by Albert Wendt
societies functioning and these Albino priests are experienced players
and have the technology wealth and zeal to win at it as they and Nafanua
had conquered Samoa and kept it at peace all this time
The camera lingers on Auva’a’s and Vela’s faces capturing the fear
doubt and calculating self-interest that now grip them and as the camera moves
down and slowly across the faces of the priest’s pagan audience I recognize
blossoming belief and naked lust for the new God’s goods and promise of equality
(My fear for Nafanua’s safety clogs my breath and I want to stop
the film and alter the direction of its revelations)
The camera pulls away just as the feast for the visitors begins
catches a shot of Auva’a and Vela and their continuing surveillance
and is then at the pond in front of the Temple with Nafanua lying
at the edge feeding the bonito that surface weave and dance
round the reflection of Her raging eel-tailed father who demands:
Deal to them before they kill us Strike now strike decisively!
Night falls abruptly to the cicadas’ loud chorus: the Papalagi are back
on their ship Tupa’i and his warriors camp along the shore most people
in their fascination and curiosity remain in the seaside fale observing
the ship and every move the Papalagi make some even canoe out
and at the edge of the ship’s lights wait for the chance to board and steal
some of the Papalagi’s wondrous goods such as nails and knives of iron
In the Temple Nafanua sits gazing into the small centre fire Auva’a
and Vela as usual sit behind Her in the shadows So they want our
destruction She whispers but Her defiance is obvious False atua am I?
You my false prophets She pauses What do you counsel Auva’a?
Wait and see perhaps we can negotiate with them he replies
Fear jumps from Vela’s gullet into his mouth
Negotiate negotiate? She hisses They’ve declared war on us!
Or am I wrong in using us instead of me? Vela cringes and doesn’t
interfere — not at that junction We are always with You Auva’a pledges
So we have to move against them tonight before it’s too late She cries
Vela as usual reads Auva’a’s vibes and thinking and dreads it
Your Lordship let’s give it another day Auva’a advises
Do I smell fear my clever politician? Are you already contemplating
losing power and finding it with the callous Albinos and their Pope?
She says over Her shoulder and Vela’s dread is a deep nausea
How can you accuse me of betrayal and treason? Auva’a protests
Because I have corrupted you utterly with power and the craving
to possess it always She murmurs matter-of-factly
I know because all afternoon I too have thought of joining forces
with the Albinos and retaining my position but I know they want
my total erasure and tomorrow they’ll demonstrate that to our people
Besides my crazy father and you my Counsellor have taught me
that when confronted by tyranny racism bigotry and annihilation
you attack and defeat that enemy or die doing it
We have to first study their vulnerability Auva’a manoeuvres
She wheels — Vela gasps and vomits out his fear which She ignores—and demands
Fetch Tupa’i who as my true soldier never questions my orders!
Vela scuttles out to do that his vomit soon stinking out the Temple
Clean up my chronicler’s cowardice and then leave She orders Auva’a
who scrambles up and uses his ie lavalava to wipe up the vomit
When Vela and Tupa’i arrive they prostrate themselves at the entrance
and then crawl towards Her as is the practice Get up! She orders
and beckons them to sit opposite Her Thank you my beloved General
for welcoming those ignorant arrogant Albino pigs today She pauses
They don’t deserve our hospitality and wish to fulfil Salamasina’s prophecy
No they don’t Your Holiness Tupa’i replies They are mannerless animals
They want me dead They want Tagaloaalagi dead They want all that
makes us Samoan dead She declares So what should we do?
Your Holiness I am merely Your instrument of war always ready
to execute your orders Tupa’i replies Perhaps your chronicler
who has learned much from history can best answer your question
Vela automatically grasps his stomach and threatens to vomit again
She chuckles Tupa’i joins Her and She says lovingly As usual
my ingenious poet doesn’t have the stomach for violent solutions
Then quickly and with fearless clarity She discusses Her plan
with an enthusiastic Tupa’i dresses totally in black tapa
and they slip out into the darkness and towards the ship’s lights
that command the Bay’s eyes and the people’s greedy fascination
Ccccrrraackk-ccrracck-crack! What sounds to the people ashore
like three short lightning flashes on the ship then all its lights
coming on erupting noise and the crew shouting then the sound
of objects cutting into the water beside the vessel Ccrraacckk-ccaarracck!
Two more flashes from on board cutting down into the water
Camera closes in on naked figures swimming steathily toward the shore
The first figure catches a wave and surfs into the beach
and as it scrambles out of the water into the shadows we recognize
a woman Four others all male soon join her and at her whispered
orders they separate and head for their homes
The camera finds Vela back in the Temple dozing hugging his ali
waiting but Nafanua slips round him dries Herself and slips into Her bed
It’s not even light when Auva’a shakes Vela awake and wildly agitated
cries Their ship’s been attacked and one sailor is dead
and two priests have blood pouring from their ears and noses
What’s that got to do with us? Vela parries They must be infected by
their own terrible diseases! The camera catches Nafanua
as She slides in and agrees with Vela’s diagnosis
So you see my scaredy Counsellor their one atua can’t protect them
And contrary to rumours of their invulnerability they bleed and die
just like other humans Nafanua’s victorious rapture captivates Vela again
Why are there only a few of our Temple people here? Auva’a counters
They must be down there witnessing the Albino’s bleeding She says
What if they don’t return? Auva’a’s daring challenge echoes in the Temple
They will She boasts but in Her voice Vela detects courage-sapping doubt
Right then from their Temple view they see four punts heading shoreward
laden with the captain armed sailors interpreters and a priest
Now we will see their wrath! Auva’a pronounces Their firesticks will
probably flash again and kill even our most sacred Why was the old fool
deliberately challenging and taunting Her? Vela cringes
Because I respect diseased doddering elders who can’t raise
their firesticks anymore I’ll again forgive you Auva’a but don’t
forget you’ve seen me lose it and eat the bloody hearts of my enemies!
She turns and Vela and Auva’a follow Her and as they hurry through
the compound we notice it is empty of their followers
At the shore by the malae they take their position in the breadfruit trees
Through their hau
ghty interpreters the Captain and priest protected by
their armed sailors insist they meet on the malae in front of Tupa’i’s faletele
Contrary to good manners they stand upright their firesticks helmets
and medals bristling but Tupa’i and his warriors aren’t impressed
anymore because they know the Albinos can die
Vela senses that Nafanua is deadly keen to join Her soldiers
… Contrary to all civil and Christian principles of hospitality
some of your people sneaked onto our ship last night and tried to harm
our holy Fathers but our Mighty God Who can’t be defeated protected them!
And when our guards tried to protect us you in your pagan savagery
killed one of them He pauses dramatically and both forefingers pointing
at Tupa’i rules: For that murder our Christian Law demands just punishment
Yes the puffed-up captain echoes the priest for that you must surrender
to us the murderer! Their sailors close round Tupa’i and the matai
Around them close the threatening horde of warriors Auva’a and Vela look
to Nafanua for a solution to the dangerous and volatile situation
She rises sweeps Her hair up into a ponytail tightens Her tiputa
to flatten and hide Her breasts and before they can stop Her swings down
to the ground and head bowed as if in supplication stumbles through
the tense crowd onto the malae and falling on Her knees crawls
forward and prostrating Herself at the surprised captain’s feet cries
Please I am the one who killed him! Only Tupa’i recognises Her
and stops his warriors from intervening Relieved the danger is diffusing
the priest bends down raises up a weeping Nafanua and declares
God is wonderful for He has entered the darkness of this pagan’s soul
and made him confess his crime and for that there is forgiveness!
He kisses her forehead and leads Her back to sit with the other priests
Vela senses the people are divided in their feelings: commoners are impressed
by the new religion’s forgiveness of murder others see it as weakness
the majority wait to see how the power struggle develops
What are we going to do? Vela asks Auva’a who replies impatiently
She never listens to us so let Her face the consequences
But the consequences will affect us too Vela protests
Down below sailors carry the dead sailor and the two sick priests
onto the malae while everyone watches apprehensive curious afraid
The captain orders Tuapa’i to come forward and examine them
A defiant Tupa’i marches forward peers down into dead sailor’s face
and gazes up at the captain as if to say So what! His warriors crowd
silently round the sick priests and their carers who are clutching bandages
to the bleeding mouths and noses of their semi-conscious patients
They bleed! They die! Tupa’i calls to his people They are human!
The crowd murmurs loudly in surprise and closes in to examine the corpse
You killed one of them but God protects His servants One interpreter
tries to counter We did not try to harm them! Tupa’i insists Your priests
are ill from their own terrible diseases which are now ravaging our country
Frightened most of the crowd cover their mouths and retreat from the sick priests
The armed escort immediately surrounds their wards bayonets fixed rifles cocked
Nafanua scrambles over to the sick priests embraces them and pleads for forgiveness
When She withdraws one of the priests screams and shaking his head
like a dog trying to rid itself of fleas clutches his ears as a torrent of blood
shoots out of his mouth and he gags spews flops back and is still
The crowd gasps many of them scramble back others hold their ground
but they all huddle together when the second priest screams twists
and contorts as his blood pours from his mouth and he dies
Panting with fear Auva’a slides to the ground and drags his old body
towards the malae while Vela who now realises how Nafanua did it watches
and marvels at how She’d assassinated the priests the previous night:
simple and ancient sharpened coconut ribs driven into the ear to the brain
A long way of bleeding that looks like illness a long way of dying eventually
The captain and his men now circle their wards their rifles aimed at
the people who under Tupa’i’s orders withdraw to the malae’s edge
and let the Papalagi retreat as a circle to the beach and their punts
leaving Nafanua kneeling huddled alone in the malae’s centre
Vela sees Auva’a shuffling to Her and bending down to help Her up
but She shouts at him stops him suspended in the dead unforgiving air
Vela climbs down quickly and scurries to Her but She wheels away
bows in gratitude to Tupa’i and then while Her people watch and wonder
who this brave young man is and why he is sacrificing himself for them
She hurries away into the plantations with Vela scuttling after Her cursing
the cutting pain of his arthritis the old age he doesn’t need at this critical juncture
in the clash between two religions: Nafanua needed a youthful daring adviser
not a panicking old fool who wants to protect his self-interest
When he reaches the Temple She’s not there neither are their servants
and followers … KKAARBOOMMM KKARRBBOOM KARBOOMMMM!
Fear is a wild beast trying to burst from his moa as he rushes to the edge
and sees the malae exploding Smoke is billowing from the ship’s sides and
on shore people are screaming and scrambling for cover and he recalls
seeing cannons demolishing other villages who’d offended the Papalagi
More cannon fire and Tupa’i’s faletele explodes and burns
Your Lordship! Your Lordship! He calls for Nafanua
He turns when their fleeing people flood into the compound
and the cowering elders plead with him for Nafanua’s intervention
She is down there silencing the cannons he lies and hopes
Fortuitously the cannons stop However in the deep silence
they see four punts of armed sailors again heading ashore swiftly
Vela doesn’t hesitate he rushes down to be with Tupa’i and Auva’a
The wounded are being cared for in nearby fale families wail round their dead
Tupa’i Auva’a and their warriors have been herded into the malae’s centre
by the captain and his soldiers with their guns pointed … You will surrender
the culprits who last night killed one of our crew! He is shouting
Auva’a staggers up shaking visibly and Vela knows what he’s going to do
and despises him for it but who else is going to save them? No more lies — hand over
the culprits! The captain demands pistol pointed at Tupa’i’s defiant forehead
Firstly Your Lordship Auva’a opens his gambit We ask for your Christian forgiveness for the wrong we’ve committed against you In our Darkness we don’t know
the difference between right and wrong and look to you for enlightenment
We’ve sinned against your just and loving God so in just reparation
we surrender to Your Lordship the men who against our orders invaded
your ship and murdered your Christian brother He straightens and without
hesitation points at one two and three of the warriors just behind Tupa’i
They jump to their feet immediately their heads bowed in surrender
Is one of them the one who
surrendered this morning? the captain asks
That is so Your Lordship Auva’a points at the youngest warrior
who steps forward and prostrates himself before the captain
Auva’a kneels and Tupa’i and his warriors bow their heads with him
Nothing like total abject submission to inflate the victor’s magnanimity
Thank you Our Lord has intervened today to save you The beaming captain
utters Today will be remembered as the day God’s love found you!
The prisoners’ families wail mutedly when they see and hear the chains
and watch their loved ones being shackled and marched away through
the crowd of bowed heads and despondent silence The captain steps
forward and shaking Auva’a’s and Tupa’i’s hands congratulates them
on seeing the Light of civilised behaviour and Auva’a thanks him repeatedly
for bringing that Light and Tupa’i maintains his silence and gazes across
at Vela who is struggling to control his nausea though he is relieved
Auva’a’s ingratiating gambit has saved them for that day
His nausea deepens however when he sees some of their people waving
at the Papalagi as they head for their punts A few even follow them calling
Please let your servants of God return to us tomorrow for
we want your God of Love the True God!
It is midmorning two days later two priests who are doctors helped by sailors
are moving round the village treating the wounded and the sick
other sailors are helping clean up the wreckage caused by the bombardment
and in the faletele of an aiga opposed to Tupa’i’s leadership another priest
is talking to a large group of possible converts about the ‘truths’ of the Book
and the power/mana of the written technology It is in
Up in the Temple compound there are only Auva’a Vela Tupa’i
and members of their aiga who have been ordered by Auva’a
