Within a week after we first arrived in Kiribati, we were taken by some of school board to another island, Marakei. I don't remember what the reason was behind this trip, but I have a few memories of our time there. I remember the houses were on stilts, and we stayed in a house all to our own for a week. The first night we got there, came a huge storm - not as bad asthe hurricane in The Other Side of Heaven, (nobody died!) but a lot of scary wind, and LOTS of rain. It seems that we were trapped inside the stilt fale (grass hut) for a long time. I vaguely remember someone bringing us food and drink. We were served lots of rice, and probably fish or tinned corned beef, (that would explain our family's development of a favorite meal - canned corned beef & tomatoes over rice). I also remember some kind of sweet milk (they'd mix up sweetened condensed milk) or weak but sugary juice, and I remember the dishes being porcelain covered metal dishes.
After the storm was over, the elders of the villiage took Dad out on the lagoon to teach him how to control an outrigger canoe. I guess it was some kind of ritual for welcoming someone into your community. He did super. I know they have pictures of it, 'cause I remember seeing them. I'll have my brother find them at their home, (they're on their mission in Germany right now,) and get them scanned in so I can add pictures to this someday.
Outrigger canoes are quite an art there. They build these canoes with only native materials.
They make their own string out of coconut fiber, and everything is bound together with this VERY STRONG cord, "te cora". Check out this great website I found with lots of pictures and info about the process. It also gives a lot of fascinating info like how boys are taught when very young how to navigate the ocean using the stars. My dad was absolutely fascinated by it, and one of our favorite crafts we got from Kiribati was a model of an outrigger canoe. Here is an example, from another blog.
Okay, tag, you're it, Dad/Mom - I'd love to add your thoughts and memories to this story! Dad, I'll even do a whole post with your info on outrigger canoes, since I know you have lots of background and fun details about why/how/when, etc. Feel free to send it by e-mail, and I'll post it here. I look forward to learning more soon!
1 comment:
I loved that outrigger canoe model! Where is it? I remember playing with it when I wasn't supposed to, but it was SOOOO cool!
If memory serves correctly there is a story about Dad in the outrigger in his memoir account. He gave a copy to all of us one year. Have to go look that up for the full story.
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