Library Day on Kioa Island

Thursday was "Library Day" in Salia and we were invited as guests to attend the festivities in the long house. The library is for the whole community, not just the school.

Young ladies placed crowns of sweet scented flowers, Fo's, on our heads, and the head teacher, Fiafia, welcomed everyone. The Chief Guest, health nurse Andi, was asked to speak about the importance of the library to the school and community. Then representative students of each class from kindergarten to primary presented their speeches. I was impressed with their confidence, elocution and recall. Everyone spoke good English and emphasized the importance of reading and improving one's knowledge. Bob from s/v Bright Angel spoke on behalf of the cruisers and expressed our positive impresssions of this friendly community.

Speeches were followed by entertainment by the students. The kindergarten kids sang popular nursery rhymes, like "Ba ba black sheep" while the primary students had arranged a character parade and dances. The characters ranged from superheroes and movie stars to trees and washing machines. Each dressed up character danced down the centre aisle of the long house ( to the same tune!) and then stood to answer an appropriate question from the teacher or one of the guests. For example, Chris asked Snow White "Where are your dwarves?"

The whole village enjoyed a hearty laugh when some of the boys pranced on stage dressed up as girls. They did such a great job of portraying the opposite sex that the head of council brought up the subject of gay marriages in his closing speech!

We broke up for a lunch of curried fish, rice and hot cocoa at the council house. Then everyone attended the ribbon cutting ceremony at the library. Hundreds of books have been donated by overseas visitors and organizations. One of the teachers, Lepa, will be in charge of setting up the library system on a part-time basis with the help of volunteers from the community. One of the first volunteers was Chris. He is working on a computer program to catalogue the books and set up the lending records. A job like this takes a lot of hours and he has spent the best part of two days looking for a free program which will be easy to set up and maintain.

We plan to leave Kioa for Buca Bay today as higher southeast winds are forecast for the next 3-4 days and we are open to that direction in this bay. That's if Chris ever returns from the school!

Here are some photos from the Library Day:

The posts in the long house are assigned for the two chiefs, the council members and village elders. The rest of the villagers sit  around the outside of the posts.

Kindergarten class holds up words and pictures

Lepa, one of the school teachers, peaks out to ensure everyone is in position

Boys and girls file into the centre to sing nursery rhymes

Batman dances into action!

Cinderella looks like an Indian actress!

One of the orators tells why libraries are important to the community

Polynesian dancers

"Daniel" from the bible story

A  traditional Tuvaluan dress

Britney Spears causes an uproar!

Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra struts on the stage

" Snow White" waiting for her debut

Bob from s/v Bright Angel speaks for the cruisers

One of the best posters on display

The prefect on the right is the artist who drew the above poster

Three pretty dancers

Suzanne with her grand-daughter

Guests and teachers

Rani and Lepa

Andi cuts the pink ribbon

Council members tour the library

Boys beat the drum to call the tooth-brushing hour - this is done three times per day!

Children form lines to go to class

Kindergarten class takes out their toothbrushes and water 

Day 3 and 4 at Kioa Island

Yesterday, we had a very nice walk around the village, guided by Agelu and his 7 year old cousin, Kaisami. We had tea at one house with a couple who had recently moved back here from the big city of Nadi (Gok and Keli). We visited a basket maker and a lady who was brewing Kava. We also attended a dance ceremony put on for some tourists from a dive resort across the water. All in all - a fun sociable day. And as a bonus, I came away with some baskets, a tapa cloth, and a few shells purchased at a craft show that followed the dancing.

  

Agelu and Kaisami in a dugout canoe made by Agelu's grandfather.

Local kids fooling around in a fisherman's canoe.

Toddlers at the beach.

Roasting coca beans

A cocoa bean pod

Making kava or grog as the locals call it.

Rani, Evotia, and granddaughter. Rani bought two of Evotia's lovely baskets

Little piggy goes to market

View of Ladybug from one of the concrete walkways that run through the village.

When I admired a lei worn at the dance ceremony, the lady gave me her lovely garland 

Today we had another visit from Agelu who cam with his little cousing John. I had made fudge so we had tea together before we went ashore to visit again with Gok and Keli. Chris and I both had a chance to take Agelu's canoe for a paddle. I had difficulty keeping it going straight, but Chris found it similar to paddling a Canadian canoe.

When we went ashore, I brought some yogurt starter for Keli and Chris some freshly made fudge, which we gave out to some of the people we knew as we walked through the village. One woman, whose child was suffering from pink eye told us that her child was much better after she took my advice (picked up from Pat on 'The Rose') that she should squirt breast milk in the eye to cure the infection. It was amazing to see that in one day the baby's eyes were significantly improved. Breast milk has anti-bacterial properties.

We had a lovely visit with Gok and Keli and later rowed Gok out to Ladybug for a visit (Keli had to attend a woman's committee meeting to organize some sort of large event scheduled for August). Gok liked our boat but after we told him about the dangers of travelling by sea, he told us we should sell Ladybug and move to Fiji. He invited us to stay with him when we come here.

Chris paddles Agelu's canoe

Rani takes a turn. Note the lovely calm conditions.

Keli and Gok pose beside their outdoor kitchen

Gok was making rotis on a tava over an open fire when we arrived. It turns out that he is the only Indian on this island. They had also made a breadfruit curry for us and we had a delicious lunch on their deck by the outdoor kitchen.

Sepola and grand-daughter. Sepola is Keli's cousin. She lives down by the beach where she makes toddy from the coconut palm.

Collecting 'toddy' from the new shoots of a coconut palm. The sap is then boiled down to make a sweet syrup and can also be fermented to make a powerful alcoholic drink.

We have left Viani Bay!

We are now anchored off the village of Salia on Kioa island after spending 16 days in Viani Bay. We said our good byes to the family on our little island and motored and sailed for a few hours to our new anchorage. Kioa island was settled by Polynesians from Vaitupu island in Tuvalu. They relocated here shortly after World War II due to overcrowding on their own island.

The people in Kioa are up to date technologically, with electricity from solar panels and a diesel generator that is run at night for lighting and running refrigerators and laptops. One family we met regularly video skypes with their fashion model daughter in Winchester, UK!

Lugi prepares broiled fish while her husband Frank and Rani look on

Shaleen, Jovan, and Rani.

Rani watches children breaking open local almonds

Jovan visits his his great grandmother, Frances. Jovan is just learning to walk.

Rani with a visiting child and Caroline (Frances' daughter)

Chris makes his first friend on Kioa

We went for a walk this morning along the beach. All of the following pictures illustrate how rich an experience one can have in a very short time here.

The Kioans still use dug-out outrigger canoes to fish as well more modern fiberglass open outboard boats

Lopati gathers palm fronds to thatch a new house.

In addition to chickens we saw pigs in wooden cages, which are raised off the ground, presumably to ensure their captives do not dig an escape tunnel.

Weaving pandanus is a Tuvaluan tradition. This pandanus is drying in a cave at the end of the beach.

Beach panorama. The shelf is full of corals, brittle stars, and worms.

Not sure if these coconut palm baskets are used in fishing or food storage.

Giant clam on the coral reef.

Giant elephant ear leaves dwarf Rani

Unfortunately, there was some garbage on the beach - a reminder that civilization has made it to Kioa

A worm explores a tide pool for food.

We call these eye-ball trees. The similarity is alarming.

Coral graves in a clearing above the beach.