"We had no chance," they said. "He was very pushy and of course we did not know his name. He claimed to have won many battles in Tonga and Samoa. We did not care about that." They went on to describe how they had made this island by spilling sand from their kete basket. "There was nothing here before we came. We took care of the island for ages, we loved it" they noted.
"What did you do when you left Nanumea?" our reporter asked the two women. "We gathered up our kete and loulou and took off. Some sand spilled in the lagoon, making two more small islets, we could see that. And our loulou made a long scrape in the reef on the ocean side of Matagi. But that was all we saw, we were out of there. We could not argue with that guy, he was really tough!"
Pai and Vau are still living in hiding and have asked that we not disclose the islands they now live on. They said they are trying to forget the past, but some have urged them to take their case to court. They believe they could bring charges of fraud and deception "by changing to spirit nature."
According to the two women, "there are major issues of gender bias in this story. This bias should be brought out into the open. We will decide soon whether we will press charges," they said. Both Pai and Vau added that despite their great loss, they bore no ill will toward Nanumeans, and wished them only the best.
Big Days and Po o Tefolaha from Tuu, Faiga mo Iloga faka Nanumea
Po o Tefolaha from Keith's thesis, Heirs of Tefolaha
Po o Tefolaha from the book, Unity of Heart