Kaha Natou's Tree

I always enjoy going back to our family roots in South Tanna. It's here that I have the opportunity to place my feet on our land and tread the same footsteps that my Great Grandfather Kaha Natou walked. 'Grounding myself' is the most suitable metaphor I can use to describe this experience. 

From what I can gather about the stories I have been told about him, he was a humble man who possessed incredible vision.

He saw what must have been nothing but a steep, rolling hillside that led down sharply towards a valley, and then towards the ocean, and somehow, he saw its potential. With a wheel barrow and limited tools he dug away at this rolling hillside, cleared it, and levelled it out into the piece of land you can now see in the photo below. 

Then began the challenge of building the house you can see in the back ground. This involved making concrete blocks using the sand by the sea, and carting them up a steep hillside, one by one.

This is the house that we sleep in to this day, and the house that is now the home of his daughter, his grandson, his great grand daughter, and more recently his great great grand daughter. 

The house has withstood many cyclones, including the recent Cyclone Pam, and would probably pass today's building codes and standards. I love this house.  I always touch the bricks and think of his diligent hands placing them purposefully in place.

Where my Kaha Natou stands in the above photo now lies his grave, close to his house and family, forever resting in this special place, a powerful legacy he has left behind. 

As you walk around our place, you see the huge trees he planted with a vision for the future. His vision for the future is clear when you see the roots of the trees, curiously pushing themselves up out of the ground and forming a seat, or a perch to sit on.

You see, the story my Mum told me about these roots is that when my Kaha Natou planted these trees, he intentionally pulled the roots out of the ground so that one day they would form a seat for future generations, a seat for us to rest, reflect, relax, laugh, share stories together, and plan for the future.

He would have done so knowing it would not be him who would one day enjoy the benefits of his actions, but it would be my Mum, my Uncles and Aunties, my brothers, my sisters, my cousins, my nieces, my nephews and those yet born who would benefit from this selfless act of pure vision for the future.

This to me is such a powerful metaphor for leadership for the twenty-first century. There are too many people who sit in positions of power are making decisions and acting in ways that only benefit themselves today, and for their own generation. In saying that, we can't lay the blame solely at the feet of our leaders. We can all learn the lesson from my great grandfather about making decisions today for a better tomorrow.

We need leaders like my Kaha Natou, in all sectors of society - Government, Law and Order, Environment Protection, Health, Education, and local communities, schools, marae, and churches. Leaders who like my Kaha Natou have a strong vision for the future, who are willing to nuture possibilities into potential realised. Leaders who are willing to roll their sleeves up and get their hands dirty, with a long term view for the future. We all need to be making selfless decisions in every day life today that will contribute to a more sustainable society, decisions that will enable future generations to reap the rewards from these purposeful acts we take today. 

Iakokeikei ik Kaha Natou.