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Island
Memories from Mauke
During
the last week of September 2004, a four-person team comprising
Jean Mason, Hinoi Henry, Richard Wachter and Teina Enua worked
to record Mauke's memories. The people of Mauke welcomed the
team into their homes, plantations, celebrations and families
and were eager to participate and help in any way possible.
'Their hospitality was the most memorable part of the exercise'
commented Richard Wachter in the Cook
Islands News.
They
filmed the main export crop, maire, of Mauke. They visited the
schools and recorded the students as they sang the legend of Pai
Kea. They recorded the attributes of Mauke: churches, beaches,
grotto, reef, lagoon, historic homes, accommodation, caves, miracle
oil, canoe making, and crafts of all kinds. They also interviewed
several of the oldest inhabitants about their memories and how
they were passed down to them by their ancestors, all in their
native Maukean dialect. Legends particular to Mauke were recorded,
and some of them were enacted.
The
final video production was distributed to local organizations
in the Cook Islands and was also shown on local television early
in 2005. An evaluation in three
of the Outer Islands, Mauke, Mitiaro and Mangaia, showed that
the video was very well received by the viewing public, and the
inhabitants from Mangaia and Mitiaro would like to see a similar
video documentation of their island memories.
The
video was also featured at a Small
Islands Voice side event at the UN SIDS meeting in Mauritius
in January 2005 during a presentation by two youth delegates from
the Cook Islands, Nancy Kareroa and Melinda Pierre.
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