Tokelau

I’m guessing you don’t think about Tokelau very often—a territory of New Zealand in the South Pacific that consists of three coral atolls with a population of under 1500 people—and it looks like the population is declining. But you know it doesn’t take many people living in a small place for a few generations to develop a distinctive culture. The name Tokelau means “north wind”—previously the islands were called the Union Islands or Union Group. They became the Tokelau Islands in 1946, which was shortened to Tokelau in 1976. On 3 September this little corner of the world celebrates Tokehaga Day.

The islands were settled about 1000 years ago—most likely people arrived from Samoa, the Cook Islnads and Tuvalu.

I’m always surprised to find out these small islands in the South Pacific were (officially…) discovered earlier than Australia—while Captain Cook came to Botany Bay in 1788 (as pretty much any Australian schoolchild will tell you) Commodore John Byron made it to Atafu in 1765. And, hey, as well as getting discovered earlier, Tokelau didn’t have the waves and waves of massacres in order to be used as a penal colony. Bonus! Also, it seems like the window of being preached at by missionaries was relatively shortlived. On the downside, Peruvian slave traders came in 1863 and took nearly all of the able-bodied men to work as labourers—“nearly all” amounted to 253. Unfortunately they mostly died of dysentery and smallpox, and so hardly any returned home.

New Zealand law doesn’t really apply often—only specific enactments are made. The local enact their own laws, and with such a small population serious crime is rare, and there’re not prisons. Anyone who does act up will be publicly rebuked, fined or made to work—community service lives! These days, too, a lot of Tokelauans live in New Zealand, sending money to their families at home.

And, yes, even with less than 1500 inhabitants, there are still poets, or Pulotus—composers, or makers of songs. Today’s is by Ihaia, and it comes from Allan Thomas and Ineleo Tuia’s “Profile of a Composer: Ihaia Pulla, a Pulotu of the Tokelau Islands.” I found it online here.


Tiga te pouli

Tiga te pouli kautatago tiga te agi o te timu-a-toga
Kako au e fitoi atu ke pa atu kia te koe
Agi mai te laki momoka mai ma ua
Oi aue toku tino kua tatapa I te makalilia

However dark the night, however strong the timu-a-toga wind
I will still try to reach you.
The laki wind is coming, the rain is falling
And my body is shaking with the cold.

—Ihaia Puka