The Atua Of Rotuma

By Amel

According to the cook’s wife, Rotuma is the most atua-ridden island in the South Pacific. An atua, incidentally, is a spirit, or ghost.

If I am to believe all she says, every square inch of the island harbours an atua, and they also live in the trees, on the beaches, in the sea, in houses and in peoples’ bodies. The cook’s wife, an ami able, wild-haired damsel, seems to be an authority on atuas, and she discusses them with me at every opportunity.

She says that the atuas that come from the sea are fearsome things, and we must be careful not to attract their unwelcome attention by having a bright light shin ing out to sea.

Of course, it is an accepted fact that the atuas are more numerous after dark.

That big dilo tree whose branches squeaked, the shadow that sped past in the gloom, that rustle among dead leaves on the path, could never have been the wind, or a dog, or a lizard. Oh, dear, no . . . they were all atuas.

An atua lives in our summerhouse, or, at least, visits it occasionally. But my authority tells me it is a pleasant atua — the atua of a white woman who lived and died nearby. It has long hair, and wears a white dress, and sandshoes, and usually tells the cook’s wife to get up and go and light the fire.

Another atua roosts just outside the kitchen door, and is supposed to get very angry if any dust is swept out of the kitchen at night . . . but I suspect it was invented for the cook’s convenience!

The atuas that inhabit peoples’ bodies do a terrible lot of damage, and can give you a variety of ailments, from galloping consumption to a boil on the neck. The only cure is to ask the local witch-doctor to chase the atua for you. Of course, the NMP does his bit, too; but the witch doctor gets all the credit!

Native belief in the atua is very deeply rooted, and makes one wonder whether the religious teachings of the missionaries have really made any impression on them. While they appear to know little

about the discomforts of a guilty con science, their atuas give them fits!

Mr. C. W. Rothe, who was acting as general manager of the CSR Co. during the absence of the late Sir Philip Gold finch from the company on (national defence work, has been appointed to the post of general manager.