Written piece
Janet my mother
Dr Monica Tasmania-Lafi
Samoa
About this piece
Life of a Niuean in 1950s to 1980s
Life of Piquant thickened behaviours of life in parents' tales
my life
my love
my parents
My name is Dr Monica. I come from Niue Island and was born and raised in Niue Island all my life. I have never been an ostracized outcry for voices until it changed my life, in 19 08 2000. I started hearing voices.
I was born in Lord Liverpool Hospital on Sunday 6 November 1983 at 3pm. I grew up in Fuai, Hakupu, Niue Island with my father , mother, older sister and brother. We lived in a three bedroom house initially before my Mum and Dad started renovating and extending the house. The house belonged to Tase and Kulani whom Nena Hanama and Papa Magatoa inherited and passed on to my Dad.
We were from a middle lower class house initially with my parents getting 200 a year from my Dad's salary as my Mum would be on maternity leave often between them to survive on with us growing kids.
My father was a Dental Technician and my mother was a Primary School teacher.
Let me take a moment to shed a few pearls of my parents, to give credit of their upbringing of us which shaped us as individuals of today.
My Dad grew up in Hakupu and was adopted by Irene and her husband in New Zealand as she didnt have kids and renamed Jim Patrick Pulu. However ill treatment of my Dad landed him in mishaps that the discipline and physical abuse was so horrendous that he ran away from home. Irene would stand on his stomach to hurt him and hit him to his displeasure and hurtful pride. He then went back to his Mum Hanama in Niue. He had so many memories growing up on Niue.
They built the water tank in the village and he was given a dirty can of water to drink and he brought it home to his Mum who threw it out and beat him for touching dirty things. Philip my Dad also was the third born and when his Dad Magatoa fed his kids for dinner with pilchard herring. He would get the juice and Yvonne his older sister gets the fish. So his plate would go flying outside the door only to go to bed hungry. His Mum and Dad had a good life and jobs so they afforded a kerosene lamp pump which cast light for them all. He was also told stories of how his Dad Magatoa was the only man with a push bike so they hired him to bring a woman from Avatele to Hakupu. So he got the woman and she was supposed to get off on the hill but she made him push her all the way up Avatele's steep hill to the top. He said "loa e alelo mo e maaki e tau gakau he poka hake ki luga e fifine". He nearly died pushing her up. My Dad became a womaniser and had 33 women in total. He would come out of the night club and find a woman waiting on his 500cc bike. He also had a dog called Lassie that would ride on the bike at the back. My Dad was so popular at school and had been a good boy initially until Niue High School. My Mum would tease him he would only go to school to look at the girls with head bands and waists that sway as they walk. They took turns with women and never spoke of it. But their Dad said not to have babies with women. Only for my Dad's older brother Poe to father three in total. My Dad was the Hakupu Youth President. He also spoke at meetings and a wise respected orator. He worked as a dental technician since 18 years old when he left for school. He also drank so much heavy strong alcohol he had kidney failure and stomach ulcers that he nearly died in New Zealand. We are all grateful for my Dad's upbringing. He broke sticks on our hands and the belt was his favourite tool of discipline for us. A strict Dad but looked after us well. Hardworking farmer at home and tended well to his bush gardens. He taught us well to read to us when small. And he liked our food we made at home. We loved our Dad for being a great man. My Mum called him a jack of all trades for fixing anything at home. He wanted to be a mechanic and own his own business in New Zealand or Australia. He wanted to migrate to Australia for a better life for us but my Mum said no. A fateful decision that changed our lives. She said to sacrifice money overseas for our education and it paid off. My sister became a teacher. My brother a dentist and I a doctor.
My Mum Janet grew up in New Zealand. Her siblings were all taken on the Tofua to New Zealand. Nena Loto took her kids all under 7 years old on Tofua. They all stayed on the open deck and Uncle Frank nearly got washed overboard by a wave and Uncle Steven. They settled in New Zealand and have been there ever since. Nena Loto eventually got their own land and house in Otara when Papa Iosia got a good accounting job. My Mum was raped at 12 years old in New Zealand while her sisters slept around her so they came back to Niue at 13 years old. She was born to Lotohaaku and Iosia sipeli. Raised by Nena Fakahula and Papa Saunileva. My Mum would wake up to Nena Fakahula going to the bush to do copra to earn money for Niue. She liked her life in New Zealand. She used to work at the meat factory for pocket money growing up. She was getting 10 pence a pie and to get 50 shillings a shift. She would buy a Queen Elizabeth book and read it all and see the photos. And she would eat cream pies and doughnuts at work she developed a pastry baking taste there. She went to school there and loved the Janet and John books. That developed her love for reading and she was named Janet by her school teacher as Sialefakahula was hard to pronounce. She had friends in school and one kid married a European school teacher. She saw my dad at school and was in 5 upper and my dad was in 5 lower as did not like studying. My mum would go to the school on the government school bus and her time at the bush at Omea while Nena Hula had food waiting for her when she arrived to the bush. She would study by malala or candle nut light and did work at the bidding of Nena Fakahula to go sleep but she refused. She carried brushes and sticks back to the village and they had a horse. At times her grandpa would have hot bread waiting for them and she would buy hot bread from the village baker. By the time she gets home all the crust of one bread will be eaten by her. With lots of butter it is a wonder she liked pastries so much in New Zealand. She also took food to school from Lo and Paipe. Fresh umu food. Faikai ika telekihi or vahakula or paala or red fish her favourite in coconut cream. She even liked moa Niue with hot stones cooked on open fire only to eb nice and crispy. She even ate egg on open fire too called fua moa fakapāpā.Her Mum Lotohaaku gave her to her Mum Fakahula to raise as she had conjunctivitis or mata keleve when she was born. My Mum Janet became a Niue scholar and went to New Plymouth Girl's High School.
She was above the head mistress quarters and she went with Jennifer. She had warm milk and toast for supper and because they were the favourite students they would get food from the pantry from the matron. She then had food from Aunty Nogimai and would work in the factories in New Zealand for pocket money. She learnt how to sew all her clothes. By the time she graduated she became a Primary School teacher at Palmerston North. She worked in Bairds Primary Side School for 9 years before coming to Niue. She looked after Kevin and Maryanne and Andrew. And raised all her nephews and niece. Then she went back to Niue with her own sewing machine, car and washing machine. She was well of and well endowed. My Dad was love at first sight with her. Saw the beautiful maiden on her car riding on his barked bike mooning over her. And my dad was smitten from the beginning and with her beautiful long hair. She was at the town square at where the commerical center now is and now he took a photo of her beautiful woman he said he had ever seen. So the popular stud got his wife. And she took time to know my Dad. Know him as his T bird mo style and shirted collars as T birds from greece. Him and his brothers the Tasmanias. And their love letters never reached each other. My Dad's love letters ended up being circulated to the whole village and people on Niue and never reached my Mum. He would use Russell to take the letters. My Dad went to Liku to propose to Nena Fakahula and they spoke for a longtime. We do not know what they talked about. So they were married with the first rings for males on Niue and a 6 tier wedding cake. So was their marital bliss blessed with heavy rain. As earth shed tears of what suffering was to come on such a union