Editor’s Note: In this fictional piece, Esther and Noa, representing the San Diego-based Rabinove Foundation, go on a cruise around the South Pacific Island of Niue. In the previous segment, their guide Matafetu told them about the northern part of the island, occupied by the Motu people. In this part, he guides them around the southern part, the land of the Tafiti people.
-Second of two parts–
SAN DIEGO — “Do you remember that I told you earlier in the tour that there were two major tribal groups on the island of Niue?” asked Matafetu. “In the north, I told you, the people are called the Motu, whereas in the south, the people are known as the Tafiti. The southernmost village of the Motu is Liku, whereas the northernmost village of the Tafiti is Hakupu. The people of these two villages cooperate in the management of one of Niue’s most important ecological resources – the Huvalu Forest Conservation Area. Stretching from Liku south to Hakupu, this conservation area covers 54 square kilometers of the southeastern portion of our island, in which you will find Niue’s largest primary forest lands. The conservation area is divided into three zones. The innermost area, the core, is tapu, sacred, and within these 100 hectares, it is against the law to log, hunt, or even do research. Encircling this area is another area of approximately 2500 hectares of primary forest, in which some hunting is permitted. And encircling that are another 2800 acres of agricultural lands where crops are scrupulously shifted to ensure sustainability.”
“It sounds like the ancient Temple in Jerusalem,” Noa commented. “There was the courtyard, in which the people could assemble; the Temple itself to which access was restricted but not forbidden, and within the temple, the Holy of Holies, where only the High Priest was permitted; to all others it was, how did you say it, tapu!”
“Very impressive,” said Matafetu. “I know now that I have much more reading to do in the Old Testament. I confess that here on Niue, we pay more attention to the Christian Gospels.”
“That, of course, is your right,” interjected Esther.
“In both Liku and Hakupu, there are visitor centers at which you can book eco-tours through the forest, where in addition to uga, you might see the peka, our island’s flying foxes, which are really fruit bats. They’re called ‘flying foxes’ because when they are hanging upside down, their faces look like those of foxes. They serve an important role in Niue’s ecology, they help to pollinate our fruit trees. Sometimes people wonder if they are dangerous, and I would say no; they do not attack humans. Perhaps we are not fragrant enough to attract their interest.
“Hakapu has more than 200 residents and its land-owning families have created the Hakapu Heritage Park, which was established to protect sites of historical and ecological significance such as burial caves, fresh water caves, fortress sites, and a flying fox sanctuary,” Matafetu went on to say. “One of the popular places that tourists like to visit is the Togo Chasm which requires a long climb down a ladder to the pools below, and, unless you have a boat waiting for you at the other end, a long climb back up. It’s a wonderful place for those in good physical shape. Another place of interest is Hakupu’s war memorial, which lists the names of soldiers who fought in World War I, World War II, plus in one other war which most visitors know nothing about – the Malayan War. That was when Communist forces in Malaya wanted to topple the British colonial government and the call went out to member countries of the British Commonwealth to help the mother country. Some Niueans were among those who fought.”
“Do you think that was right to do – helping the colonial government?” asked Esther. “Doesn’t that go against the grain of independence movements around the world?”
“I suppose it does,” Matafetu said. “But here in Niue we are very grateful both to the British crown and to the government of New Zealand with which we live in ‘free association’ and have all the rights and privileges of New Zealanders.”
“Is there no desire to be a fully independent nation, instead of having New Zealand being in charge of your foreign relations and your defense?”
“No such desire on my part, said Matafetu. “I think we Niueans are very lucky to have such an arrangement.” Resuming his narrative, Matafetu said, “from here, all the way back to the capital of Alofi, we will be passing the historical lands of the Tafiti. Of Niue’s 14 villages, eight are in the land of the Motu – Makefu, Tuapa, Namukulu, Hikutavake, Toi, Mutalau, Lakepa, and Liku. Six are located in the historical lands of the Tafiti – Hakupu, Vaiea, Avatele, Tamakautoga, Alofi South and Alofi North. Of all these villages, Alofi South is the most populous, as exemplified by the 2001 census which showed 358 people and, as I told you earlier, Namukulu is the least populous, with only 14 residents during the same census period, and now only 11.”
“You said your family lives there?”
“Yes, myself, my wife Vanessa, my parents, and my father’s parents. We are six altogether.”
“And if you don’t mind me asking, what is your educational background?”
“I majored in business at the University of Auckland. My studies focused both on tourism and on being an entrepreneur.”
“Is this tour business the result?” asked Esther.
“It’s a start,” he said, “I really would like people to see how beautiful a country can be if it respects the environment.”
Coming near the Vaiea boundary, Matafetu commented: “This is an interesting village because over the years it has attracted small waves of immigrants. Nearby there is what we call a ghost village, Fatiau Tuai, whose residents moved away in panic after a sickness began to spread. Was it a curse? Some toxin in the soil? A coronavirus? No one knows, but in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the residents relocated —- many of them to Vaiea. More recently, there has been immigration from Tuvalu, another nation in the South Pacific. Unlike Niue, which people call the “rock of the Pacific” because it rises Gibraltar-like from the ocean, Tuvalu has very little height. It is one of the countries that scientists believe is most in danger of being submerged by rising sea levels brought about by climate warming. As for attractions here in Vaiea, this is where we have a large noni farm, boasting more than 18,000 trees. Thanks to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, children of Vaiea village are learning all about organic farming and recycling. Sometimes you can see them using carved out, plastic bleach bottles as scoops to dig in the soil – a wonderful example of repurposing materials. The women of this village wait for the fishermen to come home. They offer to gut and clean the fish because they’ve learned, through experimentation, that the fish’s blood and innards, especially after they are fermented, make a very good fertilizer. There’s one problem though: the smell can be horrific, but I suppose one can get used to anything.”
They rounded the southwest corner of Niue and soon came to Avatele, formerly known by the tongue-tying name of Oneonepata Matavihala. The Oneonepata name still is retained at Oneonepata Beach in Avatele Bay, which is the largest and best known beach on the island. Here sea craft previously docked prior to the time a major wharf, named for Niue’s first premier, Sir Robert Rex, was built in Alofi. Rex, incidentally, came from the village of Avatele, which was famed in history books as being the place where warriors repelled Captain James Cook in his effort to make a landing in 1774, prompting him to name Niue as “Savage Island.”
“The islanders much prefer the name ‘Niue,” Matafetu said. However, Noa wasn’t listening very carefully. She was examining the beach through powerful binoculars. “Here,” she said, “if I am not mistaken would be the perfect spot for a desalination plant.”
“It’s such a tourist attraction,” said Matafetu. “I can’t imagine the village elders would allow it.”
“Probably not,” said Noa. “But if ever the island finds itself running out of fresh water, they will want it, even if it means spoiling a portion of your beautiful beach. We’ll never force ourselves on any locality, but should we be needed, we’re ready to serve.”
Esther made a mental note to do a full political workup on both the Avatele village council and on Niue’s legislative assembly — again, just in case.
“Now we’re coming into the village of Tamakautoga,” Matafetu said, withdrawing from his top pocket a folded sheet of paper. “In the late 19th century, a writer by name of Louis Becke gave a description of Tamakautoga in a book called Wild Life in Southern Seas. He wrote: ‘A mile or so from Avatele the road turns off at the village of Tamakautoga and ascends the plateau, and here for a mile or two is a lovely bit of verdant tropical beauty–an avenue of shady palms, interspersed with orange and lime trees. Then comes a flat, sand plain covered with patches of guava shrub, and native plantation of sugarcane. Sometimes, where the road passes through a guava thicket, the ripe guavas fall about the horse as he pushes the branches aside with the top of his head. Six miles from Avatele and you catch a glimpse of blue sea now and then through the dense foliage, the road descends to Alofi; and then two hundred feet below you can see the open coast and the steep coral cliffs again, and hear the roar of the thunder of the ever-beating surf.'”
“Very picturesque,” commented Esther.
“Yes, it’s nice to read a description of Tamakautoga as it was, before it became a tourist resort,” Matafetu responded. “Nowadays, almost every reference to Tamakautoga is about the Scenic Matavai Resort, which has 55 rooms including balconies or terraces with sea views, and a pool with a swim-up bar — an imitation of Honolulu. I have nothing against the Matavai; it employs Niueans, including my wife Vanessa, and brings in visitors who help green our economy, but it is only one aspect of Tamakautoga. In this village you have the beautiful Togolu sea track, a tropical forest, a memorial for the soldiers from the village who fought during World War I with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and a vegetable garden project, in which families work together to grow vegetables not only for home consumption but for sale at our market places.
“Do you see that point up there? It is called Halagigie Point, and it is the westernmost point of Niue. If you look at a map of our country closely, you will see that it looks something like a man’s face. Halagigie Point is his nose, and the bottom of his mouth is at Avatele. When we go around the point, we will be entering our capital Alofi, which is divided into two villages, Alofi South and Alofi North.”
“Oh look! do you see them!” interrupted Noa, clapping her hands in delight.
“Dolphins are very common here,” responded Matafetu. “They love to swim alongside our boats. They’re very social.”
“So cute!” said Noa. “Look at that one! It’s swimming on its back.”
“They love the attention you give them,” Matafetu said. “They can tell they’re making you happy. I think they’re happy that it’s not yet whale season. When the humpbacks swim by here, everyone pays more attention to them than to the dolphins — especially during calving season. The whales here are normally very docile. You can even swim with them if you care to.”
“I’d be afraid of being crushed,” said Esther.
“It’s always good to be careful, of course, but the whales and the dolphins both seem to like humans. Perhaps it is because Niue has designated as protected waters a large area of the ocean within its territorial jurisdiction where whales, dolphins and other wildlife are safe from hunting and other forms of harassment.”
“Good for Niue!” Noa enthused.
“I should tell you something about Alofi, our capital. About 600 people live in Alofi, just about half the island’s current population,” Matafetu said. “Alofi South is slightly more populous than Alofi North, perhaps because it is the seat of our government, which is the island’s largest employer. In 2004, the capital was almost completely destroyed by Cyclone Heta. Lord Liverpool Hospital was wrecked, with water inundating the operating theatres, wards and offices. Other buildings were decimated, among them, our national museum, which was demolished. They used to call the road that went from the airport to the main road in Alofi ‘the golden mile,’ but after Heta, they called it ‘the desert road.’ There was nothing left except devastation. The Justice Department, the courthouse — everything was wrecked. It was decided to rebuild our capital a bit farther inland in an area called Fonuakula. That is where you will find our Legislative Assembly building — some people call it the Parliament — and other government buildings as well. One of the ways Niue makes money is to sell unusual currency and postage stamps to collectors. Do you know that you can find legal Niuean coins engraved with images from Star Wars, Harry Potter, and other popular movies? There’s even one coin shaped like Darth Vader’s Helmet. Our postage stamps similarly are designed to attract interest from philatelists around the world — they’re a good source of revenue. Sometimes you can see stamps and coins on exhibit at the Niue National Museum along with artifacts including books, handicrafts, and photographs that were salvaged following the cyclone. Heta destroyed the Huanaki Cultural Center & Museum; today the rebuilt museum is called to Taoga Niue Museum. Its collection, unfortunately, is much smaller, with many valuable artifacts taken from us forever by the cyclone. One of the exhibits I enjoyed told about our haircutting ceremony for teenage boys and the ear piercing ceremony for teenage girls. On our island, boys grow a long tail of hair until their haircutting ceremony, and guests pay money to defray the cost of the celebration with whatever is left over going to the boy himself. Girls’ ear piercing ceremonies are less public; they’re usually held in private homes on Saturdays.”
“That sounds to me a little bit like the upsherin ceremony we Jews have for three year old boys,” Noa said. “Once a boy turns three, he will take his very first steps learning the Torah. We give the boy something sweet to eat, so he will associate learning with sweetness. And like your ceremony, guests will pay for the privilege of cutting the young man’s hair, with whatever money is left over going into the boy’s education fund.”
“There is no similar ceremony for girls,” Esther observed acidly.
“That is so interesting, how different cultures have so many things in common,” said Matafetu. “Just to finish up our tour, I should tell you that downtown Alofi has a commercial center that includes a supermarket, art gallery, Internet cafe, post office and hair salon. Our government has made free Wi-Fi available to all residents, but the service is very spotty. Tourists have to pay for Wi-Fi, and the service for them is not much better. The commercial center is just a short walk from the wharf where we will return. One of the places I recommend that you visit is the Tahiono Art Gallery, which includes realistic art works by Mark Cross, and jewelry by his wife Ahi, who runs the gallery. ”
“We’ve very much enjoyed the tour,” said Esther, handing him a wad of bills that included a $100 tip.
“I’m sorry you weren’t here for New Year’s Day,” Matafetu said. “Then you could have seen our Takai celebration, when decorated vehicles go from village to village distributing gifts and sweets. It’s really quite festive.”
“Believe me,” commented Noa. “The tour you gave was wonderful. I’ve learned so much.”
“Yes,” agreed Esther. “We have.”
*
Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com