Teacher’s Note: Kastom stories can be used in a number of ways. The teacher may decide to tell
the story to the students and lead a discussion on issues arising from it. Alternatively, students
can form groups of 5 or 6 and act out the story for their classmates. Two stories are provided
here. The first one is from Rendova Island and Roviana Lagoon in Western Province. It was
told to the authors by Mr. Allan Tippet Bero, TDA Project Coordinator. The second story is a
Native American story about the Creation of the Earth. It is from the Huron people of North
America and was sourced from the United Cherokee Ani-Yun-Wiya Nation’s website. You can
also use the kastom story in Activity and/or any other kastom stories you or your students
know.

Heron and Turtle

One very fine day, or a day without rain and not too much sun, Heron (“Sou” in
Lokuru language or “Soa” in Roviana) sat down in front of his house. He looked
at the sea and saw that the tide was out, as if all of the water had gone back into
the open ocean. And he saw that the reef was very dry. Heron thought, “ Today I
should go fishing.” He collected his basket and went down to the sea.

When Heron arrived at the reef, he saw that in the small pools there were many fish.
He said “Oh, I am lucky today. I will be able to catch a lot of fish.”

Heron jumped from one stone to another, catching the fish inside the pools and
collecting them in his basket. Soon his basket was almost full.
Heron did not realize that this reef had a lot of shells that some people in Rendova
Island call “tutufa” or in Roviana Lagoon “gulumu”. In Pijin or in English, people
know them as “clam shells”. These shells can open their mouths like the giant
clams that live in deep water, but are not as big. This kind of shell is small and lives
on rocks.

Our poor friend Heron did not see one of these clam shells and he stepped in
one. The shell bit the leg of poor Heron and shut its mouth so that Heron was left
standing with his foot in the shell. He began crying, “Oh! I am going to die. I am
going to die.”

As he was crying, the high tide began to come back. The sea was coming in. Heron
was very unhappy because the high tide would come in and the sea would cover him
and he would die. There was no way he could run away.

Suddenly, a turtle came by and heard Heron’s cry. He said “Oh! A man is crying
here. What has happened?”

Then he saw Heron and said “My friend, what has happened to you?” Heron said,
“Please Turtle, can you help me? You must remove this shell from my leg or I will
die.”

So Turtle took the clam shell in both of his front flippers and smashed the shell to
pieces. Then Heron’s leg came free and he said “Oh, thank you. I am saved. What
can I give to you?”

And Turtle replied “I would like those beads from your neck.” And Heron, so
grateful that Turtle had saved him, gave them willingly and thanked Turtle.
A few days later, Heron was flying over a village. He saw a small fence near the
seaside and could hear someone crying. He decided to fly low for a closer look.
Imagine Heron’s surprise when he saw his friend Turtle inside the fence crying.

“Why Turtle, what has happened here? Why are you locked away inside that fence.”

“Oh”, cried Turtle. “I am in big trouble. The Chief ’s daughter is getting married
and tonight there will be a great feast. The people are going to kill me this
afternoon.”

Heron felt very sorry for his friend Turtle. He wanted to help. Carefully he looked
around the village. There were no people around. The women had all gone to the
gardens in the bush to collect taro. The young boys and girls had gone to collect
leaves for the motu. And all of the men were out collecting firewood. Heron saw
his chance to help turtle.

“Do not worry, my friend,” said Heron. “I will help you.” And with that Heron
began pulling out all of the posts from the ground with his beak.

Turtle was free! He crawled as fast as he could down to the sea shore and entered
the water. Then he swam as far out to sea as he could.

When the men, women and children came back to the village, they discovered that
the turtle was gone.

That is why today, Turtle has beads in his neck. And it is why Turtle and Heron are
the best of friends.

Big Turtle

(A Creation Story from the Huron People of North America)

Many years ago the world had two parts. Animals lived in the lower part, which
was completely covered by water and had no land or soil. Above was the Sky
World, where the Sky people lived. The Sky World had lots of soil with beautiful
mountains and valleys.

One day a girl from the Sky World went for a long walk and became very tired.
“I am so tired,” said the girl. “I must find a place to rest.”

The girl found a nice shady spot under the spreading branches of a tree and she
quickly fell asleep. Suddenly, there was a deep rumbling sound like thunder and the
ground began to crack. A big hole opened in the ground beside the tree.

“What is happening?” cried the frightened girl. But she was too late. The girl and
the tree fell into the whole and down into the watery world below.

“Help me! Help me!” shouted the girl as she fell.

Luckily, two loons (a kind of water bird) were swimming in the water and saw the
girl falling. “Let us catch her before she hits the water,” one loon said to the other.
And so the loons spread their wings together and caught the girl on their soft,
feathery backs.

“Thank you for saving me,” said the girl. “But what will I do now? I cannot return
to the Sky World and I cannot stay here on your backs forever.”

“We’ll take you to Big Turtle,” said the loons. “He knows everything.”

After hearing the girl’s story, Big Turtle called all of the animals together for a
meeting. He told an old story about soil being found deep beneath the water.

“If we could get some of that soil, we can build an island on my back for you to live
on,” said Big Turtle.

“Yes,” said the girl. “That sounds like a good idea.”

The Otter, the Beaver and the Muskrat started arguing over who would dive for the
soil.

“I will go,” said the sleek Otter while brushing his glossy fur.

“No, I will go,” said Beaver, slapping his big flat tail against the surface of the water.

“I am the best swimmer,” said Muskrat. “I will go.”

The girl began to sneeze because the loon’s feathers were making her nose itchy.

“Please,” she said, “The loons’ feathers are making me sneeze. Someone must go. I
cannot live here on the loons’ backs forever.”

Then Toskwaye the Toad popped out of the water. “I will go”, she said. “I can dive
very deep.”

All the other animals began to laugh and point at her. “You?” they laughed. “Why
you are too small and too ugly to help!”

“Be quiet,” said Big Turtle in a loud, stern voice. “Everyone is equal and everyone
will have a chance to try.”

The sleek Otter smoothed his glossy fur, took a deep breath and slid into the water.
He was gone for a long time before he came back up gasping for air. “It was too
deep. I could not dive that far,” he said.

“Now it is my turn,” said Beaver slapping his tail on the water surface. After a long
time, he too returned to the surface gasping for breath. “It is too far,” he said. “No
one can dive that deep.”

Muskrat also tried and he too failed to reach the soil deep beneath the water.
The girl was now sneezing and sneezing. “Please,” she said. “Someone must reach
that soil or I will keep sneezing forever.”

“Now it is my turn,” said Toskwaye the Toad. She took a very big breath and jumped
into the water.

Toskwaye the Toad was gone for a very, very long time. The other animals began to
wonder if they would ever see her again.

Suddenly, Otter pointed at the water’s surface. “Look,” he exclaimed. “I see
bubbles!”

Toskwaye’s small ugly face appeared through the water. She spat a few grains of soil
on to Big Turtle’s back, then fell back in to the water where she died.

Big Turtle ordered the animals to rub the soil grains on to his back and spread them
around on his shell. The grains grew and grew until a large island formed, an island
large enough for the girl to live on.

This island grew into the world as we know it today. And the descendants of the
girl from the Sky World became the Earth’s people.

Today, some people say that the whole world still rests on Big Turtle’s back. When
he gets tired, he changes position and we have earthquakes.

Toskwaye the Toad has not been forgotten either. The Huron people of North
America, call her “Mashutaha” which means “Our Grandmother”. No one is
allowed to harm her.