Tokelauan people


Tokelauan people are native to Tokelau, an island group in Polynesia, in the Pacific Ocean. In Tokelau, 87.5% of the population are ethnic Tokelauans while the rest of the population are of mixed ethnicity. The native language of the Tokelauans is Tokelauan.
In New Zealand Tokelauans are a minority population among other Pacific Islanders, with a population of about 1500 people.

Language

The Tokelauan language is part of the Polynesian language family. Most Tokelauans are fluent in both English and Tokelauan.

Culture

Religion

As of 2011, 58.5% of people belong to Congregational Christian Church while 36.8% belong to Catholic church. The rest of the population adhere to various Christian denomination such as Presbyterian and New Age. Roman Catholic is mostly practiced in the capital Nukunonu whereas inhabitants of the islands of Atafu and Fakaofo adhere to the Congregationalism. Prior to the arrival of Christianity, Tokelauans worshiped a god named Tui Tokelau.

Sports

, rugby, football and cricket are popular in Tokelau. Tokelau Games are held yearly.