Hina and the Wooden Bird

Hina and the Wooden Bird

(A Tale from Kapingamarangi)

The rain began to sprinkle, tap-tapping on the leaves and the sand. The youngest child of the rain god was learning how to water the land. “Good!" said the rain god. “Now you next", it urged the next oldest child. And the rain falling from the sky onto Kapingamarangi Atoll in the eastern Caroline Islands became a little heavier.

Kapingamarangi Atoll

Down below the clouds, a young girl named Hina lived with her brother Ruapongongo. Hina was in charge of airing out her family‘s sleeping mats. She had been born with only one leg, but she managed to do her work just fine. One by one she dragged the mats outside. Ruapongongo helped her lay them flat in the sun. Their parents were gone for the day. Hina and her brother went back inside their warm thatch house and fell asleep. Hina slept and slept. Even when the rain began to tap-tap upon the roof, she kept sleeping. In her dream, she was swimming among shiny blue fish with golden fins.

Up in the sky, the rain god called to his children. “None of you has awakened the young girl. She is supposed to care for her family's mats. You, my oldest, make rain that beats so hard her ears shout, ‘Wake up!” And so the oldest rain child poured rain.

Down below, rivulets of water ran between the trees. Rain thumped on the roof and splashed on the mats. Still, Hina did not wake up.

Finally, the rain god himself rained the rain of all rains. Birds took cover to protect the glistening oils on their feathers. Crabs skittered far into the jungle. At last, Hina and Ruapongongo woke up. Hina heard the rain and ran outside on her one leg as fast as she could. She grabbed the mats, but many had already been swept away.

At last the rain of all rains stopped. The sky grew soft and grey again. Then it split open to reveal the gleaming face of the sun. Hina was afraid. Her parents came home and their faces were full of anger. Her mother was holding one of the mats, the one that held the family’s special sharks' teeth. But now it was empty.

Her father said, “You are a worthless girl. Go search until you find everything you have lost. Go now!"

Hina wept, but she knew she had no choice but to make this journey. She waded out into the lagoon. Soon she was floating in the gentle surf. A shark swam past her, singing a shark song. “Have you come to take me with you?" she called out.

The shark said. “Oh no, I am just trying to remember the chant my father taught me. Goodbye.”

A small fish brushed against Hina's foot. “Are you the one who has come for me?" Hina asked.

Can‘t you see I'm much too small?” said the Fish. “Besides, I‘m just swimming along.”

A parrot fish passed by next, but it had the same answer for Hina. They were all busy singing their own songs.

Hina was so discouraged she began to cry. A large sea turtle swam past. “Are you the one who has come for me?" she said.

“Yes. I'm the one. You must climb on my back and hold on no matter what." Hina climbed onto the turtle’s hardback. She wrapped her two small hands around the top edge of his giant shell. They swam and swam into the open sea.

“Nuuuuu!” Hina cried when her home island was far out of sight. "I am so thirsty."

The turtle replied, “Don't cry. Take the coconut nearest to your hand. Husk it with your teeth. Then I will crack it open for you so you can drink the sweet milk."

Hina did as she was told-almost. Instead of letting the turtle crack the coconut, she smashed it against his head. The turtle was so angry he flipped Hina off into the water. He dove down, down into the dark blue. Hina swam, calling and calling for the turtle to come back to her. Her leg and arms grew so heavy they felt like stones. “1 am lost." she thought. “And all because I slept through the rain'"

Just as she let her head slip under water, the turtle's strong back rose from the dark world beneath. He caught her perfectly. “You know it is taboo to touch my head!" the turtle hissed. “Do not ever do that again." The turtle was angry, but he was an old soul, and through his long life he had developed a special fondness for the young. Even for human young.

They swam in silence for a long time. Hina’s voice was small and weak, but the turtle heard her quietly whisper. “Nuuuuu! I see land!"

“No. no, that is not land. That’s a paruatanamoana, an angry sea demon. You must hide!" The turtle shook violently, causing Hina to slip off into the water. She held on by one hand. When the sea demon came still closer, she let go, took a huge gulp of air, and let herself slide down under the turtle’s body.

I smell human!" shouted the demon.

“But I am a turtle, nothing more. And I am just swimming along." said the turtle.

“Turn your belly up to me!" commanded the demon.

Hina rose for air on the far side of the turtle. The demon could not see her.

“Now turn so I can see your back!" Again, Hina hid. When she came up again, the demon was gone.

She and the turtle swam on. A long time passed. Then she groaned her small, sad groan. “Nuuuuu!”

“Those are the islands known as Tinirau." The turtle answered. “We will go there. 1 am tired. You must fetch fresh green banana leaves for me to rest on." Hina did as she was told. While the turtle was resting in the shade, she explored the island. Unlucky girl! The first house she came to belonged to a magician. It was taboo to enter it. She went inside anyway, without even asking permission.

“Look," the people said. “a strange girl with one leg!"

“You belong to us now." said the magician. He made her a tiny house out of leaves. “You can eat only grass and ashes from the fire. Do not complain or you'll be very, very sorry!"

Hina was a captive for a very long time. The turtle eventually swam away. Finally, her brother Ruapongongo set out to find her. With his stone axe and his best shell knife, he carved a flying bird out of a tree. He painted it with soot and oil to look like a huge petrel. He flew over many islands looking for his sister. At long last, he saw a strange island sticking up out of the sea like the fist of a drowning man. There he saw Hina.

He landed the bird beside the magician's house. The magician was hiding inside, watching. “Aha!" he cried, running outside. “Now I have a huge bird to take me places." Immediately he began worrying about how he would feed such a large bird. He didn't want it to go away-he would tame it and use it to make bad magic. "Oh handsome bird, do you like tuna?" he asked.

Ruapongongo was hiding inside, trying not to laugh out loud. “Yes," he answered.

The magician ordered everyone into their canoes to catch tunas for the bird. As soon as they had all gone, Ruapongongo called out, “Pssst. Hina! It's your brother. I have come to take you home!" Hina climbed into the bird. She wept to be going home at last.

“Fly!” she said. “Fly far away from here!"

“But first I want to play a trick on that bad magician," said Ruapongongo. He made the bird fly low over the fishing canoes. The magician believed the bird must be very hungry. “Hurry up! You are so slow!” he said to his people. “Throw him a tuna!" he ordered. The people threw their newly caught tunes into the air. The bird caught them all!

“Hina,” whispered Ruapongongo. “Now let’s show the magician that he has been outsmarted. Let your leg hang over the side. He will know it is you."

Hina did not like this game, but she let her leg hang over the side. “The bird has stolen your servant girl!" the people cried. Secretly, they were pleased. They did not like the evil magician either.

The magician was so upset he lost some of his magic powers that day. His curses and chants made no sense. The people were free again to do as they liked. The wooden bird flew Hina and Ruapongongo back home to Touhou Island in Kapingamarangi Atoll. But Ruapongongo wasn't satisfied yet. He flew back again to the strange island. In the jungle, he built the magician a tiny leaf house to live in. Then he tricked him into coming inside and he locked him up! Now the evil magician would know how Hina had felt. Ruapongongo forced the magician to eat leaves and ash. Then he flew home again.

That’s all there is to tell, just a tale told by the people.

Source:

Pacific Island Legends: Tales from Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia and Australia.

Nancy Bo Flood, Beret E. Strong, William Flood

1991

Pages: 69 - 74