Huia Short Stories 11 Page 5

  Haani listened with interest, comparing the dream with her own. They were eerily similar.

  ‘In my dream,’ she began, ‘they’re on the waka taurua, sailing towards a big island in rough seas. I can see something white in the background, which sounds like the descriptions of a mountain. The crew are overjoyed, but then suddenly my dream switches. The waka taurua is smashed to pieces, just wreckage floating on the surface of the ocean.’

  ‘Did they make it to shore?’ Taiki asked.

  ‘They must have. They’re on shore standing in line and waving at me, but I don’t know if they are waving for help, or waving me away.’

  ‘How many are there?’ he asked. Haani closed her eyes briefly and thought for a moment.

  ‘Eight, but one is a child. Is it possible there’s a child with them?’

  Doom crept over Taiki’s face as he thought about Inewehi. His appetite was suddenly gone. He pushed the bowl of food away and stood up.

  ‘You know where I am if anyone needs me.’

  Haani watched as he walked off, certain he was going to the wharenui.

  As Taiki walked along the beach trying to make sense of his dreams, he paused and looked across the Rakahanga lagoon to the islands on the northern end. These islands they called home were miniscule, so flat there were no points of land higher than the top of even the smallest coconut palm. There were no rivers, no hills, no waterfalls and no mountains. If he hadn’t been to the island of Tumu-te-varovaro as a young man, he wouldn’t believe such things existed anywhere. Nevertheless, even though he’d been lucky enough to experience these things in person, the sheer magnitude of the mountain in his dream placed it firmly in the realm of fantasy. A mountain coloured pure white, like the inside of a coconut, just made no sense.

  Ignoring the mountain in his dream for a moment, Taiki thought about the island at its base instead. Its dimensions were inconceivable to anyone from the smaller Rakahanga islands. Here, any man could swim across the lagoon and back without trouble, even if he swum the longest stretch from north to south. A boy could paddle a waka ama around all of the six islands that surrounded Rakahanga Lagoon in half a day, as long as he stayed within the reef. Even a child could run from where Taiki was standing now to the ocean side of the island and back, with five breaths.

  What they called home was in fact a tiny collection of puny islands in the midst of Moana-roa. If this island in his dream, which the navigators called Avaiki-tautau, really did exist, it certainly justified the journey Arepuni undertook.

  Unfortunately, as soon as he thought about the crew, the part of his dream that disturbed him more than fascinated him reappeared. A child was with them.

  Full of guilt, he shook his head and continued on.

  As Taiki arrived out front of the wharenui, his eyes were drawn to the carved figure atop the central post, carved in memory of Arepuni and his peaceful nature, his most admirable quality. Daily it inspired Taiki to lead the way he did. He wondered whether Arepuni would be proud of him if he was still alive. He took a long deep breath and made his way through the door.

  Lately, his daily routine was to come here and sit with his back against the poutokomanawa and let the carvings speak to him in dreams. It often helped, but not always. Sometimes the guilt was unbearable, and he chose to reminisce about the construction of the wharenui. It was the first thing built after the cyclone twenty years ago, as an emergency measure for the twelve families that survived. With everyone’s help, the carvers finished it in less than two days. Initially they just stood the posts and completed the roof. This served as shelter until each family’s new whare was built, waka ama were constructed and gardens replanted. Slowly life returned to normality. It was accepted that Arepuni and his crew were never returning, but instead of pulling the wharenui down, it was immortalised in ceremony as a sacred place, and improved. Carvings representing each crew member were erected, intricate woven wall panels depicting family trees were mounted, and the entire wharenui was renamed. It was officially blessed by the elders six months after the cyclone, a memorial to the lost crew and their navigator and the chief. Nowadays for Taiki it embodied the lies and deceit he maintained to protect his people from the truth.

  Trying to shake the negativity from his mind, Taiki went to greet each of the twelve carvings. Slowly he ran his fingers over the patterns and designs, reciting the whakapapa of each under his breath. While his nose was pressed to the carving, he inhaled deeply and opened his heart, mind and third eye. Once he’d greeted them all, he sat with his back to the poutokomanawa, wrapped himself in his cloak, closed his eyes and let himself slip into the dream state, looking for answers.

  Still over at Te Kāinga, Haani had found herself a tranquil and shaded spot to sit and finish the fan she was weaving. She was on the dunes near Punariku, sitting with her back against a coconut palm, facing out into the centre of the lagoon, quietly watching the people around the marae. A short distance away, a group of adults had gathered on the beach, talking amongst themselves. The discussion was out of earshot, but was animated enough for her to know it was about last night. She chose to stay out. Even the children running around playing knew to keep their distance. One little boy, however, sprinted over to Haani, throwing himself down beside her, grabbing her arm.

  ‘Kia orana, No’o,’ she said. ‘What are you doing? If you’re trying to help me weave, that’s not the best way.’

  He looked at her sideways, but then turned and looked down the beach at the group of adults.

  ‘They’re going to be mean to you, but you’re too old so I’ll protect you.’

  Haani cast a brief glance at them and smiled.

  ‘Well, you’re a brave young boy. Do you think you can beat them after just one training session of mau rākau?’

  ‘I’m not scared!’ he said. ‘I’m going to be like Taiki one day. He’s not scared of anything and I’m not either. Shall I show you some of the moves I learnt today?’

  Before she could reply, No’o jumped up, ran off and came back with a long stick in his hands. He stood in the traditional stance directly in front of her and pointed it at the group. With his eyes open wide, he thrust his tongue out in defiance, and began jumping up and down from one leg to the other. Suddenly he began moving forward, twirling the stick in front of his body, ready to strike anyone that moved. By now he had everyone’s attention. Haani smiled, trying hard not to laugh.

  ‘Come here boy,’ she said.

  He ignored her, so she threw sand at his legs and called him by name. Maintaining his gaze on the people down the beach, and with his stick gripped tightly across his body, he began moving backwards, but continued to thrust his tongue out in defiance.

  ‘Sit down here boy. You’ll be a good warrior one day, but let me tell you some things about Taiki you don’t know.’

  ‘What’s that?’ No’o asked, as he sat down.

  ‘Well, I can see you know Taiki’s mastered the fighting arts of mau rākau, and if you keep up your training, you will too.’

  She put her fingers around his biceps and gave them a little squeeze.

  ‘And you’re very strong too.’

  Happy someone had finally noticed, he clenched his jaw and flexed his biceps as hard as possible.

  ‘I haven’t shown you my secret moves yet,’ he pointed out. ‘Do you want to see them?’

  ‘Maybe someone will see and then they won’t be secret any more?’

  No’o looked over at the group, just in case.

  ‘Do you know Taiki has an invisible weapon?’ said Haani.

  ‘An invisible weapon! What is it?’

  Now she had his attention back, she reached over and tapped his forehead.

  ‘It’s in there.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘It’s his mind.’

  ‘Huh?’ said No’o, confused.

  ‘Taiki’s a powerful warrior and leader because he has a powerful body and a powerful mind. The body is visible but the mind is his invisible
weapon.’

  ‘Huh? That’s not a weapon. That’s his head and it’s not invisible. What can you do with a head?’

  ‘You know some things that it does already.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘It sees. It has eyes, and because you can turn your head, it can see everywhere. You can also use your eyes to talk. That’s good, huh?’

  She leant her head to the side, turned the corners of her mouth downward, and performed a pūkana, rolling her bulging eyeballs from side to side. No’o cringed, unsure if he liked that or not.

  ‘That’s ugly!’

  ‘Shut your eyes for a second,’ she said. ‘I’ll show you something else.’

  No’o shut his eyes. She reached out and flicked his ears.

  ‘Ow!’ he yelled, catching the attention of the group nearby. ‘What did you do that for?’

  ‘Now you know what I mean. You have two eyes in your head, so use them.’

  ‘That’s stupid,’ he said.

  She continued.

  ‘Not only can the head see, but it can breathe. Without breathing, you’re dead.’

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘Go on! Do it!’

  No’o took a deep breath and then puffed up his chest and his cheeks and squeezed his lips together. Haani couldn’t believe how easy this was.

  ‘That’s a good boy. Now you keep that up, and I’ll keep talking.’

  On she went, his face slowly getting redder and redder. By now everyone could see something strange was going on. No’o noticed and tried even harder. He let out a breath and quietly sucked in another. Almost immediately several people began to laugh at his puffed up chest and tiny red face. Unamused, he stood up and reached for his stick. Suddenly his head began to spin and he fell forward, his head landing heavily in the sand. The group burst into laughter at the sight of his bare bum in the air. He was so angry he leapt to his feet and pulled his loin cloth back down. He then reached out for his stick again, and his whole world spun out of control. He fell back into Haani’s arms. She held him close so he couldn’t see her smile. He was already sulking.

  ‘Your head will stop spinning soon. Just stay still, calm down. You’ve just learnt your first and most important lesson as a warrior. All life’s important lessons you learn from a grandmother.’

  ‘What lesson?’ he asked, still wounded.

  ‘Where the head goes, the body will follow! Now, don’t ever forget what a grandmother told you! So, do you know what else the head can do, No’o?’

  ‘What?’ he asked, still sulking.

  ‘It can eat and drink. This is how you make the body strong and healthy. Don’t put anything in your mouth that makes you cough or throw up. It’s bad for you.’

  ‘You said Taiki has an invisible weapon, but now you’re just making things up.’

  ‘He has. Let me finish. He has ears too. You should try and use them instead of having them there just to get clipped.’

  She clipped his ears again to make a point.

  ‘Ow!’ he squealed, covering his ears with his hands for the second time.

  ‘So use your ears, and I’ll tell you the invisible part of his secret weapon. You want to hear it?’

  ‘Only if it’s something real.’

  ‘It’s real and it’s invisible. It’s his mind.’

  ‘Huh?’

  ‘Yeah! It’s his mind.You know the head is tapu, don’t you?’

  ‘I thought it was only the chief’s head that’s tapu.’

  ‘That’s what most people believe, but everyone’s head is tapu, not just his. Don’t be scared of touching his head. I touch it every day. It won’t make you sick any more than anyone else’s will, but as a young boy learning the fighting arts of mau rākau, you must know this. Don’t ever hit someone in the head. It’s tapu for a reason.’

  No’o tried to make sense of what she said. Most, he understood.

  ‘Why shouldn’t I hit the head?’ he asked.

  ‘Because of the mind inside. Treat it as tapu. Everyone’s!’

  ‘How is the mind a weapon if it’s inside? How do you get it out? By spitting?’

  ‘No’o. Spitting will just get you in big trouble. No, the mind is a tool you can use many ways, even as a weapon. Taiki doesn’t just pick up a stick and hit someone with it. First he uses his mind to decide if it’s the right thing to do.’

  Haani could see he was getting confused. She was going to have to explain more to a budding warrior in training.

  ‘Do you understand me yet? Can you see why Taiki is a great leader? He uses all his senses to make the right decision.’

  ‘But I sensed those people over there are going to be mean to you, and because you’re too old and Taiki isn’t here to protect you, I should fight them for you.’

  ‘It’s good you want to stop people being mean to others, but you don’t understand the situation. Those people are hurt about some things and they are angry, but we are family. They won’t be violent to me.’

  ‘How do I know that?’ he asked.

  ‘You aren’t old enough to know yet, because you have no experience. You have a strong body now and one day you will have a strong mind too, but not yet.’ Haani reached over and gave No’o’s biceps another squeeze.

  ‘Are you feeling better yet? Has your head stopped spinning?’

  ‘My head stopped spinning but now my mind is spinning. You’re a spinner.’

  ‘You’re a spinner. Now get up and go play with your friends, and get some experience.’

  ‘What shall I do? Where can I get experience?’ asked No’o.

  ‘Ask Tangaroa,’ she said, deliberately changing the topic. Now No’o was really confused, but Haani didn’t wait for him to ask for an explanation.

  ‘Last night Taiki told me Tangaroa told you a secret. Is that true?’

  No’o didn’t know what to say. He dropped his gaze to his feet and shrugged his shoulders.

  ‘Do you talk to Tangaroa, or does he talk to you?’ she asked. Again he shrugged his shoulders, but Haani sensed there was something behind his embarrassment. He may have been ridiculed about it before.

  ‘Not many people are lucky enough to speak with Tangaroa. We all come from him, one day we will return to him, that is why we all pray to him, but there are very few he talks to directly. Maybe he likes you. Do you like him?’

  Meekly he nodded.

  ‘Do you know his real names? One of them is Tangaroa-whakamautai.’

  ‘He told me that was one of his names.’ said No’o. ‘Who told you?’

  ‘Taiki told me. He learnt navigation before he became chief. Only those who have learnt navigation know him by all his names.’

  No’o was thinking hard, searching her face for answers to things he couldn’t explain.

  ‘But if he’s called Tangaroa-whakamautai, how can he move the tides if he lives in the sky?’

  ‘I think he lives in the sky, but I’ve heard some navigators say he lives in the ocean. Perhaps he lives where he likes. Maybe he lives within you.’

  No’o didn’t know about that, but still could hardly believe the rest of what he was hearing. Not only was Taiki a great chief and warrior, he was a trained navigator.

  ‘How can I be like Taiki?’ he asked.

  ‘You need to develop your invisible weapon. Use your eyes and your ears more than your mouth, and listen to your feelings. That’s how you train your mind. A good start will be at the next meeting.’

  ‘What meeting?’ he asked.

  ‘I think there will be one soon enough. Now go and play with your friends.’

  ‘If I run faster, will I get experience faster?’

  No’o didn’t wait for an answer. He jumped up from her lap, picked up his stick and sprinted down the beach towards the group of adults. At the last second he side-stepped past with his tongue thrust out in defiance. He then kept sprinting up the beach to the point where the men began and ended their daily mau rākau training. He threw his stick on the beach and dived head first in
to the lagoon.

  Taiki was just emerging from the wharenui when he looked back across the lagoon towards Te Kainga, to see a young boy running in to the water. The daily training was finished, and it was unusual to see young boys swim across the lagoon alone – normally they didn’t have the power to handle the tides. A waka ama was on its way out to follow the boy, and a group of people were over there watching. Taiki decided to do the same.

  Initially Taiki didn’t know what to expect, but soon it was clear the boy was attempting to swim right across the lagoon. Fortunately the tide was going with him. His technique was terrible and his breathing desperate. He was clearly tiring, but he kept going, ignoring the pleas from the occupant of the waka ama trailing him. He finally made it to the other side, unaware of Taiki watching from further along in the dunes. Panting heavily, he walked up the beach and sat down to get his breath back. He looked back towards Te Kainga, where the small crowd had grown larger. In the water in front of him was the young man in his waka ama, yelling to him.

  ‘Hey, No’o. Come on, jump in. I’ll take you back.’

  ‘No, I’m going to swim back.’

  Without another word, No’o ran down to the shore and dived in. Every adult knew the tide was against him now, and quickly another waka ama was sent out to meet him. On and on No’o went, punching his skinny arms into the water, miraculously edging across. With every stroke, a chant rung out from the shore, and with every chant he responded. Finally he felt his hand hit sand. As he tried to stand up, he was yanked to his feet by his concerned mother.

  ‘My son! What did you do that for? You had everyone worried!’ Aro’a asked as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him tight. He was gasping for air so hard he couldn’t answer.

  ‘That was great, boy!’ said one of the elders, patting him on the head.