What does Mafatu find in the Sacred Place in Call It Courage?
Mafatu finds a spearhead in the Sacred Place.
When Mafatu discovers the Sacred Place, he sees
"a series of wide stone terraces rising in a pyramid many feet high; on top of this pyramid a grotesque idol, hideously ugly, rear(s) in the brilliant sunshine. It (is) and ancient idol, its...
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contours softened with fungus and lichens...around the base of the idol, he (sees) piles of bones, charred, but not old. The platform (is) strewn with them. Bones too large for dogs, too large for pigs...Here the eaters-of-men (make) their terrible sacrifices to theVarua Ino".
Examining the monument from a short distance, Mafatu sees a spearhead on the sacred platform. "Finely ground, sharp-edged", it would make a perfect "spear for food, a weapon against attack". He wonders if he should take it, knowing that to do so might mean death for him.
Although the term is not used in the book as far as I can see, another name for the "eaters-of-men" iscannibals. In the book, they are referred to merely as savages.
Mafatu first realizes that people have been on the island when he notices that fruit on a banana tree has clearly been severed by a knife. That tells him that beings that are capable of making and using tools (the knife) have been there. He then discovers the Sacred Place, which proves unequivocably that people have been there, recently. The fact that the piles of ashes resting on the platform have been "undisturbed by the wind and storm" tells Mafatu that the savages have been on the island not too long ago ("The Island").
In Call It Courage, what realization does Mafatu have upon seeing the island's sacred place?
The author sets the scene by stating that Mafatu’s attention is caught by an old and hideous idol on top of a tall pyramid. The idol’s longevity is highlighted by its corrosion and the fact that it is covered in fungi and lichens. The author mentions that invasive weeds cover the base of the idol. Due to the idol’s position, no wind can reach the base. As reality sinks in, Mafatu slowly realizes the truth about his location. He is at a marae—a sacred place. Struggling to breathe, he draws nearer to the base of the idol, where he finds piles of bones covering it. They are burnt and blackened. However, Mafatu can tell that the bones are not old and do not belong to dogs or pigs. Suddenly, Mafatu knows this is a motu tabu, a forbidden island, where men are sacrificed by the Varua Ino to eat.
In Call It Courage, what realization does Mafatu have upon seeing the island's sacred place?
In Call It Courage, when Mafatu finds the marae, the Sacred Place, on the island, he knows that he has found a forbidden island, or motu tabu.
This realization can be found on p. 46 of the book. At this point, it is the first day that Mafatu has spent on the island and he is exploring. While exploring, he finds a long lava slide and decides to sled down it on a sled of leaves. At the bottom of the slide, he finds a trail that is too fine to have been “made by the feet of wild pigs (p. 46).” He walks along the trail and comes to the Sacred Place. Mafatu looks at the idol and then looks around its base. He sees burnt bones all over the platform. They are too large to be dog or pig bones so he realizes that they must be human bones. At this point (still on p. 46), we are told that
And then he understood. His heart congealed. This was a motu tabu, a Forbidden Island.
What does Mafatu see when exploring another part of the island in Call It Courage?
After making a vow to Maui, God of the Fishermen, that he will return home one day, Mafatu decides to explore the opposite side of the island before he returns to the beach.
As he reaches the cool dark valley his attention is drawn to some large banana trees that are three times his own height. Mafatu remembers hearing tales of how Tahitian youths would slide down the lava slide on sleds made by giant banana leaves. He's most impressed by the leaves, which wave in the breeze “like tattered banners.”
Even more impressive to Mafatu are the stems of the banana trees. Upon examining them, he sees that the stems have been cut, with tree after tree being stripped of its fruit. It's clear that the stems have been cut cleanly by a knife, and within the week too.
Naturally, Mafatu is keen to find out who's cut the fruit from the banana trees. At the very least it indicates that someone else has been on the island recently. Upon further investigation, Mafatu discovers an idol made of bones. This is clearly a sacred place, a forbidden island where cannibals make terrible sacrifices to the Varua Ino, an evil spirit that roughly corresponds to the devil.