《海海臺東．南島誌》2025年雙語選輯 :::

羅圖馬劇作家Vilsoni Hereniko

Vilsoni Hereniko，來自於羅圖馬 —— 一座位於斐濟以北289 英里、人口約2,500 的小島。為羅圖馬島也是斐濟第一位、目前仍是唯一的劇作家、獲國際獎項的電影編劇和導演，也是太平洋文學研究知名學者。現任夏威夷大學馬諾阿分校電影藝術學院教授，專注於劇本創作、原住民影視美學和電影製作。

About Vilsoni Hereniko

Dr. Vilsoni Hereniko is a renowned Rotuman playwright, academic, filmmaker, and award-winning coconut leaf basket weaver. He is currently a professor at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa where he teaches screenwriting, indigenous aesthetics, and film production. He was a cultural consultant for Disney’s animated feature film Moana.

流動的大洋敘事

「我從未想過這趟臺東之行會帶給我如此大的震撼。來到這裡，我感覺自己回家了。」眼前這位70 歲的Vilsoni Hereniko（以下簡稱Vili)，一邊吃著小米阿粨，一邊望向我們緩緩說道。 雖然首度見面，他卻令人毫無距離感；很快地，我便知道他特別愛吃魚，因為在其成長過程中，魚是餐桌上罕見的奢侈品。愛大笑的他說幽默是羅圖馬人與生俱來的特質。他對椰子懷有深厚的情感，不僅在物資匱乏時，是果腹的依靠；在神話傳說中，椰子亦是靈性象徵。因為愛說故事而熱愛電影創作，電影是他的工具――用來承載族群的故事，也讓更多人重新感受人和土地、萬物之間的溫度與連結。

The Soul of Oceania in Motion

“I never imagined that this trip to Taitung (1) would move me so deeply. Being here, I feel as though I’ve come home,” said Vili, his eyes soft with emotion as he took a bite of a-bai （阿粨）, a local steamed millet delicacy, before looking up at us with an infectious smile. This trip was the first time I met Vili in person, after having a few conversations over Zoom prior to our arrival. Yet he carried no trace of distance. I quickly discovered that he loves eating fish, a fondness that stems from growing up near the ocean on an island. I would catch his laughter tumbling out in waves, bubbling up like a sudden splash of sunshine. He said humour and storytelling lived in the very bones of the people of Rotuma. It is this passion for storytelling that drew him to filmmaking later in his life. For Vili, cinema is a metamorphic vessel - one that can carry the stories of his people, bridge past and present, and traverse relationships between humans, the land, and all living things. *(1) Taitung County is located on the southeast coast of Taiwan.

讓山脈訴說vā 的浩瀚

在大師講座《太平洋的靈魂：從神話到出版、劇場、大銀幕》中，Vili 提到，大洋洲的靈魂在於「關係的流動」，即薩摩亞文化中的vā (2) ――一種牽繫人、土地、海洋、祖先與生命萬物的深層隱喻。vā 將遼闊的太平洋，從地理的分隔轉化為緊密的關係網絡，串聯起所有島嶼與生命。正因為大海的連結，我們便同屬一個生命共同體，也因此肩負守護這份彼此牽連的責任，Teu le vā (3) 。 短片《讓山脈訴說》（Let the Mountain Speak）(4) 以視覺詩歌的形式，向夏威夷島上的聖山冒納凱阿火山（Mauna Kea）致敬。影片結合長鏡頭與大自然環境音，讓觀眾聆聽山的呼吸，凝視大地的靜默，提醒人們珍惜與萬物之間的關係。透過帶領觀眾進入冒納凱阿火山的靜謐與神聖之中，開啟了影像與觀者之間的vā。 若說大洋洲的靈魂在於vā，那麼也意味著我們皆需承擔起互相關懷的責任――不僅對過去和現在，也對尙未誕生的子孫。從這樣的觀點出發，這部電影不僅再現冒納凱阿火山，更是實踐vā 的方式。Vili 將創作成為一種「容器」―― 一個能開啟對話與呼應的潛能空間，使影像與觀眾之間流動出一種浩瀚而共鳴的關聯。 *(2) vā 是薩摩亞語中的一個核心概念，它強調人與人、人與自然、人與社群之間的連結、尊重與和諧。可閱讀Vilsoni Hereniko的文章Activating the Vā: Performance, Academia and the Sublime以獲得更多認識。 The term vā focuses on the importance of sharing, giving, caring, and navigating space between people and their environment. Read more: Vilsoni Hereniko, “Activating the Vā: Performance, Academia and the Sublime,” Oceania (2024): 1-13. *(3) Teu le vā 意指「照顧彼此之間的關係空間」，可在此閱讀到更多資訊。Read more on Teu le vā, a Samoan/ Pasifika concept that means “to care for the space in-between”; the relationship. (For example, https://manawisetraining.com/topics/teu-le-va-2/)

THE VASTNESS OF VĀ: SEEING BEYOND THE SEEN

In his keynote presentation, "The Soul of the Pacific: Tracing Myths through Literature, Theatre, and Cinema”, Vili conceptualised the soul of Oceania as relationships, a notion expressed in Pacific cultures as vā, which refers to the relational space between and among all things. (2) It applies to all levels of being: between people, communities, ancestors, and the natural world. Vā transforms the vast Pacific Ocean from a barrier into an interconnected network of relationships that links all the islands. Because the ocean binds us together, we belong to one living community, and with that belonging comes a shared responsibility to nurture the space that connects. (3) Vili’s short film Let the Mountain Speak (4) is a visual poem that pays tribute to Mauna Kea, a sacred mountain on Hawai‘i island. Through contemplative long shots of natural landscapes and the interwoven sounds of wind and narration, he provides the audience with an opportunity for introspection. The delicate interplay between silence and sound brings an almost meditative effect, carrying a spiritual and metaphysical weight that underscores the controversy surrounding Mauna Kea. In this way, viewers are engaged at a deeper level, aligning with the film’s exploration of human intervention, existence, and the enduring relationships we share with land, mountains, animals, plants, and all forms of life. *(4) Let the Mountain Speak, written and directed by Vilsoni Hereniko (2017).

Let the Mountain Speak (5)

Did you ask me what I want? Or are you going to speak for me? I was here before you arrived, And I’ll be here today and tomorrow. Some say I have eyes and teeth, Others say I’m the perfect mountain, But have you asked me what I want? Lay down on the ground! Feel my truth Below your belly button, Then crawl on your hands and knees, Climb to the top of my summit Where I wait patiently for your arrival, To break you open. Now that you’re broken open, I will send you down, Embrace your mothers and your fathers, Your brothers and your sisters, Your aunties and your uncles, Your children, Even your children’s children, See enemies with new eyes, That’s when you’ll hear what I want. *(5) This text is the poem that appeared in Vilsoni Hereniko’s film Let the Mountain Speak.

The magic of cinema lies in its ability to recalibrate the energy fields between the screen and the viewer’s inner world. By guiding audiences into the unheard voice and sacred presence of Mauna Kea, Let the Mountain Speak becomes a conduit for practising vā. It transports the viewer into a call-and-response relationship with nature. This alludes to the Chinese idiom “Still waters run deep” (靜水深流), which describes an image of a serene, quiet lake. Beneath the calm surface, deep currents flow, navigating relational forces and meanings in subtle yet powerful ways. Conceivably, the vā is activated through aesthetically rich representations, constantly interflowing and consciously reinterpreted by the audience across time and space.

電影作為實踐 VĀ的容器

太平洋古老的信念視大地如人，它有「眼睛」，能看見；山脈亦有「牙齒」，能吐露眞相 (6)。這樣的宇宙觀在他的第一部劇情長片《土地有眼》（The Land Has Eyes）(7) 中得以呈現（該片也是太平洋地區第一部原住民語電影）。片中，羅圖馬島的女孩Viki 憑藉與土地的親密連結汲取力量，對抗腐敗官僚與殖民遺緒。她的堅韌源於傳說中的「戰士女神」與族群始祖的故事。 電影一方面透過羅圖馬人民、土地與在地語言喚醒集體記憶與原住文化根源；另一方面，影片亦作為再想像的載體，重構跨世代、跨文化，乃至跨地域的關係網絡。Vili 坦言Viki 其實正是他自己， 一個永遠在兩個世界掙扎的人――一邊是羅圖馬的傳統智慧與宇宙觀，另一邊則是西方教育與制度的價値體系。這種身分認同、自覺與歸屬感之間的張力，至今仍纏繞著他，在影片放映的當日，這樣的生命經驗與不少原住民觀眾產生深刻共鳴。 在此，電影不只是重述傳說或再現記憶，而是創造一種「延續性」：將過去與當下相連，並在不斷變化的語境和時空中，奏響新的可能性。

CINEMA AS VESSEL FOR PRACTISING VĀ

In the ancient beliefs of the Pacific, the land is regarded as a human being, with “eyes” that can see and mountains that possess teeth that can bite. (6) This view is illustrated in Vili’s feature film The Land Has Eyes. (7) The story follows Viki, a Rotuman school girl, who gains strength from her innate connection to the land to confront corrupt officials and colonial values. Her resilience is inspired by the legends of the “Warrior Woman” and the ancestral founders of her people. On one level, the film evokes collective memory and indigenous cultural roots through its portrayal of Rotuman life. It serves as a repository of knowledge, inviting viewers to nurture and protect the relationships across generations, communities, time, and boundaries. On another level, Vili has openly shared that Viki is, in many ways himself, someone who navigates two worlds: one grounded in Rotuman traditional wisdoms and beliefs, the other shaped by Western institutional values. This underlying tension of identity, self-determination, and belonging also resonated with many indigenous audiences at the film’s screening in Taitung. In this way, cinema does more than retell legends or reproduce memories. The Land Has Eyes becomes a gesture of remembrance that reclaims the past, and reawakens the vā, calling forth potential frames of reference that bind cultural traditions, rituals, and nature into unity. *(6) Vilsoni Hereniko, “Let the Mountain Speak: A Meditation on Mauna Kea,” Honolulu Civil Beat (2019), 2-3. *(7) The Land Has Eyes, written and directed by Vilsoni Hereniko (2004). The first feature-length film in the Pacific made in the Rotuman language. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004, and was Rotuma’s official submission to the 2006 Academy Awards.

口述故事的延續

動畫《希娜與海神提尼勞》（Sina ma Tinirau）(8) 承襲羅圖馬的口述傳統，講述一位王子因貪婪而過度捕魚，被詛咒成為黑鰻魚，唯有贏得女子的愛方能重獲人身。最終，他化為一棵椰子樹，將身體獻給所愛之人。然而，故事並未以「從此過著幸福快樂的生活」作結；最後出現的軍艦鳥隱喻了超自然界依然主宰著萬物，提醒我們若不珍惜大自然所賜的一切，終將面對來自天地的回應與懲罰。透過這樣的結尾，Vili 揭示了人類與自然之間微妙而密不可分的關係。 在視覺上，這部以簡約線條構成的2D 動畫，彷彿是一場跨越時代、口口相傳的神話夢境。隨著「說故事人」的旁白響起，觀眾被悄然帶回童年時光，依偎在父母身旁，聆聽著睡前故事。在這裡，該部動畫成為了vā 的實踐場域，一個靈活轉化、持續更新說故事者與觀眾之間關係的容器。vā 的點燃讓記憶與情感在影像中流動，凝聚。

ORAL TRADITIONS AND CINEMATIC CONTINUITIES

The animated short film Sina ma Tinirau (8) is premised on Rotuman’s rich oral storytelling tradition. It tells the story of a prince cursed to become an eel for overfishing the lagoon, who can only regain his human form by winning a woman’s love. He later gifts his body to her in the form of a coconut tree. However, the story does not end with a conventional “happily ever after”; instead, the supernatural world prevails. The frigate bird at the film’s conclusion symbolises the lasting power of the unseen, reminding us that neglecting the gifts of nature carries consequences and demands accountability. Thus Vili illuminates the profound, inseparable relationship between humans and the natural world, portraying the land as sacred, as an ancestor deserving reverence. Visually, the film’s 2D animation, rendered in minimalist lines suggests a mythic dream passed down through generations. The storyteller’s voice, narrated by Vili, is reminiscent of listening to bedtime stories as a child and deepens personal interconnection. In Vili’s version of this classic tale, universal themes of greed, love, prejudice, conservation, and spiritual bond are recontextualised, layering the story with new meanings. The film offers a dynamic, contemporary framework that restores relations between ancestors and descendants, past and present, storyteller and audience. It urges for care to be extended to both the seen and unseen worlds that sustain and shape us. *(8) Sina ma Tinirau, written, directed, produced and narrated by Vilsoni Hereniko (2021). Sina and Tinirau are two mythological icons in Rotuman culture.

椰子創生的連續體

Vili 出身於一個有11 個孩子的大家庭，從小因為家境貧困，椰子(9) 成為他最常吃的食物。在他的短片《編織》（Woven）(10) 中，他首次以演員身分出演，飾演一位原住民編織者, 在一座遺忘自身根源的城市里孤身編織著一只椰葉籃。 同時作為影片的導演和編劇，Vili 融入了鮮明的羅圖馬美學語彙：紅與黑象徵祖靈之境、藍色代表海洋，而綠色則藴含自然世界的生命力。更深層的意義，在於他對童年記憶的溯源、對文化傳承的堅持，並透過椰子樹的靈性象徵, 呈現出一種超現實的「呼喚與回應」幻境。在現實與回憶之間，迴盪著他與椰子互為一體的詩意回聲。 片中的一首詩〈NIU: 生命之樹〉反應出Vili 與椰子之間在精神與物質層面上的多重連結。對於他而言，椰子不僅承載著他在羅圖馬童年生活的印記，更是他與大自然持續對話的象徵；它同時也是他影像創作的靈感源泉。 〈NIU: 生命之樹〉 當我老了樹葉下垂 不要從我身邊擦過而不跟我打招呼 你喝了我，也吃我的肉 我的樹葉給了你庇護，記得嗎？ 所以拿取我的一部分 讓我成為你的一部分 感受我，呵護我 像你從未做過的那樣 對我溫柔一點 也要有耐心 一起 你和我 我們將誕生NIU* 的創作 〈NIU: 生命之樹〉, Vilsoni Hereniko，邱瓈瑩譯 * niu 夏威夷語的椰子、椰子樹。在此，作者刻意以大寫字母強調，並與new 有諧音之意。

REIMAGINGING VĀ: CONTINUUM OF NIU CREATIONS

Vili grew up in Rotuman until the age of 16. Born into a large family where food was scarce, he formed a close relationship with coconut (niu), (9) which was a vital source of nourishment during his childhood. Since COVID-19, he has become a master weaver of coconut leaf baskets. His short film Woven, (10) based on a true story, revisits childhood memories of growing up in Rotuma; an island filled with coconut trees, and learning the art of weaving. In Woven,Vili makes his screen acting debut as an indigenous weaver, struggling to complete a coconut leaf basket in an urban city that has long forgotten its roots. As director and writer, Vili imbues the film with distinct Rotuman aesthetics: red and black to evoke the ancestral realm, blue to represent the ocean, and green to embody the vitality of the natural world. His act of weaving in the park by the Pacific Ocean, initiates an almost subliminal dialogue between the artist (Vili), with his past and present. The film opens with a montage of close-ups consisting of him washing fresh coconut fronds in the sea, followed by towering high-rise buildings. This sequence reveals not only his spiritual and material ties to the coconut tree, but also uproots the vā through magic realism – the relational space where continuity and nature’s calling are manifested. His perseverance to finish weaving the basket, despite being called “homeless” and forced by security guards into the rain, intensifies this tension. As one guard repeatedly said, “You can’t sit over here”, “Go to the park”, “You don’t belong here”. This exclusion is later subverted by a “real” homeless couple who appreciates the finished basket. In that moment, the audience is invited to reflect on displacement, identity, belonging, and rootedness. The vā becomes an autonomous tool for seeing with new eyes, reviving interpretations around the value of art and self-worth in an increasingly mediated world. *(9) Niu means coconut in a number of Pacific languages including Rotuman and Hawaiian. *(10) Woven, written, produced, directed by Vilsoni Hereniko (2024).

行走的VĀ：鏡外之境

鏡頭所捕捉的世界乃是現實的縮影――僅是世界的像素化片段，然而影像卻能點燃創作者與觀眾之間微妙的互動。vā――這個「關係引流」的隱喻，引領我們進入一種流動與關懷的模式，與土地、祖先、海洋以及彼此產生深層的共振。 Vili 電影作品中的許多含意，往往藏匿於縫隙與未見之處。透過視聴的體驗，我們得以親臨其境，在變幻的語境中開啟文化對話，編織新的連結。就像這一次透過他的「眼」和鏡頭，為我們展開了一場海與海之間、心連心所生成的探索之旅。

BETWEEN FRAMES, MOVING SOULS

The vā, the space between, is multi-dimensional and connects us all. It is a site of wholesomeness for us to care and nurture. Cinematic techniques make this visible, but more importantly, they make it felt by audiences. A film is never solely about the story it tells. It is also about what stirs in-between: the myriad ways it mobilises viewers into relation with themselves, each other, and the world around them. To trace the soul of Oceania through film is not to anchor it to particular image sequences, but to pursue the ways of seeing that open relational spaces. Much of the meaning in Vili’s films lies in the unseen gaps and beyond the frame, demonstrating the fluidity that emerges in cinematic experiences where the betweenness is full of breadth and depth. Through his “eyes” and lens, Vili takes the audience on an exploratory journey in which the vā is felt, imagined, and renewed.

本文機緣

Vilsoni Hereniko 於2025 年8月30日應臺東縣政府《海海臺東．南島誌》之邀，在國立臺灣史前文化博物館舉行的大師講座《太平洋的靈魂：從神話到出版、劇場、大銀幕》，內容包含影片放映及映後座談。放映作品包括其劇情長片《土地有眼》、動畫短片《希娜與海神提尼勞》、以及其它短片如《讓山脈訴說》、《編織》和《幻影》。

Context

In August 2025, Vilsoni Hereniko (hereafter ‘Vili’) visited Taiwan as part of the Hi Hi Taitung (海海臺東) publication initiative, supported by Taitung County's Cultural Affairs Department. The event featured curated screenings of his films along with a keynote presentation under the theme “The Soul of the Pacific: Tracing Myths through Lectures, Theatre, and Cinema”. This special feature is a reflection from Dana Huang, his interpreter during the trip, on Vili’s films and creative practices, which are shaped by his lifelong commitment to storytelling through his Rotuman culture and Oceanic perspectives. (You can access some of the films discussed in this article here: https://www.vilsonihereniko.com/)

〈靜　界〉

一首靈感源自《讓山脈訴說》的小詩 文｜ Dana Huang 霞光鑽進縫隙 雲沈釀成迷霧 靜默低吟 迴盪於記憶與片刻 緩緩煨煮著距離 聽 ―― 寂靜的流引 聽 ―― 你肌膚之下的故事 雖破碎 卻仍折疊著深意 雙眼懷念鹽的滲痕 齒間研磨著夢的餘味 齒縫之間 眞言未吐 腹部深處 繁念如潮 墜　　　　　　　　　　　落 　　　　　　滋生 一輪　　　　又一輪 沿著我的脈搏 你散逸的足跡　　　　　向上 朝向我們共享的天地 過去傾身向前 當下起舞 影隨影而生 往下　　　你攜帶忐忑 編織已見與未見 纏連已知與未知 迴旋　　　　　　　　　解縫 綿延無際的靜默中 光在心與心之間　　悄然流淌

Silent Space

A poetic response from Dana Huang, to the film Let the Mountain Speak. Light threads through my curled edges. Clouds brew into mists of silence. Stillness chants between memory and gaps, where distance dissolves. Listen. Silence moves. Listen to the stories under your skin, fractured, yet pulsating with meaning. My eyes itch with brined scratches, My teeth-grinding dreams humming between my teeth (something swells, an unspoken current). Deep in my belly — something sinks into vastness. Falling out — — growing in, again and again, along my veins, where your footprints scatter. UP toward the space we share. The past leans forward; the present zigzags, shadow before shadow. DOWN you bring your questions, braiding the seen and unseen, the known and unknown. Circling, unpacking, folding the silent space that stretches from heart to heart, where light breathes (in its own time).