16
"There's another tribe on this island?" I asked. "Why didn't you mention this before?"
"I didn't think it was important," Te' said. "It's a big island and they usually stick to themselves, so I didn't think we'd cross them. But they're venturing further afield than usual and coming from the direction of my village, which worries me."
"Have the two tribes never had contact before?"
"Many years ago, we all lived together in peaceful harmony. But when a power struggle erupted between the chief and my grandfather, my tama matua was killed in battle and the chief banished the other faction to the other side of the island. My father became the chief of our clan and built fortifications to keep the other tribe away. Since then, everybody's been content to mind their own business. At
