Vuana Kodoli

na kuli Semana

The Fire Tree

by Alice Semana

I nau asagu ki Alice. I nau doko kulia chika tungi. A taovia mana marumuna ara oru chika komu.
Oru oru mi chika tahuna, i lahina taovia nia oru chika komu me agosia chika kibo. Me kulikuli mai vania i lahina me koe, “Doma, nau doko ago kibo. Damutu mai la bongi vae.”
Me chaulia bongi. Mi domana alahira na marumuna, mara tari bolo mara ba, ba la lovi kibo. Ma la komura ra lua ki baka rauka kulana, maruka oru, maruka reitauni bolo.
Mi rauka ruka oru oru ma chika bongi, ki baka chikai na kebe e vuru. E rei ba la pasunihana me taiha chika kebe, me ba me chaulia kulana.
Me koe, “Ki bakao kulagu, do palau mai a kebe; go kebe e vuru.” Mi kulana e taiha laka ni veke tuhua, ki baka e bulo; bulo mai me sasaha.
“A sava doko agosia, mi avai doko tahoa kebe?” Oru oru me saha vania i vidana, me sosolo.
Mana sosolo ka soloa e rongo vae, e tangi me kuli vae. "Tatai …a Vuana Kodoli o kuvua kebe mo kuba vaniau mai. Ki baka e luti vaniau kebe."
Mi vidana Vuana Kodoli e rongonia; rongonia me koea, “Ai, a sava ka nava ka haila asagu? Amuna kuligu bei? Lua, ko rongoni doua laka.”
Me rongonia laka ki baka rukana tahuna ka sosolo. "Tatai ...a Vuana Kodoli kuvua kebe mo kuba vaniau mai. Ki baka e luti vaniau kebe."
“Au nia naga, i vidagu nara luti vania kebe; e loana kebe. I nau doko ba ko resia.”
Me mai. “O mai. Mutu nauvehua?” Mi vidana e koe vae, "Tatai, go kebe vuru, nau nu loana do kuvua kebe vaniau,” mi vidana e kuvua kebe me kuba vania.
Mi hia e uvia na kebe, me tavu kebe ni hana me tataoni hana, me tatao hana na bolo, rakerake la naulavi me pala na bolo me tahoa na beho, me sohonia, mara makuru me dangi.
Mi hira taovia mana marumuna ara lovi la kibo ra bulo mai, bulo mai tangi ngingili ra mai mara chau vale.
Mara koe “Ki bakamuka, muka vehua? Muka kulikuli ba. Muka oru la murimitou, ma sava ka chauli hamuka?"
Ki baka chikai e koe vae, “Hamika mika oru oru ba ma go kebe ka vuru. Rei la pasu ni hagua me taitaiha kebe. Nu ba manu nokia ki baka kulagu. Ki baka nia ka luti vaniau a kebe. Nau noko ge tangi moko soloa vidagu, koe vania, ‘I tatai, o kuvua kebe mo kuba vaniau mai.’
Mi tatai Vuana Kodoli naka kuvu kebe maka kusua vaniau. Ko tavu kebe hara bolo, tavu kebe ni hagua. Nie damutu kuvalia bolo, damutu ukusia bolo mamutu pala i tatai.”
Mana taovia ge kuli vania marumuna, “Eo, biramutou mutu rongonia sava komu ne ra kulia. Ukusia mamutu kuvalia bolo.”
Mi hira ukusia mara kuvalia mara pala bira Kodoli mara tavu kebe mara tateo mara kerebolo mara vanga me oru ba. Sui chika tungi a Vuana Kodoli.

My name is Alice. I will tell you a traditional story about a chief and his subjects who lived in a village. 
One time the chief's brother-in-law, who lived in a village some distance away, decided to make a traditional feast. So he sent word to the chief, saying, "Brother, I am going to throw a feast, and you should all come on the given day."
The day came, and the chief led his subjects, and they carried a pig and headed off to the traditional feast. In their village they left two sisters-in-law to stay and look after the pigs. 
So the two of them stayed, and one day the first girl’s fire died. She looked through the ashes, but there was not a single ember, so she went to her sister-in-law. 
She called out to her sister-in-law, "Bring me an ember; my fire has died." But her in-law did not respond, so the girl went back. She came back and she thought.
She thought to herself, 'What am I going to do, or where can I get fire?' Eventually she thought of her uncle, so she called out to him. She sang a song of request that sounded like this: 
“Uncle Fire Tree, start a fire and place it here for me. Because my in-law won’t give me any fire.” 
Uncle Fire Tree heard it, but when he heard it he said, "Hey, what sounds like it's calling my name - is there something in my ear? Never mind; Maybe I will hear it again."
Then he heard his niece again as she called out a second time. “Uncle Fire Tree, start a fire and place it here for me. Because my in-law won’t give me any fire.” 
“Oh, I see,” he said, “They won't give my niece any fire, and she wants fire. I’ll go down and have a look.”
He came and said, “Come tell me what’s going on.” So his niece said, “Uncle, my fire died; I want you to start a fire for me.”
And her uncle started a fire and gave it to her. She blew on her fire, built a fire for her food, cooked her food, cooked the pig's food, fed the pig in the evening, took her food, stored it in her basket, and called it a day. And they slept until daybreak.
Eventually, the chief and all the villagers who went to the feast came back. They came back singing a traditional chant and arrived in their village.
Then they said, “Hi, sisters; how are both of you? Tell us; you stayed behind, and what happened?”
Then the first girl said, “We stayed back, and after a while my fire died. I went to go tend the fire, but there were no coals. I went and asked my sister-in-law, but she would not share her fire with me. Then I cried out, ‘Uncle Fire Tree, please come make me a fire!’
Uncle Fire Tree came and made a fire and gave it to me so that I could build a fire for my food and the pigs’ food. We need to kill a pig and cut a piece for Uncle Fire Tree.”
The chief told the people, “Yes, you have heard what happened in this village. Kill a pig and cut it up and share it out accordingly.”
So they cut up a pig and portioned it out, including a piece for Uncle Fire Tree. They built a fire and an earthen oven and cooked the pig. Then they ate together and all lived happily ever after. And that is the story of Vuana Kodoli, the Fire Tree.

If you would like to contribute art for this story we would love a picture to go with each of the 10 lined sections, each one being a page in a book.
Please send any art to the BTLG in Buruburu.

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Vuana Kodoli

Vuana Kodoli

na kuli Semana

I nau asagu ki Alice. I nau doko kulia chika tungi. A taovia mana marumuna ara oru chika komu.

Oru oru mi chika tahuna, i lahina taovia nia oru chika komu me agosia chika kibo. Me kulikuli mai vania i lahina me koe, “Doma, nau doko ago kibo. Damutu mai la bongi vae.”

Me chaulia bongi. Mi domana alahira na marumuna, mara tari bolo mara ba, ba la lovi kibo. Ma la komura ra lua ki baka rauka kulana, maruka oru, maruka reitauni bolo.

Mi rauka ruka oru oru ma chika bongi, ki baka chikai na kebe e vuru. E rei ba la pasunihana me taiha chika kebe, me ba me chaulia kulana.

Me koe, “Ki bakao kulagu, do palau mai a kebe; go kebe e vuru.” Mi kulana e taiha laka ni veke tuhua, ki baka e bulo; bulo mai me sasaha.

“A sava doko agosia, mi avai doko tahoa kebe?” Oru oru me saha vania i vidana, me sosolo.

Mana sosolo ka soloa e rongo vae, e tangi me kuli vae. "Tatai …a Vuana Kodoli o kuvua kebe mo kuba vaniau mai. Ki baka e luti vaniau kebe."

Mi vidana Vuana Kodoli e rongonia; rongonia me koea, “Ai, a sava ka nava ka haila asagu? Amuna kuligu bei? Lua, ko rongoni doua laka.”

Me rongonia laka ki baka rukana tahuna ka sosolo. "Tatai ...a Vuana Kodoli kuvua kebe mo kuba vaniau mai. Ki baka e luti vaniau kebe."

“Au nia naga, i vidagu nara luti vania kebe; e loana kebe. I nau doko ba ko resia.”

Me mai. “O mai. Mutu nauvehua?” Mi vidana e koe vae, "Tatai, go kebe vuru, nau nu loana do kuvua kebe vaniau,” mi vidana e kuvua kebe me kuba vania.

Mi hia e uvia na kebe, me tavu kebe ni hana me tataoni hana, me tatao hana na bolo, rakerake la naulavi me pala na bolo me tahoa na beho, me sohonia, mara makuru me dangi.

Mi hira taovia mana marumuna ara lovi la kibo ra bulo mai, bulo mai tangi ngingili ra mai mara chau vale.

Mara koe “Ki bakamuka, muka vehua? Muka kulikuli ba. Muka oru la murimitou, ma sava ka chauli hamuka?"

Ki baka chikai e koe vae, “Hamika mika oru oru ba ma go kebe ka vuru. Rei la pasu ni hagua me taitaiha kebe. Nu ba manu nokia ki baka kulagu. Ki baka nia ka luti vaniau a kebe. Nau noko ge tangi moko soloa vidagu, koe vania, ‘I tatai, o kuvua kebe mo kuba vaniau mai.’

Mi tatai Vuana Kodoli naka kuvu kebe maka kusua vaniau. Ko tavu kebe hara bolo, tavu kebe ni hagua. Nie damutu kuvalia bolo, damutu ukusia bolo mamutu pala i tatai.”

Mana taovia ge kuli vania marumuna, “Eo, biramutou mutu rongonia sava komu ne ra kulia. Ukusia mamutu kuvalia bolo.”

Mi hira ukusia mara kuvalia mara pala bira Kodoli mara tavu kebe mara tateo mara kerebolo mara vanga me oru ba. Sui chika tungi a Vuana Kodoli.

If you would like to contribute art for this story we would love a picture to go with each of the 10 lined sections, each one being a page in a book. Please send any art to the BTLG in Buruburu.

If you would like to contribute art for this story we would love a picture to go with each of the 10 lined sections, each one being a page in a book.
Please send any art to the BTLG in Buruburu.