Ethnology of Tokelau Islands
Winds
Winds
The winds are counted and named in 12 points of the compass. Burrows (5) and Lister (14) collected lists of these names in Fakaofu and I collected one at Atafu. The names in these three lists are identical except for the omission of Luata and Tefa by Lister, but their order and arrangement in quarters is different. Burrows' list is probably the correct one. Tefa should undoubtedly precede Sema in the Atafu list. Atafu has two local names which are synonymous with names in the list: tafenga a le malu (a south-southwesterly wind) and taumuliava (west wind or wind which comes from behind the passage in the reef; at Atafu this is on the west side of the village). The lists are arranged in table 5 for comparative study.
Atafu List | Burrows' List | Lister's List |
---|---|---|
N. Tokelau | N. Tokelau | N. Tokelau |
Fakalua | Fakalua | Pakalua |
Luatu | Luatu | |
E. Tonga | E. Tonga | E. Tonga |
Sulu | Sulu | Sulu |
Sema | Tefa | |
S. Tefa | S. Sema | S. Sema |
Lafalafa | Lafalafa | Lafalafa |
W. Laki | Lakalua | Lakilua |
Lakilua | W. Laki | Fakatiu |
Fakatiu | Fakatiu | W. Laki |
Palapu | Palapu | Palapu |