The Legend of Bonarua Island
The Legend of Bonarua Island (3 min read)
Told by Lenden Butuna
“Once upon a time on a little island lived a white Cockatoo. Every morning this white Cockatoo would fly up to the mountains to eat coconuts. It was his favorite meal. One morning, as the Cockatoo was sitting on a tree and enjoying his coconut, a huge snake suddenly appeared and tried to attack him! Luckily, the Cockatoo was fast enough to notice and quickly flew out of harm’s way. The shocked Cockatoo flew over to report the matter to his cousin, the Eagle. The Cockatoo told his cousin about what the snake tried to do to him and how he escaped. The Eagle quickly devised a plan to help his cousin the Cockatoo. The Eagle told the Cockatoo to go back to where he was sitting and continue eating his coconut; this time, if the snake comes up again and tries to attack him, he must quickly fly up into the sky right above the snake, and the Eagle will fly over to help. With that, the Cockatoo flew back to the mountains and did as his cousin the Eagle advised him to, once again sitting on the tree and eating his coconut. As the Cockatoo was enjoying his coconut, the huge snake appeared again! The cockatoo quickly flew up into the sky right above the snake so that his cousin the Eagle could see him. The Eagle noticed the Cockatoo flying up high and flew over to rescue him. As fast as could be, the Eagle swooped down and caught the snake on its head, flew right out to the deep blue ocean, and dropped the snake over the sea. He flew down and began eating the snake, starting from its tail up to the head, leaving only the snake’s bones behind. The Eagle continued eating the snake until it came to the snake’s gallbladder. The Eagle realized the green stuff in the snake’s body was so bitter, he immediately stopped eating and flew away. The remains of the snake’s body then turned into an island, which is now called Bonarua Island. “
The End
Most of the island is made up of rocks and only a little part of the island has good soil. Islanders believed that the rocky part of the island is the snake’s bones that the Eagle left, and the part of the island with good soil is the remains of the snake’s head and gallbladder. Today if you look at the island you will see the shape of a snake’s body, and a crevice which is the part where the Eagle stopped eating the snake. The Eagle and Cockatoo represent two main clans that live on the island. At some point, the island shores get washed up with green algae and people believe that it is the sign of the snake’s green gallbladder that was torn apart by the Eagle. When this happens, the islanders know that there will be a good harvest on the island.
Mr and Mrs Oriri - He is from the Gulf Province and she is from Bonarua Island
Today Bonarua is inhabited by approximately 150 villagers that farm, fish and trade with neighboring islands and villages along the coast. They have a Primary school on the Island and are extremely friendly, hospitable and love visitors! Our Hosts Mr and Mrs Oriri have already started organizing a small luxury cruise ship to stop at the island each year! The Island offers access to incredible untouched tropical islands and reefs, and boasts beautiful lookouts and white sandy beaches right outside your door. Visit our website to learn more, and book a visit to this untouched paradise.