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The Nauruan word angam means: "jubilation", "celebration", "to have triumphed over all hardships" or "to have reached a set goal" or "coming home".
Every year on October 26, Angam Day is observed as a National Holiday on Nauru. ANGAM DAY is a day of celebration and a time of reflection for the Nauruan people. Twice in its history did the Nauruan population fall below 1,500. The Nauruan Race was considered in danger of extinction. On both occasions the Nauruan population recovered and on reaching the magical figure of 1,500, a number considered to be the minimum required for the survival of a Race, Angam Day was declared. The first Angam was in 1932 and the second time in 1949.
The first goal came about in 1919 just after WWI, when the German occupation in the Pacific and Nauru collapsed and Nauru came under the mandate of AustraliaAustralia is the sixth-largest country in the world (geographically), the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia. Australia includes the island of Tasmania, which is an Australian State. Its neighbouring count, New ZealandFor alternative meanings, see New Zealand (disambiguation). New Zealand is a country formed of two major islands and a number of smaller islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. A common Mori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa popularly translated as Land and BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom the UK Britain or less accurately as Great Britain . The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly. The Australian AdministratorIn the Commonwealth Realms, the Administrator of the Government (often shortened to Administrator is the person who, though acting in a gubernatorial capacity, is not given the title of Governor (or Governor-General or Lieutenant-Governor). In crown colon at the time BrigadierBrigadier is a rank in the British military and the Australian Army ranking above Colonel and immediately below Major General. It was introduced in 1928 to replace the rank of Colonel Commandant that had briefly replaced the rank of Brigadier General in 1 General Griffith held a population count and in a meeting with the local chiefs declared that the population of Nauruans was low and if the Nauruans were to survive as a race the population should be no less than 1,500. It was declared that when the population of 1,500 was reached, that day would be a public holiday and would be celebrated every year. That day would be called Angam Day. In addition to this, the baby who completed the set target would be the Angam Baby and it shall receive gifts and honour.
After thirteen years, the Nauruan population reached 1,500 to much jubilation and celebrations. The first Angam Baby was born on October 26, 1932. It turned out there were to be more than one Angam. During the JapanJapan (, Nippon/Nihon literally "the origin of the sun") is a country in East Asia situated on a chain of islands east of the Asian continent on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean. The largest of these islands are, from north to south, Hokkaido , Honshese occupation of Nauru and other Pacific territories during WWII. 1,201 Nauruans were evacuated to Truk (now Chuuk). Of the 1,201 evacuees to Truk only 737 returned after the war, and of the about 600 left behind on Nauru, a total of around 400 survived.
The Angam girl, Eidegenegen Eidagaruwo, didn't make it back from Truk for she had died of malnutrition and yaws like most of the other Nauruans who had died in Truk.