Amakhoboka AseSouth Seas

NGUMBHALI KAVUKANI! EFIJI

ISIHLWELE sitsho ngengxokozelo njengoko iinqanawa ezimbini zithe chu kuhle kwichibi elikwichweba lePasifiki. Kwiminyaka yangaphambili, umntu owasinda kwinqanawa eyaphukayo wakrazulela ntsapho nganye amaphepha eBhayibhile. Abo bantu bathobekileyo bawafunda ngenyameko loo maphepha yaye ukususela ngoko babelindele ukufika komfundisi ongumKristu.

Oomatiloshe babathembisa ukubasa kwindawo apho babeya kufunda ngakumbi ngoThixo. Amadoda nabafazi abangama-250 bakhwela kwezo nqanawa, abaninzi kubo bephethe loo maphepha eBhayibhile ababewaxabise kakhulu.

Bakhohliswa ngokuchuliweyo. Kuloo nqanawa babefakwe amakhamandela, bevalelwe kumgangatho ongezantsi, baza bayokulahlwa kwizibuko laseCallao kuMzantsi Merika. Kwafa abaninzi ngenxa yobumdaka obabulapho. Babexhatshazwa ngokwesini. Abo basindayo kolo hambo bathengiswa njengamakhoboka ukuze basebenze ezitiyeni, emigodini, babe zizicaka, yaye babengenakubuyela kwisiqithi sakowabo.

Ukuthinjwa Kwamakhoboka

Ngenkulungwane ye-19 ukusa ekuqaleni kweyama-20, abemi besiqithi saseMzantsi Pasifiki babethinjwa baze benziwe amakhoboka. Ngenxa yoku, baninzi abantu besi siqithi abathinjelwa eMzantsi Merika ekuqaleni kweminyaka yee-1860. Kwiminyaka elishumi kamva, abemi besi siqithi bathinjelwa naseOstreliya. Ngowe-1867, uRoss Lewin, owayefudula esebenza kwiRoyal Navy, wathembisa abatyali beswekile nabomqhaphu ukuba uza kubaphathela “awona makhoboka akhutheleyo yaye khoboka ngalinye lixabisa iiponti ezisi-7.”

Imizamo yeOfisi yaMathanga yaseBritani yokuphelisa ukuthinjwa kwabantu bakuMzantsi Pasifiki yatsho phantsi. Enye into, kwakunzima ukusebenzisa umthetho waseBritani kubantu bamanye amazwe. Esinye isizathu sesokuba umthetho waseBritani wawungenayo ingcaciso epheleleyo ngokuphathelele ubukhoboka. Ngaloo ndlela, abo babethimbe amakhoboka bazithethelela enkundleni ngelithi—nangona aba bantu babeqhathiwe yaye bethatyathwe ngenkani—babengengomakhoboka kodwa babengabasebenzi, kuba babeza kuhlawulwa baze ekuhambeni kwexesha, bagoduswe. Abanye bade bathi babebanceda abo bahedeni ngokubafaka phantsi komthetho waseBritani nangokubafundisa umsebenzi! Ngenxa yoko, ukuthinjwa kwamakhoboka kwaqhubeka ithuba elide.

Ukutshintsha Kwezinto

Abantu ababengahambisani nokuthinjwa bazichaza ngokuphandle izimvo zabo, yaye emva koko izinto zaqalisa ukutshintsha. Ekubeni abanye babevuma ukuba ngamakhoboka, kwakungaseyomfuneko ukuba abantu bathinjwe ngenkani. Kwapheliswa nokuxhatshazwa kwamakhoboka, njengokubethwa, ukuphawulwa ngokutshiswa okanye ukuphila nokusebenza phantsi kweemeko ezimasikizi.

Izinto zatshintsha nangakumbi emva kokuba ubhishopu waseTshetshi uJ. C. Patteson—owayenxamnye nokuthinjwa—ebulewe kwangaba bathinjwa wayebathethelela. Ukuze bakhohlise amakhoboka, abathimbi bafika ngenqanawa efana nekaPatteson esiqithini ngaphambi kokuba yena afike. Emva koko abemi besi siqithi bacelwa ukuba bakhwele ukuze babone ubhishopu. Abazange baphinde babonwe emva koko. Ekufikeni kwakhe, lo kaPatteson wafika elindelwe zizihlwele ezazivutha ngumsindo, zaza zambulala, ziziphindezela ngenxa yabo bantu babethinjiwe. Emva kweso siganeko—nangenxa yomsindo wabemi besi siqithi—imikhosi yaseBritani neyaseFransi yaya ePasifiki iyokuphelisa olo ngquzulwano.

Urhulumente waseNew South Wales nowaseQueensland eOstreliya neOfisi yaMathanga baseka imithetho emitsha eyayiza kuthintela ukuxhatshazwa nokuthinjwa kwabantu. Kwamiselwa abahloli, yaye kwabekwa nabameli bakarhulumente kwiinqanawa ezazithutha abantu. Yonke le mizamo yaphumelela, ngenxa yokuba abantu ababethimba nababebulala abanye babegwetywa. Ngasekupheleni kwenkulungwane ye-19 iimeko zatshintsha eSouth Seas. Ukuthinjwa kwamakhoboka kwapheliswa ngasekuqaleni kwenkulungwane yama-20.

Ngowe-1901, aMazwe aManyeneyo aseOstreliya, amisela imithetho ephathelele ukungeniswa kwabantu kwelo. Le mithetho yayihambisana nezimvo zabaninzi, ababekuchasile ukukhotyokiswa kwabantu kuba babekholelwa ukuba kwakuya kubathoba isidima nabasebenzi basekuhlaleni. Abantu baseSouth Seas babengamkelekanga kwelo enoba babezokusebenza okanye akunjalo. Amawaka aphindiselwa emakhaya, nto leyo yakhokelela kwintlungu engathethekiyo, kuba abantu bahlukaniswa nabantu ababathandayo.

Ukukhunjulwa Kwamakhoboka

NgoSeptemba 2000, urhulumente waseQueensland wakhupha uxwebhu olubekwe kwindawo enokubonwa nguwonkewonke. Luwothulel’ umnqwazi loo makhoboka aseSouth Seas ngenxa yendima aye ayidlala kwezoqoqosho, nakwinkcubeko nophuhliso kwelo laseQueensland. Kwangaxeshanye, lungxengxeza nangempatho-mbi awatyhubela kuyo.

Ukutyhubel’ imbali, abantu abaninzi baye bathimba abanye ukuze kungenelwe bona. IBhayibhile ithembisa ukuba phantsi kolawulo loBukumkani bukaThixo, okungekho sesikweni kuza kuphela. Eneneni, abo baza kulawulwa ngurhulumente wasezulwini “baya kuhlala, ngamnye phantsi komdiliya wakhe naphantsi komkhiwane wakhe, yaye akuyi kubakho bani ubangcangcazelisayo.”—Mika 4:4.

[Umzobo/Imaphu ekwiphepha 24, 25]

(Ukuba ufuna inkcazelo ehlahlelwe kakuhle, yiya kwimpapasho)

Iindawo awayehamba kuzo amakhoboka awayesiya eOstreliya nakuMzantsi Merika

PACIFIC OCEAN

MICRONESIA

MARSHALL ISLANDS

New Guinea

SOLOMON ISLANDS

TUVALU

AUSTRALIA KIRIBATI

QUEENSLAND VANUATU

NEW SOUTH WALES NEW CALEDONIA SOUTH AMERICA

Sydney ← FIJI → Callao

SAMOA

TONGA

COOK ISLANDS

FRENCH POLYNESIA

Easter Island

[Inkcazelo Ngomfanekiso okwiphepha 24]

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