The word banua or vanua (the latter from various languages of Melanesia, see below) – meaning "land," "home," or "village" – occurs in several Austronesian languages. It derives from the Proto-Austronesian reconstructed form *banua.[1][2][3] The word has particular significance in several countries.
In the Kapampangan language, banwa or banua means "sky" or "year".
In the Hiligaynon Visayan language, banwa means "people", "nation" or "country."
In the Malay language (the lingua franca of both Malaysia and Indonesia), benua means "landmass" or "continent". The word for "land" in these languages and nearby Austronesian languages — e.g., in Tana Toraja, Tana Tidung or Tanö Niha – are tanah or tana.[4]
In the Banjar language, banua means "village" or "homeland".
In the Old Javanese language, wanwa or wanua means "village", "inhabited place" or "settlement".
In the Buginese language, banua means "village", "country", "land" or "homeland".
In the Toraja language, banua means "home".
In the Old Sundanese language, banua or buana means "continent" or "world".
In all Minahasan languages, wanua means "village", "country", or "land". The word Kawanua means land of the Minahasan people.
In Iban (used by the Dayak people), menua or menoa means "place", "country", "land" or "homeland". In many other Dayak languages, the word has the form binua.
In some Oceanic languages of Melanesia, the root *banua has sometimes become vanua, via Proto-Oceanic *panua.
In Motu, the word hanua means "village". The name of a village near Port Moresby is called Hanuabada, meaning "big village". In Uneapa, the word vanua means "island".
In Palauan, which is a non-Oceanic Austronesian language, beluu means "village" or "country", as can be seen in the native name of the country, Beluu er a Belau.
In Vanuatu, vanua also means "land", "island" or "home."[5] The name of the Vanua'aku Pati literally means "The party of My Land". Hence also the name of Vanuatu itself, and the place name Vanua Lava (literally ‘big island’ in Mota language).
In the Lo-Toga language, the word venie means "village", "island" or "country".[6]
In Mwotlap, the word vōnō means "village", "district", "island" or "country".[7]
In Fijian and in Fiji English, vanua is an essential concept of indigenous Fijian culture and society. It is generally translated in English as "land", but vanua as a concept encompasses a number of inter-related meanings. When speaking in English, Fijians may use the word vanua rather than an imprecise English equivalent. According to Fijian academic Asesela Ravuvu, a correct translation would be "land, people and custom". Vanua means "the land area one is identified with", but also
An indigenous Fijian person is thus defined through his or her land; the concepts of personhood and land ownership are viewed as inseparable. This is also the case for other indigenous peoples of Oceania, such as Australian Aboriginals (see: Dreaming) and New Zealand Māori (see: iwi).
A vanua is also a confederation of several yavusa ("clans" established through descent from a common ancestor). A vanua in this sense is associated with its ownership of an area of vanua in the sense of "land"; the various meanings of vanua are, here too, interrelated.[9][10]
The word vanua is found in the place names Vanua Levu and Vanua Balavu.
Indigenous land ownership is a key issue in conservative and indigenous nationalistic Fijian politics. Several right-wing, essentially indigenous parties refer to vanua in their names:
In Māori language, whenua means homeland or country. The Māori people call themselves Tāngata whenua, or people of the land.
In Tongan, fonua[11] means land or country.
In Hawaiian honua means land, earth, or foundation, and is usually used in the more literal sense.[12] Land in the more figurative or spiritual sense is usually represented by the word ʻāina, and locally-born people are referred to as kamaʻāina (child of the land).[13]
Elsewhere, the form of the word is generally fenua.