Nan Tetabakea was the third high chief of Makin and Butaritari in the Gilbert Islands. According to oral tradition, Nan Tetabakea was a son of Kakiaba, the second high chief, and succeeded him after Bunatao, his elder brother, relinquished his claim to the high chieftainship. He reigned during the 18th century.
When Nan Tetabakea grew old and fell ill, Nan Teauoki, his nephew, took care of him and allowed him to sleep with his wives. In return, Nan Tetabakea supported Nan Teauoki in pursuing the high chieftainship. With Nan Tetabakea's approval, Nan Teauoki killed each of his sonsNan Teauoki's cousinsuntil he had eliminated all other contenders to the high chieftainship. When Nan Tetabakea died, Nan Teauoki became the new high chief.
Sources
A compilation of oral tradition, (Na Kaiea's Book of Stories), was prepared for Na Kaiea II, the twelfth high chief of Makin and Butaritari in the Gilbert Islands (in what is now Kiribati), in the 1950s. The book contains extensive information on the five earliest high chiefs. Bernd Lambert, an American anthropologist who wrote about the social organisation of Makin and Butaritari, had access to this book and to two of its contributors.; ; .
Arthur Grimble recorded another oral tradition from Butaritari, Nei Biria's "Settlement of Butaritari by Rairaueana", that mentions Nan Tetabakea. It was published in Grimble's Tungaru Traditions (1989).. Kambati K. Uriam, an I-Kiribati reverend who studied I-Kiribati oral tradition, wrote that Nei Biria's account was one of the major traditions that might be accepted as containing reliable historical information..
Life
Based on genealogical information, Nan Tetabakea reigned during the 18th century. According to Nei Biria, he was one of seven children of Kakiaba, the second high chief of Makin and Butaritari. While Kakiaba was sojourning on , rebels stormed the main village of Butaritari (which shared its name with the island), killing his wives and four of his children. Nan Tetabakea and his younger brother, Nan Teitibonuea, survived because some of the rebels adopted them and concealed them from the others..
Bunatao, Kakiaba's eldest son and his subordinate on Makin, rushed to Butaritari when he heard the news and defeated the rebels. Afterwards, Kakiaba offered Bunatao the high chieftainship, but Bunatao preferred Makin to Butaritari and gave up his claim to the high chieftainship by patrilineal primogeniture. Kakiaba instead abdicated in favour of one of Bunatao's younger brothers. Although Nei Biria said that this brother was Nan Teitibonuea, Na Kaiea II's book, per Lambert, stated that Nan Tetabakea was the third high chief..
Nei Biria's account continues with Bunatao becoming jealous of the new high chief and deciding to wage war on his brothers. After recruiting warriors from Marakei, Bunatao attacked Butaritari. Both sides fought to exhaustion without a clear result, and Bunatao's father and brothers proposed a truce, which he accepted. Afterwards, Bunatao lived at peace with his father and brothers and later returned to Makin..
According to Lambert, Nan Tetabakea had numerous children, including Na Kautuntebuke, his eldest son; Nan Teakamatang; and Nei Tebabuti, who married Nam Manarara, one of Nan Teitibonuea's sons.; . Lambert, citing Na Kaiea II's compilation,. described how the high chieftainship passed from Nan Tetabakea to Nan Teitibonuea's side of the family. When Nan Tetabakea grew old and fell ill, Nan Teitibonuea told Nan Teauoki, his eldest son and Nan Tetabakea's nephew, to win the high chief's favour. Nan Teauoki sent his wives to have sex with his uncle, and later took him to his lands to convalesce. At the time, a man who has had sex with the wife of his kinsman from the next generation was expected to give him a gift known as . While common examples of included a plot of land or a (Cyrtosperma merkusii) garden, Nan Tetabakea's gift to his nephew was the high chieftainship.; .
With his tacit support, Nan Teauoki began killing each of Nan Tetabakea's sons, the other contenders for the high chieftainship. At each new moon, there was another death, and Nan Tetabakea would take another pebble out of his coconut shell. At first, the people thought that the murders were due to conflicts between kinsmen. When Nan Tetabakea's surviving sons suspected that Nan Teauoki wanted to be high chief, war ensued. Most people fought for Nan Tetabakea's sons, who were seen as the legitimate heirs. After several battles and a long exile, Nan Teauoki prevailed, killing Na Kautuntebuke and assuring himself of the chieftainship.
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