Karivi And His Canoe

By Hanson Lini

ONE day Karivi (Rat) decided to make a canoe out of a via stalk. After completing his canoe, he decided to visit the neighbouring island of Maewo. On his way he met Higo (Kingfisher).

Higo asked, “Where are you going?”

Karivi replied, “I’m going to Maewo.”

“Can I come with you?” asked Higo.

“Oh no!” replied Karivi. “The canoe is too small to take two.” Without replying, Higo sang a threaten ing song which frightened Karivi so much that he agreed to take him on his canoe;

Higo

Nani sage nani veve lawe tamaku I shall go up I shall say to my father.

Langi sis langi korogo Wind tie wind to stop you.

Karivi

Sue Sue vano sue vano

Paddle Paddling going Paddling going

Himai ba kalo Down come and aboard.

Karivi and Higo went on a little until they met Manubona (Dove) who asked, “Where are you two

going?”

They replied, “We’re going to Maewo.”

Manubona asked, “Can I come with you two?”

“Oh, no! You can’t, the canoe can only take two.”

Manubona started singing the same song that Higo had sung. When Karivi and Higo heard the song, they changed their minds and asked Manubona to join them on their trip.

These three went on until they met Maragi (Pigeon) who asked them where they were going. Karivi and his companions replied that they were heading for Maewo. On hearing this, Maragi wanted to join them but the occupants of the canoe protested that the canoe was too small.

Maragi started to threaten the occupants of the canoe saying, “I shall now go to Tuaaku (grandfather) and ask him to make the sea very rough so that you will all drown and be eaten by sharks.”

On hearing this, Karivi shook with fear but he was determined to get to Maewo.

He said to Maragi, “Come and join us, there’s plenty of room for everyone.” Maragi joined the canoeists; and they left the island of Raga and paddled quickly northward to Maewo.

WREN the canoe was in mid-ocean, Karivi told all the birds to take their lunch out and eat the food they had brought. They all took out their lunches, but Higo had not brought any lunch. Karivi gave clear instructions that none of the passengers were to drop a crumb of their yam and taro into the canoe. While everyone was eating, Higo sat staring from one bird to another, hoping that he would be offered some food, but no one bothered to do so. Maragi dropped a crumb of his yam, and Higo picked at the crumb so fiercely that his beak pierced a hole in the canoe. The water rushed in through the hole and the canoe began to sink.

Of course, all the birds flew away leaving poor Karivi behind.

Karivi sank to the bottom of the sea and looked around for help. He first met a whale, and he asked for a ride ashore but the whale replied that its place was in the ocean. Karivi went on until he met Tuna.

“Please, carry me to the shore,” he begged.

Tuna replied, “All my friends and brothers have been taken ashore, so I can’t risk my life.” Poor Karivi went on until he met a shark.

“Brother shark, help me to get back to the land.” he begged.

The shark turned and showed him a big wound on its tail. “You see that? That’s why I cannot help you.

The land people tried to take my life yesterday.”

Karivi went a little further until he met a turtle feeding on the nice juicy sea grass. “Turtle, please help me.”

The turtle viewed Karivi for a while then asked, “What’s the trouble?”

“I’m in trouble, I want to get back to the land.”

The turtle told Karivi to get on his back, and so to the shore they went.

When they arrived on the beach, Karivi asked the turtle to wait while he went to the bush to get some coconuts for him to take back to sea. Meanwhile, the villagers came, discovered the turtle, bound it, and took it to their village. Karivi saw them and followed.

In the village everyone gathered to see this huge sea creature. They danced around the turtle and, when they were eventually exhausted, they were sent off to collect taro, yam, via, firewood, and rau (baking leaves) to prepare the big feast of eating the turtle. They left the turtle in the chief’s house. When Karivi saw that the turtle was left unguarded, he went and broke all the vines that the people had used to bind the turtle.

While biting the vines, he said to the turtle that as soon as the vines were broken they had to race very quickly to the shore.

They raced down the hill to the beach and, when they arrived there, Karivi piled all the coconuts onto the turtle’s back and, saying goodbye to each other, they parted, going their own ways.