Marshall Islands
Forever Marshall Islands
1991
1991
Amata Kabua
Amata Kabua
✝ God / Faith ❤ Love of homeland 🌿 Nature 🌅 Hope |
Key Facts
- 1. The anthem is sung in Marshallese, an Austronesian language spoken by fewer than 50,000 people worldwide, making it one of the rarest languages featured in a national anthem.
- 2. Amata Kabua was also a accomplished poet and songwriter beyond the anthem; several of his compositions remain popular in Marshallese culture as love songs and folk ballads.
- 3. The anthem's imagery of flowers and ocean wreaths reflects the Marshallese tradition of navigation by wave patterns and stars, skills for which the islanders were renowned across the Pacific.
Lyrics
Aelōn̄ eo ao ion lōmālij;
Einwōt wūt ko lōllap ilān;
Ilen̄ n̄an kij in ekajet im̧ool;
Kōn men̄e an jouj im̧ool doon.
Aelōn̄ eo ao ion lōmālij;
Er bōk ilo an̄ōn̄ōin mour;
Ilān pein Anij ewōr wōn mour;
Einwōt kōle ko tōrear lān.
Aelōn̄ eo ao ion lōmālij;
Er jāloñ tak kin jouj in mour;
Ijjamin ilok jen in aolep;
Ainwōt men̄e bōran wōt ko.
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialWritten and composed by Amata Kabua, who was also the first president of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The anthem was adopted when the country gained full independence in 1991, having been previously administered by the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.