“Great fish do not swim in
shallow waters.”
Kai Tao-tiki
Fisherman
Gender: man
Age: 21
Region: Haka
Status: Single
Family: Lives with and supports his mother and sister. His father died in the civil war between North and South Whenua.
Education: Finished school at the age of 18. Now he provides food on the table for his family.
Social class (income): Working class
Likes
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Fishing in the evening
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Likes to dance at traditional parties
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Dogs
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Routine
Lifestyle characteristics:
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Gives fishing lessons to children after work
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Is against war
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helps elderly people from the community with chores that need to be done
Goals
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To fish the biggest fish at the yearly fishing contest
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To become a tribe leader and have more power
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To become wairua kaha master (stick and poke)
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wants unity and peace
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To elevate his family from working class to lower middle class
Dislikes
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doesn’t like rain
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doesn’t like modern technologies
Personality characteristics:
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very traditional
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handy
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introvert
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kind
Needs
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Fishing rod and spearfishing tools
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Flippers to swim
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A boat
A day in my life
5 a.m.
6 a.m.
9 a.m.
10 a.m.
13 p.m.
15 p.m.
16 p.m.
17.30 p.m.
18 p.m.
20 p.m.
I get up and get ready for work. I take my breakfast on the boat, which is usually a papaya and a banana. I take time to pray to the weather gods. After all, fishing is better when it's not raining
Everything on the boat is prepared in the meantime. The sun rises and I unhook the anchor from the boat. Off we go.
After 3 hours I've already caught several kilos of fish. I am quite satisfied. I return to the harbour and chat with the other fishermen on the quay.
All the fish is unloaded and taken to market. My sister and mother help with this, they are good at selling.
My mother, sister and I go home for a short break. The sun is already high in the sky and it is a warm day. Mother has provided raw vegetables with chicken. We try to live self-sufficiently as much as possible, but sometimes we buy things that are produced in North Whenua on the black market. This is illegal, but a lot of people from the village do it.
After lunch break I clean my boat so it is clean for the next day.
The children have finished school and come to play at the dock. I explain to them about boats, fishing rods, fishing... When they graduate, most of them will become fishermen. Sometimes I take them on my boat to give them fishing lessons.
I go home and do some chores in the garden. Since we want to be self-sufficient as much as possible, we have some chickens, pigs and rabbits that need to be taken care of.
Time for dinner. My mother can cook deliciously. Vegetables and meat are our main ingredients. After dinner, we all sit outside for a while and talk to the neighbours. We live in a close community where people have a lot of contact with each other.
I go to sleep early, because I have to get up early every day. Before going to bed, I do an extended prayer with my mother and sister. We address our prayer to Ukari (the weather god), Mabari (god of fishing) and Pockito (god of peace). Sometimes we pray for other gods as well.