11 Paddling on Both Sides of the Canoe …
215
Understanding the Oneness of Life and Intuitive Worldviews
There are many commonalities in the distinct cosmologies of the Pacific, most striking
perhaps is that all cosmologies embrace the sacred elements of both the spiritual
and natural world. From the earliest Austronesian explorers voyaging increasing
distances into the great Pacific Ocean, Pacific Island peoples have amassed a wealth of
environmental knowledge. This environmental knowledge when taken in conjunction
with cultural and spiritual beliefs, apprises their mental models of how the natural
world functions.
Consider the Melanesian concept of creation, as expressed in Making Sense of
the Oneness of Life: a Melanesian Christian View on Creation, “in terms of people’s
relationship to the earth and the environment, with all their contents, visible and
invisible. It is an affirmation of life’s unity – the interrelatedness, and the interdependence, between human life and nature” (Ole 1990: 33). From this perspective all
things are connected and dependent on each other, and greater still, “each is made
possible by the other. The interaction, that takes place between nature and people,
provides a meaning of life” (Ole 1990: 33).
This is further exemplified in the Papuan mythology of the origin of the coconut
tree, which is essential to Papuan agriculture and spirituality. In the distant Papuan
past, there was once a village near the sea where many fishermen lived, and in their
midst was one exceptional fisherman who would leave the village and fish alone,
always returning with more than he could eat. The other villagers grew curious as
to why this man was so exceptional at catching fish. After much discussion, it was
decided that a young boy would follow him to see how exactly he achieved such
success. This is what he saw:
The man put down his fishing basket, and then took hold of his head with his two hands. He
pulled and pulled, till his head came off. He placed his head on the sand, and he walked into
the sea, till the water came up to the middle of his body. After he had stopped in the water,
the man bent down till his throat was level with it. Then the fish came swimming in great
numbers, and swam down the man’s throat. When he had enough, he walked slowly back to
the shore. He shook the fish out, and put his head on again. The boy, who witnessed all this,
was afraid, and he ran home quickly, and told others about it. The next day, all the men went
quickly to the seashore, to see what happened. They saw the man take off his head, and get
into the water. Then, one of the men ran out from the trees, and, taking the head, he threw
it into the bush. After a short while, the owner came out of the water, and began feeling for
his head. When he could not find his head, he ran back into the sea, and changed into a big
human fish. He swam out of sight.
A few days later, the boy, who first saw the man, started to think about the head. He went
into the bush, to try to find it. When he came to the place, where it had been thrown, he found
a palm tree growing. Nobody knew what the tree was. It had nuts on it. The men, who saw
this, then were afraid to eat them. But one of the women took a nut, and ate the inner part.
When the others saw that she was not harmed, they ate some as well. Melanesians say, if
you look at the nut, when the husk has been taken away, you can see the face of a man. I can
tell you, it is the face of the man, whose head became the first coconut. (Ole 1990: 34–35)
From this creation myth, a perspective on the wholeness of life is given narrative form and reflects a perspective that embraces both nature and humanity, as the
215
Understanding the Oneness of Life and Intuitive Worldviews
There are many commonalities in the distinct cosmologies of the Pacific, most striking
perhaps is that all cosmologies embrace the sacred elements of both the spiritual
and natural world. From the earliest Austronesian explorers voyaging increasing
distances into the great Pacific Ocean, Pacific Island peoples have amassed a wealth of
environmental knowledge. This environmental knowledge when taken in conjunction
with cultural and spiritual beliefs, apprises their mental models of how the natural
world functions.
Consider the Melanesian concept of creation, as expressed in Making Sense of
the Oneness of Life: a Melanesian Christian View on Creation, “in terms of people’s
relationship to the earth and the environment, with all their contents, visible and
invisible. It is an affirmation of life’s unity – the interrelatedness, and the interdependence, between human life and nature” (Ole 1990: 33). From this perspective all
things are connected and dependent on each other, and greater still, “each is made
possible by the other. The interaction, that takes place between nature and people,
provides a meaning of life” (Ole 1990: 33).
This is further exemplified in the Papuan mythology of the origin of the coconut
tree, which is essential to Papuan agriculture and spirituality. In the distant Papuan
past, there was once a village near the sea where many fishermen lived, and in their
midst was one exceptional fisherman who would leave the village and fish alone,
always returning with more than he could eat. The other villagers grew curious as
to why this man was so exceptional at catching fish. After much discussion, it was
decided that a young boy would follow him to see how exactly he achieved such
success. This is what he saw:
The man put down his fishing basket, and then took hold of his head with his two hands. He
pulled and pulled, till his head came off. He placed his head on the sand, and he walked into
the sea, till the water came up to the middle of his body. After he had stopped in the water,
the man bent down till his throat was level with it. Then the fish came swimming in great
numbers, and swam down the man’s throat. When he had enough, he walked slowly back to
the shore. He shook the fish out, and put his head on again. The boy, who witnessed all this,
was afraid, and he ran home quickly, and told others about it. The next day, all the men went
quickly to the seashore, to see what happened. They saw the man take off his head, and get
into the water. Then, one of the men ran out from the trees, and, taking the head, he threw
it into the bush. After a short while, the owner came out of the water, and began feeling for
his head. When he could not find his head, he ran back into the sea, and changed into a big
human fish. He swam out of sight.
A few days later, the boy, who first saw the man, started to think about the head. He went
into the bush, to try to find it. When he came to the place, where it had been thrown, he found
a palm tree growing. Nobody knew what the tree was. It had nuts on it. The men, who saw
this, then were afraid to eat them. But one of the women took a nut, and ate the inner part.
When the others saw that she was not harmed, they ate some as well. Melanesians say, if
you look at the nut, when the husk has been taken away, you can see the face of a man. I can
tell you, it is the face of the man, whose head became the first coconut. (Ole 1990: 34–35)
From this creation myth, a perspective on the wholeness of life is given narrative form and reflects a perspective that embraces both nature and humanity, as the