Witi Ihimaera - Sky Dancer

“To the birds?” Skylark asked.

“They were the supreme rulers,” Hoki answered. “Not just over the forest in this valley, but the Great Forest which spread all over Aotearoa. You have to close your eyes and imagine, Skylark. Can you picture what it was like in those first days of our world after the Lord Tane, who made us, separated his parents, Earth and Sky? You know the story, don’t you?”

“Yes, I’ve heard it.” The scepticism in her words was obvious and Skylark saw a look of surprise flicker over Hoki’s face.

“Sometimes, Skylark, you have to see stories with your heart as well as with your mind. You have to look through Maori eyes. You have to listen with Maori ears. Here, let me show you.”

Before Skylark had a chance to say no, Hoki started to whisper to her. “Whakarongo koe ki au,” she said.

It was the First Lesson.

“In the beginning,” Hoki began, “in the days that have gone before us, Aotearoa was the Kingdom of the Birds. In those days our islands were completely covered with the Great Forest created by the Lord Tane. It was he who with other lords pushed up the Sky Father. He did this by doing a handstand and kicking with his feet at the Sky until it relinquished hold on the earth.”

Oh no, Skylark thought glumly. Fairy tales at this time of the morning.

“In the space between,” Hoki continued, “the lords all contributed to the world we now live in. Tangaroa, for instance, became Lord of the Oceans and guardian of all who lived in the ocean. Paia was Lord of the space between Earth and Sky. Tawhirimatea became Lord of the Winds. All together over seventy gods created all that is seen and unseen. And who was the supreme lord of all? Why, it was the Lord Tane, for it was he who created the Great Forest, verily, a Garden of Eden. The trees touched the sky. Palms and shrubs flowered underneath. Throughout, the Great Forest was laced with shimmering ferns and supplejack. The gateways were the titan kauri, the tallest trees in the world. The palisades were the totara, karaka, kahikatea, manuka, mahika, miro, matai, rata, kowhai and tawa. Over four hundred species of flora, rich with berries and fruits, thrived on the hills and in the valleys. The Great Forest was the wonder of the southern world, the lungs of the Earth, giving air to breathe, giving food to eat. But what use is a forest if it does not have a population to enjoy it?”

Despite herself, Skylark found herself piqued by the question.

“That’s when the Lord Tane went up into the Heavens,” Hoki continued. “There, the myriad birds were waiting for him, trillions of them, of all shapes and sizes. They were so eager to take possession of the land below that they crowded the gates of the Heavens. Laughing, Tane opened the gates and said to them: ‘Go then, my impatient ones! Go down to the world I have created for you and live there.’

“Immediately the air was filled with whirring and jostling as one by one the various families of birds began to fly down to the world below. Indeed, in the great Book of Birds, that exodus is known as the Time of the Falling Feathers.

“Now, Skylark, you must never forget that Lord Tane made birds not just for Aotearoa but the entire world below. One after another, great fleets of them departed the upper Heavens and, as they descended, some flew north, south, east and west to all the lands beyond the horizon. The sun shimmered on their feathers like silver rain. First there were the curlews, godwits, sandpipers and snipes. Then came the stilts and avocets, followed by the phalaropes and pratincoles. Have you ever seen squadrons of birds in flight? They twist and turn as if they are dancing, and some of the squadrons can be many kilometres wide.

“Next descended the skuas, gulls, terns and noddies, followed by the pigeons, doves, parrots and cuckoos. It was as if ribbons of many dazzling colours were being thrown through the skies. And, as the birds descended, they filled the air with melody such as the world has never since heard. They soared down through the clouds — the swifts, the kingfishers and rollers — and the sun shimmered on their wings, creating rainbows of hue and colour beyond comparison. Then came the wrens, larks, swallows, martins, pipits and wagtails. Some of them had to carry down the flightless birds like the moa and the kiwi. Can you imagine, Skylark, how many birds were needed to carry the moa?

“Can you also imagine what they looked like, bursting through the clouds? How excited they were to see the land below? Indeed, the Time of Falling Feathers was similar to the exodus that the Bible speaks of when the Israelites left Egypt in search of Canaan, and it took many many days before the great migration from the upper Heavens was completed. After the pipits and wagtails came jostling the cuckoo-shrikes, bulbuls, accentors, warblers and flycatchers. The Lord Tane’s laughter at the birds’ great joy ricocheted around the Heavens. He had to step aside quickly to allow the thrushes, white-eyes, honeyeaters, buntings, finches, starlings and weavers to fly down. Finally, the least among them, the humble sparrow, became the last to leave — and the gates could be closed. But the Lord Tane hadn’t expected there to be so many birds in the cages of the Heavens. Competition was already breaking out between those who arrived first and those who were still descending. Especially here, in his beloved land of Aotearoa.”

Hoki stood up and walked to the edge of the verandah.

“That is how the Great Division was made,” she continued. “The Lord Tane was very wise. He immediately realised that in Aotearoa the birds would need to be given different territories in order that they could all live peacefully together. He said, ‘I will make half of you birds of the sea, manu moana, and your territory will be the sea and the coast. The other half I will make birds of the land, manu whenua, and your territory will be the land and the Great Forest I have made.’ All the birds burst into a trilling of joy and thanks at the Lord Tane’s wisdom. ‘Just to make sure that you keep to your territories,’ he said, ‘I will appoint my brother Hurumanu as the guardian of seabirds and the Lord Punaweko as the guardian of landbirds.’

“Thus was achieved the setting apart of seabirds and landbirds. Ever since, twice every day, all the landbirds praise Tane’s decision. The first time is at the first sign of dawn. The second is at sunset. So the Great Division has remained. Right up to this very day. But —”

Hoki shivered. She was looking across the land to the offshore islands. There, clouds of seabirds were gathering. “Be careful of the manu moana, the seabirds,” she said to Skylark. “They know you are here. The seashags have been patrolling for a week, and you were lucky not to be harmed by the skuas yesterday. This morning, my hawk told me he saw an albatross on high-level reconnaissance. It was spying on us. Stupid seabirds, they grow arrogant and think they can come into the territory of the manu whenua with impunity.”

“The seabirds should not be underestimated. Stay away from their territory, Skylark. Stay away from the beaches. Stay away from the sea.”

It was mid-morning by the time Cora rose from her bed. The light was so bright that she automatically put on her dark glasses and went searching for Skylark. She found her in the kitchen. “Did you have to play the radio so loud?” she wailed.

“What radio?” Skylark answered. “That wasn’t me, Mum. That was the birds.”

Cora put up her hands in resignation. She looked at Skylark strangely — and pinched her.

“So this isn’t a dream after all! I was hoping that it was and I’d wake up to find this had all gone away somewhere.”