HEIVA 2023, NORFOLK ISLAND

Last weekend was so much fun at Emily Bay when the community gathered to celebrate the third Norfolk Island Heiva Day. Sunday was a beautiful sunny summers day and perfect for a day at the beach. The morning started with the opening blessings and acknowledgement of the Tahitian Fore-Mothers, wreaths were laid at the historic Polynesian site in the Emily Bay pine trees.

The Wa’a outriggers paddlers prepared to race around Emily Bay, with the assistance of the Wa’a Outriggers members training and also assisting families who did not have enough paddlers. Thank you, to all the helpers setting up the races, time keeping, and I loved the finish line with the bamboo finish post.

During the day there were banana, plunn races, Strorng Salan, lifting basalt boulders, and a tug of war, along with activities for the children, hand crafts, plaiting, and wonderful wood crafts and plaited hats on display as part of the families’ entries. I enjoyed the Elders stories, it is great to learn about the early life on Norfolk Island.

The drummers played their traditional beats and the Bauntii Byuutii dance troupes danced, from the young girls, the boys and amazing girls and ladies. Their dress and dances are always stunning and delighted the crowds.

The beautiful day ended with a brief light shower of rain, which cleared away for the laying of wreaths on the shore of Emily Bay, with ceremony is in respect to our Tahitian Fore-Mothers, and this moment was extremely moving.

The inaugural Heiva Norfolk Island was held in 2019 and the winners of the first event was the Nobbs family. This was held on 29 December 2019, it had been planned for Boxing Day, but unsettled weather postponed the event to a sunny day. The second Norfolk Island Heiva Day was held on 3 January 2021, a lovely sunny summer’s day down town at Emily Bay. Last year the 2022 Heiva Norfolk Island was cancelled due to the first cases of Covid-19 on Norfolk Island.

“HEIVA NORFOLK ISLAND” invites the community to celebrate the Norfolk Island founding families and their Polynesian heritage. Heiva is from the Tahitian

language, from the foremothers, the Tahitians ladies on Pitcairn Island. I read the meaning of Heiva, “hei” meaning to assemble and “va” meaning a community places, referring to activities, pastimes, physical exercise and festivals. The festival is a mix of song and dance, and traditional sports and games, with physical races and tug of war.

The Council of Elders trophy winning family of this third “Heiva Norfolk Island” was the Christian family, dressed in bright orange shirts. Ken Christian proudly excepted the beautiful carved trophy on behalf of his family. The Wa’a Outrigger races was also won by the Christian family, and I am sure all families were very appreciative of the help they all had from the Wa’a Outrigger club members and volunteers.

Thank you, yorlye for organising this wonderful event for the families and community. A big thank you to the Norfolk Island Council of Elders the MCs and the many volunteers who helped with the amazing day. Thank you, to the sausages, fish fryers, cold drinks and all the extra sullen who made this day such a success.

I took hundreds of photos recording the magic moments and the gathering of the families and the Norfolk Island community. I have sorted a few of my photographs, which I have shared on Facebook on Norfolk Island photos. https://www.facebook.com/NorfolkIslandPhotos

I look forward to next year, I sure everyone will be keen to win the trophy

Betty Matthews

February 2023