Feeding the Gods

Nei Rotebenua who
brings good luck and prosperity and
who turns salt water into drinking water.

One of the goals I have set for myself for each trip to Kiribati is to a visit an outer island. Kiribati has 33 islands and only the South Tarawa and Christmas islands are not outer islands. So, that leaves a lot of islands to choose from. On this trip, I chose to go to Marakei—land of women--famous for its food and 4 guardian female gods.

The trip was eventful from the start. At the airport, I was surrounded by people, who were not going to Marakei by the way but were at the airport in hopes of meeting someone who was. When they saw my small backpack, they asked me if I might take gifts to friends and family on the island. I agreed but when I got to the check in I was told that my baggage limit was 18 kilos. I managed to get a bike tire and two plastic buckets full of chicken, sausages, and junk food snacks on board by arguing that as my body weight (they actually make you step on a scale) was comparatively lower than other passengers, I should be entitled to bring more luggage. It worked.

Amelia Rose Earhart

As we waited for our plane to arrive, a very high tech looking aircraft arrived. I must have looked too excited because the person standing next to me told me voluntarily that it was not a Kiribati plane. The door opened and out walked the pilot who was a beautiful young blond woman. I asked the men on the runway who it was and they said, "Amelia Earhart." I was sure that I misunderstood as isn't she dead? The information turns out to be correct. There is a new Amelia who just replicated her name stake’s last flight around the world but this one arrived safely back in the US a few days after touching down in Tarawa and setting a new world record. Congratulations Amelia!

Our plane to Marakei flew low enough for us to see the nearby islands of North Tarawa and Abaiang. The length of the flight is advertised as only taking 12 minutes, the pilot says 20, but  is actually closer to 30 minutes. All in all, an enjoyable flight that ends with a very bumpy landing on a runway that could use a lot of repair.

Visitors to Marakei are supposed to perform the Te Katabwanin, an anticlockwise tour around the island when they arrive. I didn't think that I would be able to accomplish this task before dark when I found out that the distance was 26 kilometers. A friend told me not to worry

My room at the hotel

as I could just walk around the nearest tree 3 times to ward off bad luck until making the official journey the next day. After doing so, I accepted a ride on the back of motorbike to the hotel run by Our Lady of Sacred Heart. I had planned to stay at the island council guesthouse but fellow passengers recommended against it. When I returned to Tarawa I ran into a friend of mine on the street and she said that it is a good that I did not stay at the council guesthouse. Her uncle is the caretaker there and she says that he is a rascal who spent several years in prison in Hawaii for not paying a prostitute. I am grateful that I managed to avoid

My guide

the place.  



The next day I started off early on the Te 

Katabwanin with a sister from the church 

as my guide. I asked why we couldn’t go around clockwise and she told me that those who have tried that died. So, we set off on her motorbike the traditional way. The journey took  about 2 hours and all along the way people called out to us “Katabwanin.”



The main purpose of the Te Katabwanin is to visit the shrines of the four goddesses strategically placed in the west, south, east and north locations of the island and offer them tobacco in order to ensure that you have a nice stay in Marakei. I brought tobacco but was told that they now also accept money. There are many stories about the ghosts of these goddesses who were originally put there to protect Marakei from the invasions from the kings of other nearby islands who wanted Marakei for its women, crabs and special, sweet taro called babai.

Nei Tangaangau

My favorite is the story of Nei Tangaangau, the goddess who provides protection from those who would attack the island.  She is the spirit who guards the island and seems to be doing a good job so far. She is also the one who chopped her husband up into hundreds of pieces and stuck one of his legs in the beach when she found out that he was having an affair with another woman on the island of Abaiang instead going fishing as he had said. And, she did this of course all because she loved him so much or so the story goes. 

 

 

 

 



 







 



 

 

 







 

 

Million Dollar Tuna

Last weekend I was lucky enough to meet 2 handsome men from the US and New Zealand under the age of 70! Things are definitely looking up here in Tarawa. Even more exciting was the fact that these guys work for one of the fishing fleets that comes to Kiribati to fish for tuna. I see the huge vessels parked in the sea each day and have been wanting to see one up close.

Kiribati is one of the world's most productive tuna fishing grounds, generating hundreds of millions in revenue each year. 

My new friends are pilots and they explained how easy it is to catch a ton of tuna. The vessels have helicopters that go out in search of the tunas.

When they see a large school, they communicate the GPS coordinates to the shipping vessel and it comes out to the area to set the net, which can be as long as 2 kms and more than 150 meters deep.  The vessel  encircles the school of tuna with the net trapping the fish inside a sack. The net is then pulled aboard the vessel and the fish are frozen alive. Once the vessel reaches its capacity in tens of tons of tuna, it comes into the port of Tarawa to transfer the frozen fish to a container ship typically chartered for Korea, Spain, Japan or the US.
 

Tuna coming out of the deep freeze

Frozen tuna going to container ship

I was definitely impressed with this high-tech fishing operation which makes it pretty quick and easy to capture so many fish. For example, the vessel I was on contained 1400 tons of tuna and was worth $3 million and it only took 3 weeks to catch. Considering that Kiribati’s fishing license is $5,000 a day, these guys are really making a bundle. I do wish that Kiribati could make benefit more and wonder if they will be out of fish soon with such large catches.