ANUTA: Polynesian Lifeways for the Twenty-First Century

2. The Setting

27 Chapter 2 The Setting Anuta, or Cherry Island, is a small volcanic outcropping in the Solomon Islands’ Temotu Province. It is the country’s easternmost populated island, located at approximately 169°50′ east and 11°40′ south.1 The nearest island of any appreciable size is an uninhabitable rock that the Anutans call Patutaka, lying thirty nautical miles to the southeast; the nearest populated island, Tikopia, is about seventy-five miles to the southwest.2 Next to Tikopia the nearest bits of terra firma are the Melanesian islands of Vanikoro, Utupua, and Ndenö; the Reef Islands with their mixed Melanesian and Polynesian populations; and the Polynesian Duffs (Taumako), all over two hundred miles away. Further to the south and a bit west are the Banks Islands of northern Vanuatu (formerly the joint British-French “condominium” of the New Hebrides). To the east, the nearest island is Rotuma, five hundred miles away; beyond that are the Polynesian communities of ‘Uvea and Futuna and the Tongan and Samoan archipelagoes. Between six and seven hundred miles to the northeast is Tuvalu (Ellice Islands), and about the same distance to the southeast is Fiji. Anutan oral traditions record over 300 years of regular contact with Tikopia and the Polynesian islands to the east. Prior to the twentieth century, however, they report only the most sporadic communi- 28 Chapter 2 cation with the Melanesian islands to the west. This view of interisland contact is supported by Anuta’s Polynesian language and culture as well as its people’s physical appearance. Genetic studies carried out by Gajdusek and his associates (Blake, et al. 1983) on the Alpha Helix expedition of 1972 confirm the Anutans’ distinctiveness from all other Solomon Islands populations, even those of Tikopia and other Polynesian outliers. Historical Background Pre-Contact History Most anthropologists are skeptical of using oral tradition as a tool for historical reconstruction. However, written records on Anutan history are virtually nonexistent, while archaeological and historical linguistic analyses leave many unanswered questions.3 Moreover, the relatively short time span that the Anutans’ oral traditions cover, their internal consistency, and their correlation with sociocultural and linguistic evidence all lend credence to the Anutans’ version of their island’s past, at least in its broad outlines.4 Anutans, like many Polynesians, have stories claiming that their island was pulled up from the ocean floor sometime during the mythical past by the demigod Motikitiki.5 The first inhabitants’ origin is unknown, and Anutans evince little information about them until the time of Pu Ariki, an important Tikopian chief. At some point during Pu Ariki’s reign he voyaged to Anuta and spoke with the two indigenous chiefs. He told them of the storms, droughts, tidal waves, and famines he had come to know back home but which Anuta had not experienced. When he heard that such events were unknown on Anuta, Pu Ariki cringed with shame and vowed his hosts would soon make their acquaintance. He returned to his homeland, invoked his deities’ assistance, and a short time later Anuta was struck by a horrific storm. Crops were destroyed, and a ferocious surf prevented acquisition of food from the sea. After the storm, the sun came out and shone unmercifully; the water dried up, and the people perished .6 These events allegedly took place about fifteen generations ago. A short time later, two canoes descended to Anuta. One is said to have been Tongan, and its crew was led by Pu Kaurave, the man who would become the first chief of Anuta’s current population. The second was from Uvea (probably East ‘Uvea or Wallis Island) and was led by Pu Taupare, the founding ancestor of Anuta’s present chiefly line.7 Pu Kaurave and Pu Taupare married each other’s sisters and lived peacefully together for some time. Eventually, however, they The Setting 29 came into conflict. Pu Kaurave left Anuta in search of overseas adventure , eventually landing in the Santa Cruz Islands. One version of the story states that he sailed to Taumako; another identifies the site as Vanikoro. In either case, he met his end when his hosts bathed him in “the chilling water.” Kaurave’s son, Ruokimata, accompanied him on the trip. Upon his father’s death, Ruokimata returned to Anuta and succeeded to the chieftainship, but he had no offspring of his own. Thus, when he died, Pu Taupare’s son, Toroaki, assumed the chieftainship . It...