TU ES WALLISIEN?

IT was quite challenging for me when moving around the Games Village during the Mini Pacific Games and greeting people appropriately – in English, French or Wallisian.

(Yes, I learned the basic phrases of salutation in Wallisian before we left for the Mini Games.)

The challenge was when I passed by Samoans, Tongans or Wallisians (all Polynesians) and if they were not donning uniforms – it was quite difficult to tell who was who and greet them appropriately.

On the afternoon of Sept 1, we – two other PNG female managers and two of us, male managers – visited the coffee shop in the Lycée Games Village.

In fact, since I was one who settled in first and being more familiar with the place, I was the one showing them around.

When we entered the shop (boutique), there was this Polynesian man sitting at one of the tables sipping coffee.

The large TV screen in the room had a French programme going on.

We had a look around the shop, assisted by the two Wallisian female staff (who spoke fairly good English) and then took a seat next to the man with the coffee.

The female managers decided to buy soft drinks for all of us who were visiting.

We were sitting there and I looked over to the Polynesian and said:

“Bonjour. Tu es Wallisien? (Hellow. You are Wallisian?)

He replied with a smile: “Sorry. I am Tongan.”

There was laughter coming from the two Wallisian female staff.

We all saw the fun in my mistake.

I said: “Really, I cannot tell the difference between a Wallisian and another Polynesian.”

Knowing that Wallisians and Futunians have links to Tongans and Samoans, I asked the man: “We know that the Wallisian language is related to Tongan. Do you understand a Wallisian speaking in his or her language?”

The man said: “If they speak slowly, we can understand. A lot of words are similar to words in Tongan.”

The man introduced himself and we (the other managers as well) had a good afternoon telling stories about people we had met – for him, Papua New Guineans who had visited Tonga and for us, Tongans who had been residents or visitors to PNG.

He told us he was a va’a athlete (for quite some time too) and would very much like to come to work in PNG.

One of the female managers said he should try applying to the mines. (Yes, there are quite a number of mines in PNG.)

One night, I was walking towards the boutique (to get some WiFi vouchers) when I noticed a heavily-built Polynesian lady walking along the footpath, just behind me.

In trying to be courteous, I looked back and said “bonsoir (good evening)”, thinking she was Wallisian or Futunan.

She said: “Sorry, I am Samoan.”

I said: “Sorry, good evening then.”

She replied: “Good evening.”

 

Photo: Wallisian mess (restaurant) staff at the Lycée Games Village barbecuing chicken on Sept 1. To communicate with most locals, it is best that one learns French or Wallisian.

One afternoon, I got on the bus to travel from the Lycée Village to go to the Kafika Stadium.

There were a lot of athletes from different countries on board.

Some were speaking English, while others were speaking in their local tongues.

As we passed by some other athletes and officials on the road, one of the men on the bus called out “stop, stop, stop” to have the driver stop and pick up some of his countrymen who were walking.

By the way the Wallisian driver was going, it seemed he did not understand what the call was for.     

“Stop, stop, stop,” the man called again.

“Arretez, s’il vous plaît (Stop, please),” I called, attempting to help the man stop the bus.

Then the bus came to a stop and the door was opened for the men on the road to board the vehicle.

I thought it was a lesson for all of us.

For those of us coming from English-speaking countries, we must understand that some of our Pacific neighbours can only understand us if we learn to communicate in French.

I have said it here (back in PNG) that “we the English-speaking nations in the Pacific are ignorant of the French-speaking territories in the region”.

That is sad, but true.