Kiribati — quotes, proverbs & wisdom

Tai ira te moan ang.

“Do not follow the first breeze.”

A caution against acting on a first impulse; wait and think before reacting.

Kateira ma rabakaura bon kinaakira.

“Our culture and knowledge are our identity.”

A people's customs and accumulated knowledge are what define who they are.

Te mauri bwa te tautau.

“Respecting the guiding hand brings spiritual protection.”

Honouring the guidance of elders and those who lead safeguards wellbeing.

Teimatoan te maiu raoi mani babaaire aika a nikoraoi.

“The maintenance of wellbeing comes from just and fair decision-making.”

A community stays healthy and at peace when its leaders decide matters justly and fairly.

E tabu te aomata.

“The person is sacred.”

Every individual carries an inherent dignity and worth that must be respected and protected.

Te Mauri, Te Raoi ao Te Tabomoa.

“Health, peace, and prosperity.”

Kiribati's national motto, borne on the Coat of Arms, expressing the nation's guiding aspiration for its people.

“Whatever is agreed within the United States today, with China, it will not have a bearing on our future, because already, it's too late for us.”

Spoken during a 2014 CNN interview, reflecting Tong's view that global climate negotiations, however important, could no longer reverse the sea-level rise already threatening Kiribati.

“We are that canary. But hopefully, that experience will send a very strong message that we might be on the front line today, but others will be on the front line next — and the next and the next.”

Tong compared Kiribati to a canary in a coal mine, warning that his nation's climate crisis was an early warning of what other countries would eventually face.

“Our fate has already been decided.”

Reflecting on scientific projections for low-lying Pacific nations like Kiribati, spoken years after leaving office.

“Sea level rise is turning our freshwater resources salty, rendering the land unable to grow staple crops such as coconut and taro, and eating away our shoreline.”

A description of the direct, visible effects of rising seas on daily life and food security in Kiribati.