Author: Anne Ewbank / Source: Atlas Obscura
Norfolk Island is tiny, both in size and population. An Australian territory hundreds of miles from the mainland, it’s home to fewer than 2,000 inhabitants. It has sparkling blue waters, unique flora (the famed Norfolk pine is displayed on their flag), and a stranger-than-fiction origin story: The island was populated by the descendants of mutineers from the British ship HMS Bounty. The British mutineers and several captive Tahitians had fled to nearby Pitcairn Island in 1790, and by 1856, their descendants moved to the larger Norfolk Island.
The islanders have long history of cultural melange, with many speaking a combination of Tahitian and 18th-century English, called Norfuk. They also celebrate unique holidays, such as Bounty Day, and, strangely enough, an American-inspired Thanksgiving.
While various harvest festivals and days of thanks fill fall calendars around the world, Norfolk Island’s Thanksgiving is actually based on the American tradition. Norfolk Island has always been a stop for seafarers, from the island’s first Polynesian inhabitants to 19th-century American whalers.
In 1887, one Norfolk Island resident, Isaac Robinson, even became the American consul, making him a diplomatic representative of the…The post Why One Australian Island Celebrates Thanksgiving appeared first on FeedBox.