Thing

The

By Nihi Vini

THE island was Penrhyn, the date the early 1840 s. It was early in the morning. The sea was very calm.

The blue sky was decorated by strokes of different colours. The sun was about to break the dawn. A ship was passing the island by one to two miles on a south-southwest ;ourse. Unseen by those on board, someone slipped quietly into the water md began to swim towards the shore vhere the white sand beaches reckoned. i On the island, people were getting ready to begin their day’s work. This Deluded getting coconuts from the rees to drink and fish from the reefs )n the ocean side. But something was joining towards them. Word was sent 0 the rest of the people and a big :rowd gathered on the beach. Men md their spears and women had their Tubs and stones. There was no noise vhile the thing in the water ap iroached. The sun was now about lalf-way above the horizon but this ide of the island was still dark. \ As the thing finally hoisted itself m to the reef, the people watching t began to move slowly and noise essly inland as if mesmerised by some prt of fear—the fear of the devil, bon the thing set foot on the warm diite beach. It began to skim the bore with its eyes. Then it noticed ie dark naked things watching it, s if expecting some miracle.

What went on in the minds of that ling from the sea and those standing n the shore watching it one cannot ;11 but the thing from the sea must ave sensed impending danger for it iddenly turned around and plunged viftly into the sea, returning the way [ came. Those watching suddenly ime alive, yelling, shouting and run mg after it for they were as used to ie surrounding sea, as they were to j* dry land which was their island, pey chased the thing and finally rove it shorewards with spears pro tiding from its body. There it lay tad on the beach. iThe ceremonial rituals began. The able meeting ground was surrounded i more people. The grand and para jount chiefs were at their rightful pees. After some time the ceremony

ended and the people went away with pieces of the dead thing. Ovens were prepared. By mid-morning everyone was ready for their day’s first bite.

It was good. Many wished they had more but a few days later, people started to get sick. Soon people were dying almost one after the other, not only in that particular division of the island but right throughout. No one knew the cause and how to cure it.

It killed more than half of the island’s population.

Witchcraft went to work. Another big ceremony was held. This time all the people of the island gathered for this meeting. They decided to apolo gise to God since His Son was killed and eaten by them. They vowed that the next time such a thing came to their shores it must be taken with due respect and loyalty and made king of all the island. That was the first time the first white man landed on Penryhn Island in the Northern Cook Islands and he was also the last to be eaten.

Ten years later a group of white men were shipwrecked on this same island. They were all shared among 10 nobles and paramount chiefs and adopted as sons. A proper adoption ceremony was held at the same place where the previous man had been cut up and shared among the people.

There are variations to the above story but most agree with this one.

One can only speculate upon why the man left the ship to swim ashore and the time this incident took place. It is also hard to trace his name. Per haps it is written in some ship’s log book that is preserved somewhere.

Maunaa Itaia, of the Gilbert Islands, who wrote the poem at right.