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The Island Where Everyone has the Same Last Name

Palmerston Island is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth — a tiny coral atoll in the Pacific Ocean with a population of just 35 people. What makes it truly extraordinary is this: every single resident shares the same last name. They are all descendants of one man, William Marsters, who settled the island in 1863 with his three Polynesian wives. More than 160 years later, his rules, traditions, and divisions of land still shape daily life. Located hundreds of miles from the nearest populated island in the Cook Islands, Palmerston Island has no airport, no shops, no restaurants, and no hospital. The island can only be reached by an infrequent cargo ship or by private yacht, and once you arrive, you may be stuck there for months. Life revolves around fishing, rainwater collection, solar power, church, and tightly enforced traditions passed down for generations. In this documentary, we explore what daily life is really like on Palmerston Island — from the unusual rule that the first person to greet a visitor must host them, to the strict marriage laws designed to prevent inbreeding in a community where everyone is related. As the population continues to shrink, young people leave in search of education, opportunity, and safer genetic futures, raising an alarming question: can this community survive? Palmerston also faces an existential threat from climate change. The island’s highest point is just 20 feet above sea level. Rising oceans, stronger storms, saltwater intrusion, and increasingly violent cyclones threaten crops, homes, and freshwater supplies. With no space to retreat and no easy way to modernize without destroying their way of life, the people of Palmerston are forced to choose between isolation and survival. This film examines the island’s history, culture, faith, and resilience — and asks whether a community built on tradition and isolation can endure in a rapidly changing world. Palmerston Island is not just a place. It is a living experiment in human endurance, and its future is deeply uncertain. Time Stamps: 0:00 Intro 1:38 The journey to the island 3:32 Life in Extreme Isolation 6:00 The population crisis 8:31 Their traditions and culture