Rakei Toa boys learning from the Master

What a wonderful education the Rakei Toa boys are receiving under the tutelage of man of many talents, Papa Mike Tavioni. Every day begins with an opening prayer followed by a typical day of 40 minutes of poetry in Maori or in English followed by question time where the boys ask about the meanings of particular words in that context – Maori or English words as the case may be. It is all about developing their comprehension skills.
This is typically followed by a discussion session about the chosen ‘motif of the day’ which Papa Mike gets the boys to draw the traditional motif and then an explanation of the origin, the meaning and what it represents, the island of origin and how to identify the motif on the various artifacts.
Other days, Papa Mike and the boys will choose ‘plant for the day’ such as kuru (breadfruit), taro, yam (maniota) and again the first step is for the boys to draw the fruit and the leaves.
On inspection of the results, Papa Mike explains the botanical name, the food value of the fruit, its traditional value as a food, medicinal properties (if applicable) and how it came to be in the Cook Islands.
This week, the boys learnt about the reproduction cycle of plants, and one of their projects was to clear and plant some seedlings to grow their own Chinese cabbage and other vegetables.
Other sessions could be about geography where Papa Mike draws a large map of the world and shows his pupils where Cook Islands, Tahiti and so on are on the map.
Sometimes, this leads into how our ancient voyaging ancestors such as the story of Tutapu and Tangiia may have brought the particular fruit with them in our oral traditions. Other times, the sessions might lead to discussion of the Mutiny of the Bounty and so forth.
Other days, Papa Mike leads a session called ‘an honest hour’s work for an honest hour’s pay’ and any loafing or playing up results in having wages deducted. Papa Mike holds a diary of the work times in front of them and the boys have quickly realized that he means business and have developed a good sense of self discipline to make sure they receive their ‘fair pay’.
Papa Mike emphasizes that the boys are receiving a balanced education but there is never enough time in the day to impart all the knowledge that he wants to pass on his young charges such as developing their mathematics and English skills.
All the classes are carried out with the assistance of their Rakei Toa chaperone, Turori Matutu who also joins the boys in all their activities.
Once their morning sessions with Papa Mike are over, the boys are taken down to the football field for a game of rugby and through the medium of sport, the boys develop their levels of fitness, learn the rules of the game and cooperating as a member of a team and developing a friendly but competitive spirit in their games which will take them through life.
Papa Mike and his charges are sometimes treated to lunch brought along by Mike’s niece who wanted to show her support of the work being carried in the Rakei Toa scheme which is the brainchild of Kevin Iro designed to bring the participants back into mainstream education system for their secondary education. Only thing is that lessons with Papa Mike are so fascinating that other classes might seem a little humdrum in comparison.

Herald Issue 463 10 June
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