The picture of Tabonteba village on the island of Nonouti served Dr. Koch as an exemplary representation of a traditional settlement of atoll dwellers in the Gilbert Islands.
Decades later a clear change is visible. The place is surrounded by a sea wall, and a compound of the Kiribati Protestant Church (renamed to Kiribati Uniting Church in 2014) – with the church “Uotan Tebanikora”, the meeting house “Uotan ba n te meaeu” and a residential building for the pastor – was established on the reclaimed land.
