To Tatou Ora (Our Life)

Temaeu put together this months blog. My contribution this month is the title and a few lines at the end!  Read on...

Morganne's Cultural Performance

The evening of 4 April, 2012 was to become an evening of great importance to the George household.  This was the evening that all 13 schools, primary and secondary, on Rarotonga would provide a cultural group to perform for 7 to 10 minutes.

  

Some of the schools are big enough that students could sign up for the culture group.  Morganne's school is not that big, so the whole school had to perform:  all 160 or so students.  The theme was "words of wisdom"... Roe Porokiroki.  

The village that we live in, Arorangi, is known for it's pe'e which, I believe, is a war chant.  As Morganne attends Arorangi Primary, this is what the older students were learning.  The younger students learnt a drum dance, which they did with great enthusiasm.
We found out about this event after we got back from N.Z.  Morganne came home from school one day, quite distraught, and part of it was from trying to learn the pe'e.  She did learn it and was getting more comfortable when she came home with a list of things we needed to take to a costume making afternoon on Saturday, March 31.  
This is what the list contained: 

• 50 rau iti leaves, 
• 20 kikau leaves, 
• 5 palm branches, (the larger ones), 
• a costume needle,
• black or green thread and scissors.  

I was quite familiar with kikau by now because of Morganne's other projects.  We had the palms growing in our yard so that wasn't a problem.  A costume needle and the thread, well, just stop off and pick that up in town but, what the heck were rau iti leaves and where were we going to get those from?!!  I was volunteering @ Arorangi Primary and so was shown what rau iti were but we didn't have any in our yard.  What to do??  The morning of the 31st dawned and as I was walking up the hill from the bus stop, I noticed a big pile of kikau branches by the side of the road.  The village of Arorangi was going through a beautification process and lots of branches and trees were being cut down.  That took care of the kikau on the list, which meant I didn't have to knock on our neighbour's door for that.  Still didn't know what to do about the rau iti.  When I got home, I told Morganne about the kikau and off we went to get the 20 she needed.  As we were walking home, we met another neighbour and she was wondering what we were up to.  I told her about the costume making afternoon and mentioned how we were looking for rau iti.  Fortunately for us, she had a big plant and cut off quite a few branches for us to use.  Yay great neighbours!!!

As our motorbike had a flat tire, Morganne and I got to walk the 2 km to church hall, carrying all our treasures with us.  Once we got there, it didn't take long to be shown what to do.  First we had to "bone" the rau iti leaves, which meant taking the central vein out from the bottom part of the leaf.  The leaf would then be braided into a skirt, along with the other 49.  Morganne was very good at boning her leaves and didn't shred them.  I went through a few before I finally got the hang of it.  Using one's teeth really was easier than fingernails or scissors.  After all the leaves were boned, they had to be torn to the correct length for the skirt.  The pieces being torn off would be used for the bodice.  Then, it was time to make the skirt.  Firstly, a braid was started out of raffia and after there was enough for a tie, the leaves were added in, one at a time.  I thought I knew what I was doing and merrily braided away.  When I was about 2/3 done, the woman in charge caught sight of the skirt and said that it was all wrong and to undo it.  Then she showed me, again, how she wanted the leaves to look and I started again.  Second time was the charm and thank goodness for "Aunty" Doreen's patience and help.  

We ran out of leaves that we had taken with us, so we got to take the skirt home to finish off there.  Next was the bodice, but it was so much easier than the skirt as this time I knew what I was doing.  We also ran out of leaves for that so that was also finished at home on Sunday.  It took us 3 hours to almost complete two things.  "Aunty" Doreen said that she and her daughter, one of Morganne's mates, would make the necklace and that someone else was taking all the palms to make the head pieces.  We were told to take the finished costume down to their family store to be kept in the cool room until the 4th April.

There were lots of practices and rehearsals at the school during Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Morganne actually came home early on Wednesday so they could rest up and eat before their evening performance.  She was to be at the hall by 4 pm to start getting dressed.  Down we went and I had been thinking that I'd just leave her and then see her at the National Auditorium.  I ended up staying and helped her get dressed.  By the time we got to her hair, poor Morganne had had enough.  

She was quite overwhelmed by everything and really, really, really didn't like how her hair was supposed to be.  There were tears and lots of muttering.  Yay again to "Aunty" Doreen for stepping in and helping to settle Morganne.  

I went home to get Alina and after Alina reminded Morganne how bad her first costume was at Eastglen, Morganne was feeling much better.  She went out and got her "makeup" on, which was a stencil of a sun on her cheek and shoulder.  Morganne looked so great and I was just so excited to see our baby in a traditional Cook Island costume.  Fortunately for our little tomboy, they were doing a pe'e and so didn't have to wear a coconut bikini with a short skirt or a halter top and skirt.  Most of her was covered up, just how she likes it.

Alina and I went to the Auditorium to watch the other performances.  We could have stayed and gone on the bus with the school, but I had bought tickets and I wanted to see what the other schools did.  It was well worth it.  All the performances were fantastic but we did enjoy Arorangi's the best.  Hmmmmm…… wonder why?  Morganne did well and blended right in. Her favourite part was when they did the haka and it really showed.  Kia kaha!!

Arorangi Primary's performance (read more...)

Here is a word from the girl herself:

Well, It's been a while but I do remember what the main event was, and that was me having a melt down. ( >_< embarrassed ) So while half of the school was trying to figure out WHY I was crying my head off, I wasn't getting any better. Only a few of the kids knew why I was crying, (which was stage fright) and was embarrassed beyond my comfort zone. The good news is that I did manage the rest of the day without crying, the bad news is my pride and dignity were wounded and STILL mending as we speak. 

So that's the exciting event, so BYE!!!!



Morganne & friends volunteering (read the article here...)

Parent Associations and Schools

While we lived in Edmonton, I was an active member of the parent association at the children's elementary school. During the seven years I was a member, we noticed a marked decline in parents showing up for the monthly meetings and willing to be part of the association. The member holding the treasurer position was still volunteering to do so, long after his youngest child had left that school and even after she graduated from high school!!!  The association tried so many different methods of getting parents involved and kept telling people that the biggest commitment was once a month for an hour, two hours at the most.  This was not even a proper meeting but more of an information sharing session between the parents, the principal and teachers.  There was only one meeting a year and still parents wouldn't commit.  It was very frustrating and I couldn't understand how out of a student body of approximately 250, we were struggling to get 5 parents a month!!! I am hopeful that things have improved but am not sure that they have.  I did not attend the meetings at the junior high schools or high schools that our kids went on to, but judging from the newsletters, attendance there was not any better.

March 28th, I finally attended a parent meeting at Tereora College.  The meeting had been mentioned in the national newspaper a few days prior with a reminder on the day.  There are approximately 700 students attending the College, so I was expecting a fairly decent turn out, especially with the mentions in the paper.  There may have been 30 parents and a lot of the previous year's executive were re-elected.  The new principal they have at Tereora is quite excited about some of the changes he is planning and what the College will be able to offer to their students and he needs the parents to support him.  It was so disheartening to see parental apathy is just as apparent over here as it is in Edmonton.  There were even two articles in the paper regarding this poor parent turn out.

I strongly believe that if our children are going to do well in school, we, as parents, need to be involved.  If one chooses to not attend the meetings, then the opportunity to voice ideas, opinions, etc. is lost.  We are our children's strongest role models and this is one of those times that we need to stand up and be counted. It's just as important as going to vote on election day. If we don't, the apathy will grow and smother us.

Oe Vaka

This is one of the coolest team sports ever!!  Six people get in an outrigger canoe and paddle.  Last November, we were able to watch a few of the Vaka Eiva races, which is an annual event in Rarotonga.  Teams from all over, Canada, U.S., N.Z. and Oz, come and compete.  There 

are many different races and different distances.  I think the most gruelling one was the race around the island of Rarotonga.  The teams are on the ocean side of the reef, so are not only paddling like mad to beat the others, but are also making sure they don't end up on the reef.  I enjoyed watching and just thought it would be so much fun to give it a go.

Vaka Eiva 2011

After we got back from N.Z., I met a friend of Ina's sister, Tai, at the Saturday morning market.  She is one of the "Vaka people" and mentioned that they were starting a novice class on Wednesday afternoons.  I missed the first three Wednesdays, due to various school events, but finally made it on the 11th April.  It was well worth the wait.

In 2009, when Ina and I came over to Raro after his dad's tangi, we also went to Atiu where his father was born to claim some family land for our house. Before we left, Ina stopped at his fathers grave to ask for his guidance.  On the second day there, Ina and I were at one of the beaches (Taungaroro - background pic to this blog). 
A black kotuku (heron) flew by, then a few minutes later, a pair of kotuku flew back across the beach, one was white and one was black.  Ina said, when he saw them fly by, his first thought was of his parents and took this as a sign from his father we were doing the right thing.  After that day, we saw a black kotuku every day on Atiu and then a few times on Raro. Since then, we have always thought of the black kotuku as Ina's Dad and the white one as Ina's Mum.
When Ina returns to Raro or on the day he leaves, he goes for a swim at Aroa Beach.  On New Years Eve when he was there last, a black kotuku flew straight at him, then over his head as if to say, "don't worry about your family, we'll be waiting for your safe return"



Vaka launch site at Muri
Legends speak of Vaka leaving from here to settle
New Zealand over 1000 years ago.

On the 11th, as I was driving to Muri on the motorbike, I saw a black kotuku.  That seemed like a fairly auspicious beginning.  I stopped in Matavera to pick up my friend, Karlene, and off we went to Muri.  Our first challenge was finding the right spot.  We went down one drive, only to have it end at a private property.  We went back to the sailing club, parked there and asked if anyone knew where the vaka training was.  They thought it was either there or down by the rugby club.  As we had 20 minutes to spare, we started walking along the beach in the direction we thought it was.  
There, just ahead of us was the black kotuku.  When we got close to it, it flew a bit further down the beach.  
Again, as we approached, it flew a little bit further down.  We kept walking and then looked at the time.  We had 5 minutes left and we still hadn't found the right place.  
We left the kotuku, which was just a bit ahead of us, jogged back to the bike and I checked my cell phone.  The directions had been texted to us, so off we went.  
When we walked down to the correct beach, we realized that was where the kotuku had been waiting!!

Temaeu's Grandmother told her to always paddle her own canoe.

One of the coaches arrived and a few other people showed up, so it was time to learn about Oe Vaka.  Firstly, bail out all the rain water.  Next, get the vaka down to the water.  We were told a few of the house rules, shown how to hold the paddle and in we got.  There were 3 of us who had never done any paddling, two women who had and the coach.  As we were paddling towards one of the little motu, (islets), a small school of fish jumped out of the water.  I thought they were maroro (flying-fish) but wasn't sure.  We spent about 45 minutes learning how to paddle in time, change from one side of the vaka to the other, etc.  When we got back, the other coach was there so we went out and did a few drills with her.  I think we were paddling for over an hour and I loved every minute of it.  Just being out on the water, seeing the fish jump, (another school did it as we were doing our drills), listening to the rhythm of both paddles and waves, gasping in lungfuls of clean air; it was so exhilarating.  I can completely understand the appeal of Oe Vaka.  I'm not sure that I want to compete at Vaka Eiva but I do know that I have found a new sport that I think I will enjoy for many, many years.

 

Photo by:Clark Miller

As I was taking Karlene home, a pair of kotuku flew by, one white and one black.  Thank you, Mum and Dad.  It was truly a beautiful experience.


There's just one more thing... when I returned to Canada, Temaeu's Mother told me she had bought some raffle tickets earlier for all her grandchildren in the hopes one of them might win something.  It turns out Morganne was the lucky winner!

Her prize?... a signed Robert Bateman print of a Kotuku...



'Nuff said...