Beneath that tree is buried
the lifecord.
The energy that pulses
through that trunk,
up into those branches
is within us too
by a power of exchange,
of life-sharing…
My home:
It’s not just this house we live in,
it’s that house next door,
and the next,
and the next.
My home is this entire village;
and it’s not just this village,
it’s also the next one,
and the next,
and even those other ones
across the sea…
Home can be a spread of islands.
The land’s bounty
and human toil…
The fruits of earth
the gifts of earth…
From the earth
through the work of our hands,
into other hands
as gifts exchange….
A house will stand
on consecrated ground…
New foundations
or old foundations renewed
are the gifts of those
who inherit them…
We bring our gifts
of time and labour…
We work together
in the life cycle,
the cycle of gift giving….
The structure that we raise
will be a part of us,
it will not stand in vain…
The energies of our community
meet and blend
and are renewed
in ceremony and ritual…
Each one knows his place
and function…
The forms, the gifts of age
The collective wisdom of the old…
The calm, the dignity, the depth -
Touch the living cord of our history….
The lifecord is made visible
in the sinnet of the tabua,
in the sinnet stretched out
at the head of the tanoa…
So the living will be part
of the eternity of the dead….
Fruits of the earth
through the work of our hands
become gifts of welcome
and thanksgiving…
The lifecord tightens,
Our ties are made firmer.
The lifecord is woven
into this pieces of earth
and so the land
bears a name, a purpose,
a dedication…
It is part of us,
as we are part of it.
Touch this common pulse in us
Touch our living history.
Pio Manoa (20th century) Fiji
Source:Medium
the lifecord.
The energy that pulses
through that trunk,
up into those branches
is within us too
by a power of exchange,
of life-sharing…
My home:
It’s not just this house we live in,
it’s that house next door,
and the next,
and the next.
My home is this entire village;
and it’s not just this village,
it’s also the next one,
and the next,
and even those other ones
across the sea…
Home can be a spread of islands.
The land’s bounty
and human toil…
The fruits of earth
the gifts of earth…
From the earth
through the work of our hands,
into other hands
as gifts exchange….
A house will stand
on consecrated ground…
New foundations
or old foundations renewed
are the gifts of those
who inherit them…
We bring our gifts
of time and labour…
We work together
in the life cycle,
the cycle of gift giving….
The structure that we raise
will be a part of us,
it will not stand in vain…
The energies of our community
meet and blend
and are renewed
in ceremony and ritual…
Each one knows his place
and function…
The forms, the gifts of age
The collective wisdom of the old…
The calm, the dignity, the depth -
Touch the living cord of our history….
The lifecord is made visible
in the sinnet of the tabua,
in the sinnet stretched out
at the head of the tanoa…
So the living will be part
of the eternity of the dead….
Fruits of the earth
through the work of our hands
become gifts of welcome
and thanksgiving…
The lifecord tightens,
Our ties are made firmer.
The lifecord is woven
into this pieces of earth
and so the land
bears a name, a purpose,
a dedication…
It is part of us,
as we are part of it.
Touch this common pulse in us
Touch our living history.
Pio Manoa (20th century) Fiji
Source:Medium
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