Vaseseina, out of all the research participants continued telling the Kolombangara creation story. After Vaseseina shared about the first vegetation and the animals in the creation story, he then discussed the creation of the angelic beings. Leve, a god creator, instructed the serpent angel to create the angelic beings. The serpent angel became the custodian of the angelic beings. Vaseseina shared.
Leve, sent the angel, now you have to go and create the first two angelic beings, so the angel came to the Rano Crater got hold of the soil, mould them, then the angel blew this breath to these two, a boy and a girl and they were angelic beings. They were not human beings. They were angelic beings. Then they populate in a binary form, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, you see, until the population got to about a thousand. But when they were created the serpent angel was their custodian, looking after them, so when this Rano mateana [angel] came down the snake angel would report to him. At that time, Koqu Rano, was so sacred and it was forbidden to give birth there. Hal’ninio was the first doctor, a big black bird that usually lived in the mangroves area. When women were expecting, Hal’ninio would operate the women, took out the children and killed the women because Koqu Rano was so sacred. A woman gave birth to a child and her husband and her hid this from Hal’ninio, therefore, Hal’ninio era ended and the angelic laws and rules were broken by these beings.
The spiritual sacredness of Koqu Rano (Rano Crater) with the laws and rules that Leve, created was the founding and heart of saki rai takopo (wisdom). This was the origin of Kolombangara wisdom. The creation story of the angelic beings implied that these laws and rules were the wisdom developed by Leve, the god creator. The premise of these laws and rules implied that they were sacred and supreme. Therefore, saki rai takopo wisdom would encompass the doctrines, ethos, principles, teachings, values, beliefs and practice in the entire livelihood of god Leve the creator, the serpent angel and the angelic beings phase in the entire island of Kolombangara. Therefore, the cultural pedagogies of teaching and caring of young children are embedded in saki rai takopo, the wisdom that god Leve the creator created for the angelic beings.
4.1.4 Kolombangara Legends of Wisdom: Saki Rai Takopo
Two participants out of the 21 shared that the core wisdom (doctrines) of Kolombangara Island came from saki rai takopo. Vaseseina a tribal leader who was individually interviewed from Katete village and Vatale a participant from the focus group in Kekele village shared that the core spiritual and cultural founding wisdom
of Kolombangara peoples’ origin and wisdom derived from sake rai sakopo. Vaseseina added that,
Saki rai takopo, I call it a book of wisdom on culture, traditions and customs of Rano civilisation and it contained their religion and spiritual blessings and teachings in Kolombangara. This where tuti, genealogy for all Kolombangara tribes begins. Rano is the mountainous area where the angelic beings lived during the period when the island was formed and the angelic beings were the first inhabitants of the island and they lived under the angelic laws and rules. When cultural procedures and protocols were not adhered to there were curses (tabiko and tinalevegi, high and low forms of curses) and deaths occurred and would occur in the tribes and people of Kolombangara”.
Vatale affirmed when questioned about his tribal affiliations and said with tears;
My father is from Kolombangara Island and mother is Choiseul (Lauru). From my father’s side of the tribe, I hail from a chiefly tribe originated from saki rai takopo Kolombangara, Tilqoqo that is where our ancestors come from.
Vaseseina and Vatale indicated the origin of their genealogy as Kolombangara people began in Koqu Rano and originated from the saki rai takopo wisdom. Vaseseina referred to saki rai takopo as the book of wisdom. Both of their reiterations stipulated that their tribal existence began with the angelic beings and the laws and rules connected them to the very heart of the sacredness of this place and the wisdom to their tribal genealogies, as people and families in Kolombangara This was the birth place of their ancestor’s religion.
Vatale’s shared experiences about his paternal tuti (genealogy) and this sharing brought about tearful emotions that emphasised the essence of the saki rai takopo (wisdom). I was touched and amazed as an inside-researcher. Vatale was silent after his shared genealogy and took his time during the interview. He was in tears. His emotional response when telling his story was affirmed as appropriate by the other focus group participants.
On the other hand, Vaseseina was confident and his facial expressions demonstrated enthusiasm and excitement as he shared his story in detail and questioned me “Do you know about sake rai takopo?” My response was that I have heard this phrase in Kolombangara people’s chants but did not know its meaning. Vaseseina urged me that we needed to go back to this story. He emphasised saki rai takopo was
critical to understanding the origins of Kolombangara people and their wisdom as knowledge and teachings came from saki rai takopo. Vatale added that these doctrines originated from Til’qoqo the angelic beings.
These shared emotions depicted the essence of Kolombangara wisdom from Koqu
Rano (Rano Crater) and portrayed the depth of meaning, value, worth and
importance to the people within the tribes, people, families and children in Kolombangara. Living within the tribes and the island itself and practicing the rituals and protocols associated with the creation story give purpose for living, working, teaching and caring ways, approaches, behaviours and understandings amongst the people, their leaders and the environments they shared in Kolombangara. These underpin the cultural pedagogies of caring and teaching young children.
4.1.5 Phase 2: Fall of Rano civilisation by the seven super natural beings.
When asked of the important cultural pedagogies of caring and teaching young children in Kolombangara, Vaseseina asserted that the fall of Rano civilisation era had to be told. He stated,
These seven conquered Rano civilisation Hel’veni, Higalozi, Hir’kateu, Rok’petu… The good leaders left, the first one who left was Tabal’bara, Veonona and Vakinao were also good chiefs and was a couple. Veonona was a male chief and Vakinao was a female chief. Both abdicated their leadership throne due to the fall of Rano civilisation with all the terrible things increased [curses]. Meanwhile, Nak’vala was a first human being who gave birth to 7 seven children while the others were super natural human beings
Some of these supernatural beings’ leadership historical accounts and service were good but they abdicated their leadership and left. Six of them were males and one, Vakinao was a female and married Veonona. This couple were good chiefs to their people. Veonona symbolises the matrilineal land tenure system and female genealogy lineage Kolombangara people hold currently within their tribes. Nak’vala as a first human being and had seven children signifying the entire tribes of Kolombangara in Koqu Rano from these seven children.
These super natural human beings and Nak’vala’s seven children are significant for the cultural pedagogies of teaching and caring for young children as the important
genealogical ties that Kolombangara children and their tribes and people could claim in their relationship. Appendices Q, P and O demonstrate the events Veonona and Vakinao engaged in before abdicating the throne and their departure journey from Kolombangara. This resulted in elderly men and women begging them to leave some blessings in a form of a chant. Vakinao’s grief of leaving her people, tribe and Kolombangara was evident in her lullaby. The chant and the lullaby were useful for putting babies to sleep and chanted by people of the land to give blessings to people in ceremonies. The chant, (Appendix O) related to the birth name of the island as ‘Kulangabangara’, meant they were sad as their good chiefs left them. But colonisers mispronounced it and Kolombangara is the current name but does not make sense considering the story of the supernatural beings. Vaseseina advocated to change the name of the island in one of the Council of Chief’s meeting and was not passed as majority of the chiefs were SDA and did not see its importance.