Adventures in Paradise 46

Adventures in Paradise 46

Kia Orana, everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with some thoughts on tradition and what it means to our Cook Island friends. Yesterday we were observers of a very ancient ceremony known here as an investiture. As mentioned in previous blogs, land cannot be bought and sold; it can only be passed on and divided among descendents of the original land holders. Hundreds of years ago, the island was sectioned off in slices that run from the sea to the mountains and each section has a Mataiapo, who is in essence chief. Each chief is responsible for maintaining peace among family and dispersing land to family members when they wish to build a home. This is a daunting responsibility, which on many occasions, involves detective work to ascertain who is family and who is not. Land court dockets are always overloaded  due to claims made by various people who challenge someone else’s right to a portion of the family estate.

Yesterday a new chief was invested on a sacred marae situated on family land. A marae is a ceremonial sacred spot where strict observance of tradition is conducted. A marae is constructed so as to reflect the genealogical roots of the Mataipo. There are rock formations on the marae, each representing one of the children of the original chief.  It was a special day for Mama Ngametua Enuake Kaota. She was to become chief over all family interests and it was her seventy-sixth birthday as well. Much like British royalty, this title is a birthright passed from oldest child of a former chief down through the family. As one chief passes, the next sibling in line is invested. It is a lifetime responsibility. Mama Kaota at seventy-six, is the youngest and only surviving child of the former chief. This chief had twelve children! Upon the passing of her older brother, the title and its responsibilities  have fallen on her shoulders.

Producing our invitation at the entrance, we were greeted warmly, kissed on the right cheek and presented with a tea leaf ei. This ei denoted that we were honored guests and as such were seated in a place of honor right behind the prime minister! We might mention, here, that although we did know others in attendance, we had only met Mama Kaota twice. Because of their respect for our status as missionaries, we were given special seating preference. This show of respect always surprises us just a little and we are always touched to be treated in such a manner.

Mama Kaota arrived, fully covered in large tea leaves. This we learned referenced  respect for the land and all growing things. Her entrance was followed by a leaf-covered pallet carried by six warriors. This pallet held a large roasted pit. Eventually, Mama was divested of all of her tea leaves, revealing that she was wearing a beautiful traditional Mumu. This Mumu spoke to those gathered of how one adapts to modern times and traditions. Finally, during the final course of the ceremony, Mama was dressed in clothing made of traditional tapa cloth. This was to show reverence and respect for ancient tradition. Finally, the new chief was given a headdress of feathers (referencing heaven) adorned with mother-of-pearl. Mama’s first official act as the new Mataiapo was to bite into a pig’s ear when the pigs head was presented to her on a palm leaf platter. This is the traditional Maori way of “sealing the deal”.

Throughout the investiture, constant references were made to the Creator and prayers of thanks were offered in Maori. Warriors stood at the entrance to the marae and no one was allowed entrance without express permission. As a sign of respect, anyone entering must be barefoot. For an hour we listened, transfixed ,to chants, drumming and beautiful songs sung in Maori. This was such a special occasion that all school children from the village schools were invited to be present. We considered ourselves very fortunate to have been invited as well.

Knowing that there would be a feast, I asked if I could bring something to contribute. I was thanked politely, but told that only traditional food would be served. I should mention that there were about three hundred in attendance. This is not a small catering job for anyone! As we were leaving the ceremony, each person was presented with a hand-woven palm leaf plate. It contained all the usual traditional foods, such as chicken, pork, taro and arrowroot. We were told that twenty-eight pigs had been slaughtered and roasted in preparation for the feast. Each plate was covered in large leaves and we were told to take our “plates” home and enjoy them with our own family. Ward’s son and daughter-in-law attended as well, so we really did enjoy a family dinner. Might I just say that each of our plates contained enough food to feed an entire family? Four of these platters meant we would have a lot of leftovers! As a side note, I will mention that I took all of the extra chicken and made a pasta salad that fed us all for two days! Such is the generosity of these people. When you factor in the time preparing the food as well as the time it took to weave over three hundred plates, one can begin to appreciate how much Rarotongans value tradition and how hard they work to preserve it. We consider ourselves very fortunate to have been able to share this experience with our new friends. We are all richer for the experience.

So, as usual, we are happy and trying to work hard. We are learning so much about what makes our friends here, the people that they are. They have a reverence and respect for the land and for their ancestors. They have learned to keep the connectors between yesterday and today strong and viable. Their children are learning that it is important to respect their elders, the land, the island traditions and each other. Like them, we value our loved ones who have laid the groundwork for the lives that we enjoy. We may not have a chief or a marae, but we have family folklore, crumpled old photos and family journals that we cherish. We cannot bear to throw away old letters or grandma’s wedding dress. It is the way we are made and it’s wonderful to have a legacy. Hopefully, we will leave a legacy as well with those who love us. We appreciate the parts you have played in our personal histories and can’t wait to see you all again so that we can add new chapters.

Love, Ward and Susan                 Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in the Cooks

The welcome chant to open the ceremony

These warriors are guarding the sacred marae. Notice the large stone seat in the background to the right. This is where the newly invensted mataiapo will be seated.

Another warrior. He is wearing ceremonial clothing made entirely from tea leaves.

Honored guests, having been invited onto the marae, have paid their respect to the new Mataiapo, whom you can see seated in the background.

Some of the invited guests who are waiting for the ceremony to begin. Notice that some of them are wearing tea leaf eis. These eis set them apart as special, guests of honor.We were seated four or five rows ahead of them.

Ward holding his "take-out" lunch.

My palm leaf plate is still covered. As I disclaimer: Ward had already opened his dinner and started to eat before I could put down a tablecloth. I am so ashamed!

The darkest meat is pork. You can also see chicken in the upper left hand part of the plate. The grey in the middle is taro and the yellow is arrowroot, or tapioca. This is a serving for one: could it be one person, one family or food for one week? Please also appreciate that each plate was hand-woven by ladies of the village.

This photo appeared on the front page of the  local newspaper. It shows Mama Kaota, as the new Mataiapo and our friend Raumea Tangianau Tuaputa acting in the role of "Speaker of the House".