I just have time for a short note, I am heading back to Davida's in a bit to go back to the prisoner's island. It is a full moon, which is great for fishing so we will stay there tonight. Went to the feast and now I wish I could split in two and get the Vid cam, and go back to the feast. They have the dancers going and a group is singing. I tried to vid it with my still camera, but I wasn't close. Long story, will tell you more tomorrow. Sorry this is short but I am pressed for time. I don't even know if I will be able to mail this.
Joe
Yesterday was very busy trying to run around and do too much. I spent the morning trying to deal with contacting people, reserving a berth in Aukland for the day I am there, etc. As I was leaving the guest house, Sila told me the they were leaving for the feast at 1:30 if I wanted to join them. I said certainly- I would have to cancel lunch with Davida, but that was fine. The feast is four days long, this being the last day, and it is in celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Queen's College (college here refers to high school). I didn't know really what to expect. So after dealing with business, I went to Davida's around 11:30 and told them about the feast, but that I would stop by later. The father said tonight was a full moon, good for fishing, and asked if I wanted to go fishing with Davida at 4p. We would go out to the Prisoner's island, stay the night, then fish in the morning- that sounded great so I told them definitely yes. Went back to town and road around, getting more pictures of things. The ghost houses, etc. I arrived back at the house at 1:15, and Silas was getting ready to go with one of the other guests, so I waited. She was choosing a woven belt thing for him to wear- it is a part of all the formal dress of the Tongans. Some of these belts are quite beautiful. It is a belt with a series of woven patterns that hang like tassels around the body. I have some pictures. I waited too long. When I came out, I asked for Sila, and one of the help said she has already gone. So she showed me on a map how to get there, and I rode my bike. It wasn't far, and it was packed. I would guess 1,500, 2,000 people? They had tents set up around a square and each tent had 50 foot long tables that were piled high with everything, the centerpieces being roasted whole pigs and lobsters every 6 feet. It took a while for me to find Sela, and I felt uncomfortable going up to her, since they were already overcrowded around a prestigious table near the front tent. So I never got the guts to go up to them and sit down. Instead I wandered and took pictures. A group of girl students asked me to take their picture "because we are so beautiful," so I did. I was getting ancy, so I thought it would be neat to go dumo the picture on my computer, have it printed out and give it to them. So that;s what I did. Cost $21 to print out 7 color copies, and of course when I get back to the feast, I can't find them. BUT the dancing had started. They had a children's choir doing songs while lines of women in elaborate woven dresses and covered in cocnut oil were doing these actually really interesting dances. The problem was it is traditional to go stick money to the coconut oil for the dancer you like, so the dancers become surrounded by family and friends slapping money on them, stuffing it in their bras (really) and slipping it in their hair. You eventually can't see much of the dancing. I stayed around for as long as I could. The next dance also had very young girls who would eventually sit down and all of them would juggle (!) while older women danced behind them...I wish I could stay or at least run and get the vid cam and shoot some of it. But it was getting close to 4 and I had to gather things for our trip to the prisoner's island,
which I will have to tell you in the next email, as I have an appointment to interview Gary. So sorry this is another tease. I will write the rest tonight.
Joe
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