ECHOES AT FISHERMEN’S ROCK
BY
ELDERS FROM ATAFU
Edited and translated by Antony Hooper
and Iuta Tinielu
The traditional Tokelau
fishing methods described in this book were originally written wholly in
Tokelauan by migrant elders from Atafu atoll as part of what they saw as a duty
to pass on their knowledge to younger generations. They worked on it, on and off, for 12 years
or so, holding regular meetings in their community hall in Porirua. Some of them died or returned to Tokelau over
those years. Others took their
places. One of their number recorded the
discussions in longhand, passing on the work to a computer-literate relative.
By 2008 the work was
virtually complete. and a small grant from Creative NZ allowed the book to be
published by Steele Roberts Wellington as Hikuleo
i te Papa o Tautai. Most of that
edition sold out, with the proceeds being used for improvements to the Atafu Community
Hall.
The elders’ work was done
entirely at their own initiative and without payment of any kind. There is no other Pacific community which has
taken the initiative to record their traditional knowledge of fishing and has
had the persistence to carry their work through to publication. It is a unique enterprise.
Other important
features: (1) Throughout the Pacific,
traditional fishing knowledge is usually kept strictly secret, being passed on
only from fathers to favoured sons.. The
Atafu elders abandoned this convention and the present translation makes the
information more accessible to younger migrants whose knowledge of Tokelauan
may be inadequate. (2) The information is also of interest to general readership because it
records details unknown to fisheries scientists and those concerned with
climate changes.
Availabilty. UNESCO is not marketing the book directly. Instead it has made copies available to each
National Commission and major research libraries round the world. On frame iv of the pdf there are instructions
about contacting the email address in Paris to ask for either a pdf or for a
free copy (copies?) of the book to be mailed to you.
Antony Hooper is an Emeritus
Professor of Anthropology at the University of Auckland with wide experience of
Tokelau. He lives in Wellington. Iuta Tinielu was born in Atafu and is one of
the group of elders who wrote the book.
He is a graduate of the Fiji School of Medicine and has had extensive
postgraduate education in New Zealand.
The three tiny atolls of
Tokelau are about 500 kms north of Samoa, and form part of what is known as the
“realm” of New Zealand. The people have
been NZ citizens since 1949. Many have
migrated here, leaving a population of about 1400 in the home atolls. There are now estimated to be about 8000
people of Tokelau descent in this country, with the great majority of them
settled in the Wellington area, mainly Porirua and the Hutt Valley.
Much has changed in Tokelau
life – in the atolls through developments brought about by New Zealand aid and
for the migrants through the need to adapt to a wholly wage economy. Nevertheless Tokelauans in general maintain
the overriding authority of elders, cooperative efforts and egalitarian
distribution. What has also persisted,
in both the atolls and NZ, is the way that men remain absorbed in the details
of traditional fishing.
Footnote:
The book is being launched at Auckland Maritime Museum Thursday evening 6 June (tonight) as part of a week-long UNESCO conference on Pacific Calendars & Climate Change.
Footnote:
The book is being launched at Auckland Maritime Museum Thursday evening 6 June (tonight) as part of a week-long UNESCO conference on Pacific Calendars & Climate Change.
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