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HERALD WEEKLY ISSUE 432 : 05 November 2008

Our People

Dancing can take you anywhere’ is what Etetia Tairi says after travelling to exotic countries before finally returning to his home island of Aitutaki. Tairi who is from Tautu has travelled to where most Cook Islanders dream of going from having spent 5-years living and dancing in Texas, to Jamaica, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile before travelling to Tahiti and then onto New Caledonia.
The ‘Greek God,’ a name he adopted while dancing in Brazil says that the experience “was more than ‘unbelievable,” and the sites were “just amazing” and having being there and being a Cook Islander was one of the best things he and the dance troupe of 12 has ever experienced.
Tairi returned to the Cook Islands after joining the group and travelling to these exotic countries since 2001. The group consisted of 4 other dancers from Aitutaki, 2 from Atiu, 3 from Rarotonga and 3 from New Zealand and included Miss Maine Tepaeru and Miss South Pacific 2007 Runner-Up Joyce Fortes.
During the exclusive interview with CI Herald, the shy but modest looking Tairi who travelled to Rarotonga earlier this week to compete in the Cook Islands International Sevens competition not only visited some exotic countries but has also been through one of the most horrific hurricanes to hit the 21st century named Katrina.
In August 2006 Tairi says the first hurricane warning was issued, and the Category five hurricane was only 3-days away. Being brought up in the Cook Islands, all 12 members of the O-Kiva-Nui Dance troupe when watching the news unfold on television began preparing for Katrina by going out to purchase cyclone preparation kits, tin-food and filling every bottle they could find with fresh drinking water, and tying down their roof of their small apartment home. By the third day, Tairi says that people began to panic as the President of the United States of America, George Bush addressed the nation and urging people to prepare and keep safe, by this time the majority of people in Texas began to move out.
When Hurricane Katrina finally made her mark on America, Tairi says, that had got to the most scariest day of the dance troupes lives as they watched roof tops fly by their apartment, river banks burst and trees being uprooted and carried away.
The day after Katrina had hit was when the O-Kiva-Nui Dance troupe began doing what Cook Islanders do is – help! Tairi says the troupe’s aim was to assist the elderly, the homeless and just generally lending a helping hand.
It was through this that the troupe had gained the respect they deserved and despite Katrina being classed as a category five there were no fatalities in Texas and all 12 managed to contact their families here in the Cook Islands to let them know they were well.
After carrying the Cook Islands name to great heights, the journey continued on for Tairi and members of the O-Kiva-Nui Dance group who continued onto other countries to promote the Cook Islands culture. Dancing since a young age and fire dancing for more than 10-years, has seen this young Cook Islander stay in some of the worlds most named hotels and visit exotic countries.
Here till Sunday this week, Tairi is one of three imports from Aitutaki who will be playing in the CI Rugby Sevens for the Apia Park team. His mother who is part Samoan was one of the reasons why Tairi had qualified for the Samoan team which is coached by Vaivase Samania.

Herald Issue 432 05 November
- Yes he did – Obama wins!
- New political party to be launched
- DEMO and CIP in Disarray!
- Briefing omits other relevant points
- Mortgagee sales - woes and alleviaton