On the east coast of the island is the village of Liku, home to two of Niue’s famous artists Mark Cross and John Pule. This village is also the last to put on their annual show day last week on December 30th to complete the yearlong calendar of show days.
The obvious absence of the visiting friends and relatives from abroad did not deter the residents of Liku from putting on their best show day yet, although the food was quickly grabbed up by those who got there early.
For the late comers, there was still curry and rice, chips and chicken and cakes but most of the popular umu and bbq food were sold out.
All the crops brought in for the show were weighed and recorded diligently by the volunteer growers from the other villages. Their task is to find the best growers for the village of Liku this year. The final results will be revealed on the day of the prize giving, which will take place at a later date.
The ladies displayed their crafts woven especially for the day. This year, there were different styles of woven mats, some were round and others rectangular with decorative edgings. The hats were all sold out by the time the Premier got up to officially open the day.
The village council chairperson Tasi Pulehetoa extended the gratitude of the village to the dignitaries and all who turned up to support the village.
The competition to find the fastest coconut husker went to Liku teenager Archie Logo who husked three coconuts in less than a minute.
For the women Mutalau veteran farmer Leni Ioane won both the coconut husking and basket weaving competitions.
While others went to buy and pick up their food and return home, others stayed on to enjoy the entertainment towards the end of the show which was done by midday.
For the next few months, Niue will take a break from the show days until April when the village of Hikutavake will begin the next round for 2021.