Tropicalities

Wliat’s in a name V

In sophisticated western societies, writes a special correspondent, parents have the frustrating task of choosing from a relatively-limited range the Christian names to bestow upon their unprotected offspring.

Think of all the mutilations of that grand old name Mary—Marie, Maree, Mary-Ann, Mary-Jo, Mary Joan and all the variations on the theme of Linda—Lynne, Lynn, Lin, Lynda, Lyndal, Lindie-Lou . . .

The Cook Islander, in his wisdom, has found an answer to the problem of human nomenclature, which must, when one considers the almost unlimited hours spent by peoples of advanced nations in choosing names for their children, rank with many of man’s brilliant solutions to great and fundamental problems.

Cook Islands names, if in the vernacular, often have meanings, which, if literally translated into English, seem bizarre to the Euro pean. These names are often based upon the belief that names linked to unpleasant experiences or to undesirable physical characteristics will serve as a protection against the same evils befalling the bearer of the name.

Hugh Hickling, who for a time was headteacher and resident agent on Mangaia, recorded some exam ples in an article published in the Journal of the Polynesian Society.

Included were Matamaki—sick face; Akaeakofe—breathless; Vaevae kino—bad legs; Tangatakino—bad man; Aungakino—bad smell; Tanga tatutai—worthless; Matemutukore— dead without end, and Makikino— bad sickness.

In more recent times, the choice of names, if in English, also seems to fall into habit patterns which are unusual by European standards.

Occasionally some prominent Euro pean resident found that his surname had been given to some child (as a first name), even although the child’s existence was previously unknown to him.

In other instances, events of note, the more desirable occupations or

just mere whimsy seem to dictate the choice of names. Fiji, Wellington College, Middlemore, Fly River and Kaingaroa Forest are names which tell their own story when one knows that relations of those particular children were, respectively, trained at the Fiji School of Medicine; at tended Wellington College on scholarship; served as a Polynesian missionary in Papua New Guinea and worked in the pine forest in New Zealand, all sending remittances home to the family in the Cooks.

Social aspirations are reflected in names such as Wireless, Sergeant, Skipper, Clerk, First Assistant, Major and Constable. One can visualise the happy moments which lead to names like Boys’ Brigade Picnic; Merry Christmas, New Home, Morning Star Hotel, Party and Lucky Trip.

However, one wonders about the derivation of the names of a pair of Mangaia twins—Lucky and Un lucky, of Startnow and New World, of Timesup, Bagsashore, Early to Start, Wake Up and Just Alive. Fin ally, as I never saw firm evidence of their existence, I regard as apo cryphal those two characters who were often spoken about in Raro tonga a decade or more ago, namely, Louse and Behind the Empire Theatre.

Paris on

the doorstep

A new communications antenna installed at Nouville, across the har bour from Noumea, will have sig nificant benefits for the transmission of telex, radio, TV and telephone links through New Caledonia and the New Hebrides.

The new antenna measures 32.5 metres in diameter and was installed in December at a cost of about SAS million. The “Telspace” antenna has been provided by the French Depart ment of Posts and Telecommunica tions. Apart from the speeding up of telex messages, the new antenna will open up telephone links to any part of the world, 24 hours a day.

Communications will be consider ably improved by travelling via satel lite rather than short wave. In view of the 20,000 kilometre distance be tween Paris and Noumea, sound and visual images transmitted from

metropolitan France will need to pass via two satellites above the Indian and Pacific Oceans relaying, no doubt, through the ground station in Hong Kong on the way.

Allowing this speedy and perma nent contact between Paris and Nou mea, however, the new Telspace an tenna at Nouville will obviously bring metropolitan France into much closer contact with her Pacific pos sessions. As predicted a few months ago, the Caledonians will soon be living “Paris time” with television by satellite enabling them to shiver in the snowy French alps all through the hottest months in the tropics.

In the end the Caledonians may even be brought to forget that they ever lived surrounded by English speaking neighbours in the South Pacific!

The DA outlaws

the ‘pokies’

The outlawing of poker machines by Marianas District Administrator, Mr Francisco C. Ada, was received with mixed feelings. Hotel managers in Saipan found their revenue suf fered considerably. But the DA’s de cision was no doubt welcomed by crime fighters, who had seen crime figures rise spectacularly since the machines were introduced in June. 1974.

In Saipan, burglaries increased by 132 per cent, grand larceny by 84 per cent, and forgery, robbery, attempted burglary, attempted grand larceny and petty larceny by 400 per cent. Apart from any moral issue which might have been raised against the machines, those crime figures were convincing.

Mr Robert Maloney, manager of the Royal Taga Hotel (72 rooms) put the decline of revenue in his hotel at 30 per cent, but would not quote a dollar figure. His hotel had lost business since 1971 when other hotels started to open, and the “pokies”, “like a shot in the arm”, closed the gap a little, he said.

The Saipan Continental Hotel, 184 rooms, the biggest in Saipan, said outlawing of the machines had not adversely affected business to a great extent.

Mr Ada, announcing his decision to outlaw the machines, said the 277 machines in the Marianas were “detrimental to Marianas society”.

A local public opinion survey, which covered 350 adults, showed that 84 per cent believed poker ma chines should not be allowed on Saipan. High school students were against them to the tune of 78.5 per cent. About 25 per cent of 532 high school students admitted their families were having money prob lems because of the machines, while a local banker attributed 25 per cent of late payments to them.

Around 14 years ago, Fiji saw the red light when poker machines were making their presence felt in the clubs and banned them. New South Wales is stuck with them as the government has grown to rely on the income from taxing the machines.

Relics of

history

Skeletons and weapons which might have belonged to 17th century Spanish sailors have been discovered in the Paea district of west coast Tahiti—an amazing coincidence one might think with Pacific Publications’ latest book, Robert Langdon’s Lost Caravel, only a few months old.

The relics were found some months ago along a cliff face, a suitably accessible yet hidden spot for the landing of either an official expedition or shipwrecked men.

Among the first objects found by the Tahitians was an axe, described as Spanish in style and a gun. There was also a helmet, which seemed to :orrespond with the description of hose worn by 17th century Spanish ioldiers.

The skull of someone who might aave worn the helmet was also ound. It had obviously been pierced )y a heavy-calibre bullet. This will

>ose an interesting riddle.

Big show

it Rotorua

The South Pacific Festival of Arts, it Rotorua, NZ, from March 6 to 3, will be possibly the biggest issembly yet of Islands talent, wenty-one countries and territories re represented in the programme of ong, dance, drama and music.

There will be about 200 individual iems as well as composite pro rammes which will enable audiences 3 see Melanesian and Polynesian erformances, combined with Micro esian, Indian, European, Aborigine r Chinese performances.

‘Hello’ say

, the Samoans x the Samoan Council of Women in New Zealand is looking for a year of achievement this year—the year after IWY (International Womens Year). With 87 members— there were only five at the inaugural meeting in 1973 it is aiming at setting up a community centre in south Auckland, which will be the nerve centre for good work for Samoan women in NZ. the council aims at encouraging members to play an effective role in the community, promoting under-

standing among women of all races, encouraging education and preserv ing the Samoan culture.

A friendly “hello” is the theme of the council, according to the sec retary, Mrs Odille Maea. The Samoan people are very shy they want to mix, but they are worried about saying or doing the wrong thing. She hopes that New Zealanders will help the council to achieve its aims Mrs Maea regards education as particularly important to Samoans, It had been found that children born in Samoa who went to NZ did much better in education than Samoan children born in NZ.