Atiu: Land of the Birds
Mei te kopu mai tatou o te enua e ka oki akao tatou ki te enua. We come from the land and go back to the land. The writer’s aunty, Patikura Jim, a prolific tivaivai (quilt) maker on the island of Atiu. Photo by Brie Zeman We were descending into the recesses of a coral island. Each hesitant step took us deeper into Anatakitaki, a vast cave of legends and stillness and intrigue. The sunlight disappeared as we entered one of the island’s cavities. Banyan roots broke through the ceiling and stretched into the blackness below us. If we held our breath the only sound we could hear was a slow drip, squeezing its way out of a stalactite somewhere overhead. It felt like we were walking into some kind of secret, known only by the people of Atiu, a raised volcanic island north of Rarotonga and one of 15 Cook Islands, a South Pacific country about 3,000 miles south of Hawai’i. Locals also know her as Enuamanu, the Land of the Birds, and for good reason. “Shh.” Our guide, Marshall, broke the silence. “Hear it?” Senses heightened, we froze, switched off our headlamps, and listened. I reached for my cousin’s hand in the dark. And then I heard it – a faint clicking, growing louder and nearer…
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