1. When Mafatu Woke up on the Island, Who Was with Him?

CIC Chapter 3 Questions/Answers

1. When Mafatu woke up on the island, who was with him?

(p. 35) “Uri lay close at hand...” p. 38 “There was Kivi too…”

2. How had Mafatu gotten wounded, and how did he treat the wound?

( p. 36, 38) “He discovered that there was a gash on his calf; he must take care of it, for coral wounds were poisonous." He cut his leg on the reef when his canoe splintered into pieces. He squeezed the juice of a lime onto his gash to cauterize it.

3. What sorts of animals did Mafatu see?

(p. 37) Mafutu saw green and purple parakeets, a wild boar, mountain goats, a crab, and gulls.

4. Why was the soil of the island so rich?

(p. 38-39) The island soil is rich because of the volcano on it. “It was always thus in the rich soil of the volcanic islands.”

5. Why did Mafatu both hope and fear that the island was inhabited?

(p. 40) “He was hoping desperately for some sign of human habitation, yet fearing it too; for who knew whether humans might prove friends or enemies?”

6. What caused the two openings in the barrier reef around the island?

(p. 41) “In each case the opening was caused by a river which flowed from the mountains down into the lagoon; for the tiny coral polyp which builds up its ramparts from the floor of the sea cannot withstand fresh water. Wherever a river flows into the sea there will be a breach (opening) in the barrier-reef.”

7. Who was Maui? What did Mafatu vow (promise) to Maui?

(p. 44) “Maui, God of the Fishermen, hear me?” [Mafatu] pleaded. “I shall return home one day, I swear it. My father, Tavana Nui, will be filled with pride at my homecoming.”

8. How did Mafatu make a “sled”?

(p. 45) “He bound the banana leaves together with a fibrous rope of vines and soon had a toboggan as long as his body.”