# Who can name the countries of origin of these nationalities??
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 2, 2001, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190 "2001-11-02T20:49:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2001, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/1 "2001-11-02T20:49:56Z")
Ahh Yes!! I picked up a wonderful special edition copy of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick(library bound gorgeous condition). I was reading the first several chapters and I saw these nationalities and I could not believe they were real. I consider myself pretty good at geography but a few of these threw me for a loop. Take a guess:
Feegeeans:
Tongatobooarrs:
Erromanggoans:
Pannangians:
Brighggians:
I have a good guess for the first two but the last three I am quite vexed by…Any Ideas?
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### Author:  [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2001, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/2 "2001-11-02T21:16:58Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Phlosphr \*
> \*\*Ahh Yes!! I picked up a wonderful special edition copy of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick(library bound gorgeous condition). I was reading the first several chapters and I saw these nationalities and I could not believe they were real. I consider myself pretty good at geography but a few of these threw me for a loop. Take a guess:
>
> Feegeeans: _Someone from Fiji I assume._
>
> Tongatobooarrs:
>
> Erromanggoans:
>
> Pannangians: \* Wouldn’t that be someone from Panama?\*
>
> Brighggians:
>
> \*\*
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### Author:  [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2001, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/3 "2001-11-02T21:23:11Z")
Feegeeans: Fiji
Tongatobooarrs: Tonga
Erromanggoans: Erromango Island, Vanuatu
Pannangians: haven’t found it, yet
Brighggians: haven’t found it, yet
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2001, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/4 "2001-11-02T21:25:29Z")
Feegeeans are clearly from Fiji (usually spelled Feegee in Melville’s day, or even Fidgee).
Tongatoboarrs probably refers to inhabitants of Tongatapu, the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga.
Erromango is an island in Vanuatu, formerly the New Hebrides.
Still working on the last two.
(And no, **Speaker** , Pannangians are not Panamanians.)
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### Author:  [@Von\_Erich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Von_Erich)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2001, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/5 "2001-11-02T21:45:54Z")
I think it is sage to say Pannangians are from Pangea, heh heh.
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### Author:  [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2001, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/6 "2001-11-02T22:10:05Z")
I would venture a guess that Pannangians would be from Malaysia. But I would also guess that none of these spellings is particularly accurate. People from Tongo are normally called Tongans, but this could be more complex in their native tongue.
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2001, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/7 "2001-11-03T01:19:38Z")
I think that **shib** hit the _pannangians_ correctly. Penang was commonly spelled Panang(for instance, an atlas I have from 1889).
Say, are you sure this isn’t a **Bricker Challenge**?
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### Author:  [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2001, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/8 "2001-11-03T01:46:59Z")
**Samclem** What do you mean by a **Bricker** Challenge??
Do you mean **Randy Bricker** as in one of the two editors of ‘URBANIA’?
But seriously, the reason for the post is two fold, I collect old books, first editions, pristine non-first editions that are old. Mostly antiquated books…And Melville is a wondrous writer and I enjoy reading ‘Moby Dick’ every couple years…I have always wondered what the nationalities are when I get to the ‘Street’ chapter…
Second reason, I would love to incorporate those words for the Nationalities for the people of those respective countries in my class. I think the students would get a kick out of it. Thanks all the same folks for the definitions you have found thus far…!
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### Author:  [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2001, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/9 "2001-11-03T06:13:53Z")
Yeah, I’m guessing Pannangians refers to Panang, or Malaysia. Ever been to a Thai restaurant and had Panang curry?
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### Author:  [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2001, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/10 "2001-11-03T06:53:33Z")
A Google search for **Brighggians** lead to a Russian site. Just a possible hint.
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2001, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/11 "2001-11-03T07:03:16Z")
Brighggians = Washington State Bright Island whalers?
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2001, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/12 "2001-11-03T13:14:25Z")
**asto** going against your good guess is the fact that all the others were South? Pacific natives. Would a Bright Islander have looked like one of these, standing on the docks?
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### Author:  [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2001, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/13 "2001-11-03T15:01:56Z")
**Pannangians** might be people from Pago Pago, in Samoa, which IIRC is actually pronounced “Pango Pango.”
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2001, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/14 "2001-11-03T16:08:11Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Fretful Porpentine \*
> \*\ ***Pannangians** might be people from Pago Pago, in Samoa, which IIRC is actually pronounced “Pango Pango.” \*\*
I think this could be a possibility. While there is a “Panang” in Malaya, the others are from the South Seas. And you are right about th epronunciation of Pa(n)go Pa(n)go.
“Brighggian” has me royally stumped, though.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2001, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/15 "2001-11-03T16:21:56Z")
Which brings up the point that some South Sea languages use different orthography than English. In Fijian, “b” signifies the sound “mb”, and “g” means “ng” in Samoan. I don’t know if these writing systems had been established in Melville’s day, though.
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [November 29, 2001, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-can-name-the-countries-of-origin-of-these-nationalities/91190/16 "2001-11-29T01:25:10Z")
I couldn’t stand it any longer!
So I went over to …gasp!..another board which I frequent, populated by some folks who like etymology.
A poster named **Douglas Wilson** posted this to my query:
> [@](#):
>
> Well, in the first place the entire passage is written in a light or humorous fashion, so Melville might be having a joke at our expense.
>
> As for my best guess at “Brighggian”, first I have to guess what sound is being represented. My best guess: /braidZ@n/ or so, what we might write today as “Bryjun”. Now if a Cajun is a 'Cadian, then a Bryjun should be a 'Brydian, and my best guess is that this would be an apheretic form of “[New] Hebridian”/"[New] Hebridean" pronounced with a “long I”: i.e., a native of the New Hebrides (nowadays Vanuatu, I suppose). Of course this would overlap with Erromango, but how these words were pronounced or applied by casual users in 1850 I don’t know for sure.
>
> Just a wild guess.
From [this thread](http://pub55.ezboard.com/fwordoriginsorgfrm1.showMessage?topicID=1194.topic) at Dave Wilton’s wonderful etymology site/message board.
I invite your comments and I invite you to visit.
Did Douglas solve the mystery?