Merelava Explained

Merelava
Sobriquet:Mwerlap
Native Name:N̄wërlap
Location:Pacific Ocean
Coordinates:-14.45°N 168.05°W
Archipelago:Vanuatu, Banks Islands
Area Km2:18
Highest Mount:Mount Teu
Country:Vanuatu
Country Admin Divisions Title:Province
Country Admin Divisions:Torba Province
Population:650
Population As Of:2009

Merelava (or Mere Lava) is an island in the Banks Islands of the Torba Province of northern Vanuatu.

Names

The inhabitants of Merelava call their own island Mwerlap, more accurately N̄wërlap pronounced as /ŋʷɞrˈlap/.

The name Merelava or M̄ere Lava reflects the way it is called in the neighboring Mota language ‒ phonetically pronounced as /ŋ͡mʷerelaβa/. According to Codrington,[1] the etymology of this name (in Proto-Torres-Banks) is likely to be *mʷera-i laβa > *mʷerelaβa, literally “the big boy”; it contrasts with the neighboring island M̄erig pronounced as /ŋ͡mʷeriɣ/, from *mʷera riɣi “the small boy”. These words refer metaphorically to the islands themselves.

Cognates in other Torres-Banks languages include Mwotlap M̄eylap pronounced as /ŋ͡mʷɛjˈlap/.

Geography

Merelava is situated in the southeastern part of the archipelago near Mota and Merig. Merelava has also been known as Star Island. It is located about 50km (30miles) east of Gaua.

Merelava is a nearly round volcanic island with a diameter of almost 4.5 km and an area of 18 km2. It is formed by a basaltic stratovolcano, which reaches in Mount Teu, also called Star Peak, a height of 883 m above the sea level.

The main village is Tesmet on the west coast of the island. Other villages, starting clockwise at Tesmet, are Levetmise (northwest), Lekweal (north), Lewetneak (northeast), and Aot (southeast, second largest).

History

Merelava was first sighted by Europeans during the Spanish expedition of Pedro Fernández de Quirós, from 25 to 29 April 1606. The island's name was then charted as San Marcos.[2]

Merelava was reportedly seen smoking when it was first encountered by Quirós.[3]

Population and language

The island has about 650 inhabitants.[4] They all speak an Oceanic language known as Mwerlap.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Cf. Codrington & Palmer (1896), p.89.
  2. Kelly, Celsus, O.F.M. La Austrialia del Espíritu Santo. The Journal of Fray Martín de Munilla O.F.M. and other documents relating to the Voyage of Pedro Fernández de Quirós to the South Sea (1605-1606) and the Franciscan Missionary Plan (1617-1627) Cambridge, 1966, p.39, 62.
  3. Web site: Global Volcanism Program Mere Lava . 2022-10-28 . Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program . en.
  4. 2009 National Census of Population and Housing: Summary Release. Vanuatu National Statistics Office . 2009 . October 11, 2010.