when you type in one of the island names other than Swains Island? --Falphin — Preceding unsigned comment added by Falphin (talk • contribs) 14:51, 2 April 2005 (UTC)

Never mind--Falphin — Preceding unsigned comment added by Falphin (talk • contribs) 19:19, 3 April 2005 (UTC)

Rose Island and Swains Island are both part of American Samoa. That is the only thing they have in common. They are not in any other way connected. No geographical connection. No historic connection. Look at this map, they are the 2 furthest apart islands in American Samoa: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/australia/samoa_islands_2002.gif - Dr U 00:50, 27 September 2005 (UTC)
 * There other things the two have in common, for example, they are both atolls and they are both in the South Pacific.--Ratzer 17:18, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Population Estimate
The population estimate is 37, but from what date. In 2001 I visited Swains and there were 5 people living there, one Jennings family member and a family of 4 taking care of her. I have a picture of all of them. 71.198.89.239 13:43, 23 February 2006 (UTC)
 * Since the firtst entry as no reference, you could change it based on your knowledge (and put as date) - Marshman 17:51, 23 February 2006 (UTC)
 * The population figure of 37 was from the 2000 Census, up from 16 in the 1990 Census. But this seems high relative to other sources, such as the NOAA ("less than 20"). I've updated the figure based on that given in an alert for Cyclone Percy. -- Avenue 09:03, 14 March 2007 (UTC)
 * According to United States Census, "The Census Bureau bases its decision about whom to count on the concept of usual residence. Usual residence, a principle established by the Census Act of 1790, is defined as the place a person lives and sleeps most of the time." The US Census of 2000 reports that the population of Swains Island was 37 at that time, up from 16 in 1990.  Uncensored Kiwi  Touch 22:54, 10 December 2010 (UTC)

Swains Island in Micronesia
There seems to be another Swains Island in Micronesia: de:Swainsinsel --Martinwilke1980 11:09, 16 November 2006 (UTC)
 * This article is about the same island, there is no second Swains Island.--Ratzer 17:18, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

Better Map Needed
The current map provided is just of the island itself; I have no idea where this island is in relation to, well, anything. Masternachos (talk) 06:06, 9 April 2010 (UTC)


 * North of Samoa, south of Tokelau. See this map, for instance. Maybe a cropped version of that would be a useful addition to this article. I will hopefully have time to do that in a week or so; feel free to beat me to it. --Avenue (talk) 08:54, 9 April 2010 (UTC)

Is it (still) a territory ?
Are the Swains islands still separate US territory? All recent sources I can find group them as part of American Samoa, even the [CIA factbook|https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/aq.html] which lists all the other Minor Islands separately. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Travelbird (talk • contribs) 06:51, 29 July 2012 (UTC)


 * Doesn't appear so. CMD (talk) 11:30, 29 July 2012 (UTC)

External links modified
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External links modified
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nationality of inhabitants
The inhabitants are noted as being "Tokelauans" in the article lede, but are they nationals of New Zealand or of the U.S.? This article also mentions "labor contracts" so it's not clear if they're from Tokelau and living on Swains long-term as workers or if it's a population of ethnic Tokelauans who have been resident on Swains for multiple generations. --Jfruh (talk) 07:12, 8 August 2018 (UTC)
 * Most former inhabitants were ethnic Tokelauans who had been in the island for generations and became US nationals when the US annexed it in 1925. After the eviction in 1953, New Zealand nationals from Tokelau were hired to replace them but copra production ended in 1967, and eventually everyone left. The island has been uninhabited since 2008, and most people counted in the census (temporary residents) reported their ethnicity as Samoan. I corrected the article. Heitordp (talk) 08:58, 3 May 2020 (UTC)

Disputed territory
The article mentions that the island is disputed territory between Tokelau and the United States of America, but in the info bar, it simply states that it is administered by the USA. Would it be a good idea to mark it as disputed between Tokelau and the USA there, as well as in the article? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 185.107.15.50 (talk) 04:40, 18 July 2021 (UTC)

Tapua
Forgive my ignorance, but does anyone know what a "tapua" is? I can't find a definition anywhere.

Thanks, Spade6179 (talk) 15:24, 26 January 2023 (UTC)


 * Not sure, it appears to have been directly lifted from here. CMD (talk) 15:53, 26 January 2023 (UTC)
 * I think it's a typo for 'tupua', which is a polynesian word for strange or supernatural. In the Swains Island context, it refers to sacred stones. See for example, or google "tupua Swains".- gadfium 20:56, 26 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Ah, that makes sense. Thank you!
 * Spade6179 (talk) 22:50, 27 January 2023 (UTC)

Tax payment of US$85
The source says only "In 1909, England collected $85 in taxes from Jennings". It doesn't mention any claim from the resident commissioner of the Gilbert & Ellice Islands, so an additional source is needed. Further, the commissioner of G&E Islands was William Telfer Campbell according to our article, and sometime in 1909 it changed to John Quayle-Dickson, so either the claim was made later than 1907 or the wrong person has been added.-Gadfium (talk) 04:58, 8 May 2024 (UTC)


 * It should be 1909. The footnote in the given source points to this message from the Secretary of State that is clear the demand came from the resident commissioner. The Rogers source quoted elsewhere in this article states: "In September, 1909, Captain Dixon, the British Resident Commissioner of the Gilbert Islands, visited Swains Island, and collected approximately $85 in taxes from Eli Jennings, without protest, according to the American Consul Of at Apia, Samoa." (p. 52). Dickson took over as RC from Campbell in September 1909. It's possible that Campbell made the ask of Jennings, but it's more likely that "Dixon" was just a misspelling. In any case, I'll add the additional sources. —Carter (Tcr25) (talk) 11:19, 8 May 2024 (UTC)

How does it have a (voting) representative if it has no inhabitants?
The article makes it fairly clear that there has been no permanent population on the island for more than a decade. But in that case, who exactly is voting for the island representative in the American Samoan legislature? Did former Swains Island inhabitants move to the main islands of the territory but maintain a formal legal residence on Swains? Do they hold a different form of nationality? --Jfruh (talk) 16:31, 9 May 2024 (UTC)


 * It's written into the American Samoan constitution that the seat exists. This RNZ article says that descendants of Swains Islanders who now live on Tutuila make up the polity that selects the delegate. Do you think there's a good way to work that in? —Carter (Tcr25) (talk) 16:47, 9 May 2024 (UTC)
 * This 2012 Samoa News article (scroll down) describes the voting process. It's an open meeting where the delegate is selected via a show of hands. —Carter (Tcr25) (talk) 17:57, 9 May 2024 (UTC)