Last time, I talked a little bit about our trip to Papa's family farm, and some of the questions I was left with after hearing how much things have changed over the last few decades.

We got the chance later that same week to hash out some of our questions when we took a trip to visit the Berkeley center, a combination research facility (called the Gump Research Station) and cultural center (called the Atitia Center) located near the entrance to Cook's Bay. Several members of the community, including the Associate Director of administration and outreach, Hinano Teavai-Murphy, came to speak to our group, sharing with us their experience and wisdom and answering some of our questions. Hinano and the other elders spoke to us about the role of the Atitia center in the community, the challenges they are facing in trying to conserve valuable local knowledge and traditions, the effects of new policies on the community and the health of the environment, the ways in which they are seeking to bridge the growing gap between generations, and much more.

The students asked tough questions as well, things like...

In what ways have the systems of ra'ui and taboo (social and/or religious sanctions used for conservation and resource and management*) changed over time?

How has the arrival of new digital forms of communication and technology changed the relationship between generations and the way oral traditions are shared or practiced?

How can young people contribute to the work of the Atitia center?

I remember wishing on multiple occasions that I had a brain like a sponge, that I could absorb completely everything I heard and remember every detail. It is not every day a group of foreign students like ourselves gets to sit in a room with such knowledgable community leaders and elders, to hear their stories and learn from their wisdom.

The rest of the afternoon was spent touring the center's gardens (which are filled with traditional medicinal plants) and learning a little bit about Tahitian weaving. We practiced weaving coconut tree branches into canopies, baskets and headbands, and braiding the strands of coconut husk into beautiful bracelets. (Ok, some ended up looking beautiful... Mine was a little less than awesome, but I'll keep practicing :)

We left at the end of the day tired and grateful. Hinano and the other Atitia members gave us so much; not just tangible objects like headbands and bracelets, but also their time, wisdom, and trust. Mauruuru Roa.

*Berkes, F. (2000). Rediscovery of Traditional Ecological Knowledge as Adaptive Management. Ecological Applications, 10(5), 1258