As the years passed, Moana’s parents taught her to appreciate life on the island of Motunui. She took comfort in traditions. She learned the songs. She knew what a valuable resource the coconut was—from its sweet meat and water, to its fibers, from which they made nets. She even knew how to weave the different kinds of baskets the villagers used in daily life.
Moana knew that the island gave the people of Motunui all they needed. Yet she was still drawn to the sea. Moana often stared out at the crystal blue water, wondering what was beyond the island’s reef. She loved watching the fishing boats as they sailed into the lagoon and returned, but her parents would constantly drag her away, back from the water’s edge.
Only Gramma Tala understood Moana’s fascination. The two spent many hours walking the beach together and would often dance with the waves. Gramma Tala always encouraged Moana to follow her heart and listen to the voice inside. She told Moana that listening to that voice would help her figure out who she truly was.
One day, Tui led sixteen-year-old Moana up a mountain. They walked higher and higher, until they reached the tallest peak of Motunui. At the very top, Tui showed Moana an enormous pile of stones.
“I’ve wanted to bring you here from the moment you opened your eyes,” said Tui. “This is a sacred place. A place of chiefs.” Tui stepped toward the stones and put his hand on them. “There will come a time when you embrace what you’re meant to do and who you’re meant to be, and you will stand on this peak and place a stone on this mountain, like I did, like my father did, and his father, and every chief that has ever been. And on that day, by adding your stone, you will lift this whole island higher. You are the future of our people, Moana. And they are not out there.” Tui gestured past the reef, to the vast ocean beyond. “They’re right here.” He put a hand on Moana’s shoulder as the two gazed down toward the village. It was in the distance, at the foot of the mountain. “It’s time to be who they need you to be.”
Moana glanced back at the pile of stones. She reached out and placed her hand on Tui’s stone. This was where her stone would go one day. “Do you think I can?” she asked.
Tui gave Moana a hongi. “You will be a great chief, Moana of Motunui ... if you let yourself.”
Moana looked up at her father, thinking about his words and knowing how important it was to him that she follow in his footsteps. She was finally ready. She would take on the responsibility and be the chief her parents wanted her to be.
She turned her head from the ocean and stayed focused on the island, committed to finding happiness right there. Moana assured herself there was no reason to look beyond the island’s reef. Everything she needed and everything she loved was right there.
A few days later, wearing her headband decorated with flowers, and with her pet pig, Pua, by her side, she joined her parents and headed to the council meeting. On the way, Moana spotted Gramma Tala dancing with the waves on the shore and paused only a moment before continuing to the council fale.
Drummers banged out a rhythm on large drums as the village council convened. Tui, Sina, and Moana took their places while the drums rapidly built to a dramatic finish. Tui lowered his battle-ax, signaling everyone to sit. Before he could open his mouth to begin the meeting, a booming voice filled the fale. “PEOPLE OF MOTUNUI!” the official announcer yelled. “CHIEF TUI!”
“Thank y—” Chief Tui began, but the man cut him off again.
“OF MOTUNUI!”
“Thank you,” said Tui as he turned toward the crowd. “One day, Moana will lead our people. I’m proud to say that out in the village today, you’ll see just how far she’s come.” He gazed at his daughter with love and handed her the chief’s battle-ax. Moana smiled, feeling his pride. Everyone turned to her, as she now had the floor.
Moana smiled graciously and took a deep breath, but before she could say anything, the loud voice rang out again. “MOANA OF MOTUNUI!” he screamed right into Moana’s ear. She accidentally dropped the heavy battle-ax, nearly chopping off Pua’s snout!
Throughout the day, Moana was acting Chief of Motunui to the village as her parents observed her making rounds across the island.
When a villager named Maivia complained about his leaky roof, Moana climbed up to the rafters to check it out. Maivia explained to Tui and Sina, “Every storm, the roof leaks on the fire, no matter how many fronds I add—”
From the top of the fale, Moana yelled, “Fixed!” She smiled down at them. “It wasn’t the fronds; the wind shifted the supports,” she said. Then she took a bite of food that Maivia offered her. “That’s good pork.” She saw Pua by her feet and suddenly felt very bad for sharing that so loudly.
Later, Moana stood beside a large man named Tolo, holding his hand as he got a new tattoo on his back.
“Ow. Ow. Ow,” repeated Tolo over and over again, gripping Moana’s hand tighter and tighter.
“You’re doing great,” said Moana, trying to sound normal as she attempted to withstand the pain of his strong squeezes.
Hours later, Moana continued to hold Tolo’s hand even as she felt her hand going numb. “Just five more hours,” she said to Tolo, wincing in pain. He squeezed her hand a bit harder. “Ow. Ow. Ow ...”
When Tolo’s tattoo was finally complete, he stood up and gave Moana a hug, thanking her for her support. Then he hobbled off, walking stiffly toward his fale as Moana tried to shake the soreness out of her hand.
Tolo’s friend Asoleilei walked by with a big energetic smile and congratulated him. “Manuia!” he shouted, slapping him on the rear. That caused Tolo to wince from the pain, and quickly move away from his friend.
Pua tried to keep up as Moana continued the village rounds, helping anyone who needed it. Two little girls and a little boy ran up to her, out of breath, and launched into a story. They spoke loud and fast, talking over each other, as they tried to explain.
“Lua hit me,” said Loa.
“And Loa hit me back,” said Lua.
“But Loa was like, Wawomodo?” said Loa.
“What would Moana do?” explained La’a.
“Which is just be awesome,” said Lua.
“So she stopped punching my face,” said Loa.
“And made you a picture,” said La’a.
The kids held up a terrible drawing of Moana stopping a fierce, bloody fight. Moana stared at it, trying to decide how to react.
“That’s blood,” Lua pointed out.
Moana smiled and took the drawing, thanking each of them for the special gift.
Later, a village cook named Vela found Moana and approached her with a question.
“I was wondering about the chicken there eating the rock,” Vela said. She gestured to Heihei, a wacky-looking rooster with expressionless, crooked eyes who was trying to swallow a stone. “He seems to lack the minimum intelligence required for self-preservation. Would it be more humane to just cook him?”
Moana watched as Heihei coughed up the stone and then went back to pecking at it. “Well, sometimes our strengths lie beneath the surface,” she said. “Far beneath, in some cases. But I’m sure there’s more to Heihei than meets the eye.”
As Moana continued on her rounds, she met a troubled farmer who showed her the latest crop of coconuts.
“It’s the harvest,” the farmer said. “This morning, I was cleaning the coconuts, and ...”
Moana cracked open a seemingly healthy coconut, revealing its black, rotten insides. She leaned in to take a closer look. Tui and Sina peered over Moana to get a glimpse of the terrible sight. Everyone looked at her, waiting to see what she would say.
“Well, um ... we should clear the diseased trees. And move to a new grove.” Moana pointed to an unclaimed area of land and said, “There.”
The farmer nodded in agreement, and Tui and Sina exchanged a proud look.
Feeling great, Moana turned toward her loving parents and the majestic mountain behind them. Then she looked out to the blue ocean, deep in thought. She loved her family, her island, and her village. And she wanted to do what was right for everyone. Finally, she glanced at her father with a sly smile.
“I was thinking I might skip dinner,” she said.
“Is everything all right?” asked Tui, concerned.
“Mmm-hmm. I’d rather just take a walk ... up the mountain,” Moana said, her smile widening.
It took a moment for Tui to understand what she was really saying. Finally, he grinned and stumbled over his words, too proud and happy to speak clearly. “You ... Yes, if ... So you ... ,” Tui said to Sina. “She’s ... Moana wants to take a walk up the mountain.” He lowered his head and quietly added, “She means her stone.”
Sina smiled, amused. “I got that.”
As they headed to their fale, a fisherman named Lasalo hurried over to them. “Am I too late?” he asked.
Tui stepped up to the man. “Actually, Moana needs to—”
“How can I help?” asked Moana, facing the fisherman.
Lasalo somberly led Moana to the beach, with Tui and Sina behind them. They stood next to the fishing boat as the fisherman lifted out a net and showed it to Moana. It was completely empty.
“Our nets in the east lagoon are pulling up less and less,” Lasalo said.
“Well, then we’ll rotate the fishing grounds,” said Moana.
“We’ll rotate the fishing grounds,” Tui repeated.
Anxious to get Moana up to Motunui’s tallest peak, Tui tried to usher her away. But Lasalo continued. “Uh, we have no fish,” he said.
“Oh, then we’ll fish the far side of the island,” offered Moana, gesturing toward it.
“We tried,” said Lasalo.
“The windward side?” she asked, her concern growing.
“And the leeward side, the shallows, the channel; we’ve tried the whole lagoon! They’re just gone,” Lasalo said.
Moana’s face fell as she stared down the beach at the other fishing boats, all returning with empty nets. It wasn’t too long ago that she’d watch the boats come in hauling nets bursting with fish. She wondered, How could they all be gone?
“I will talk to the council,” said Tui. “I’m sure we can find a solution.”
Moana looked toward the lagoon and her eyes moved beyond the reef to the open ocean; it was new territory. The fishermen had not cast their nets there. She climbed up on a boat to get a better view and took in the vastness of the sea. It was the obvious choice.
“What if ... we fish beyond the reef?” Moana asked.
The fishermen seemed surprised. Tui and Sina were completely shocked.
“No one goes beyond the reef,” Tui said, trying to stay calm.
“I know, but if we have no fish in the lagoon—”
“Moana—”
“And there’s a whole ocean—”
Tui tried to reach for her, but Moana stepped to the front of the boat.
“We have one rule,” Tui said, raising his voice.
“An old rule, when there were fish—”
“A rule that keeps us safe instead of endangering our people!” yelled Tui.
Moana stared at her father, feeling both angry and ashamed of his outburst.
Tui was furious. He knew in his heart that Moana would always yearn to sail the open ocean, and he felt that she was selfishly looking for an excuse to do just that. He gritted his teeth, watching Moana standing steadfast on the boat, and then he pulled her back to the sand.
“Every time I think you’re past this ... ,” Tui said. Then he walked away. “No one goes beyond the reef!” he shouted as he picked up his pace, fuming.
一轉眼,幾年過去了。莫阿娜的父母教會她感激莫圖魯尼島上的一切。她從傳統(tǒng)風俗中汲取了養(yǎng)分,不僅學會了唱歌,還了解到椰子是寶貴的資源——它甘甜可口,鮮嫩多汁,它的纖維還能制作漁網(wǎng)。此外,她甚至還會編織各式各樣島民們?nèi)粘S玫幕@子。
莫阿娜明白莫圖魯尼的人們在島上完全能自給自足,但她仍向往大海。她時常盯著晶瑩的蔚藍海水出神,不禁好奇島上的礁石外究竟是怎樣一番景象。她還喜歡看漁船出入環(huán)礁湖時的場景,可她父母總會把她從海邊拉回來。
只有塔拉祖母理解莫阿娜對大海的癡迷。她們倆會花很多時間沿著沙灘并肩漫步,也常常會隨著海浪翩翩起舞。塔拉祖母一直鼓勵莫阿娜遵循自己的意愿,聆聽內(nèi)心的聲音。她還教導莫阿娜,聆聽這種聲音有助于她了解真正的自己。
一天,圖伊酋長領著年滿16歲的莫阿娜去爬山。他們越爬越高,最后登上了莫圖魯尼島的最高峰。圖伊酋長帶她來到了一座位于峰頂上的巨大石堆前。
“其實,從你出生的那刻起,我就想帶你來這兒,”圖伊酋長說道,“這是一塊圣地,屬于歷代酋長。”他朝石堆走去,然后將手放在上面。“總有一天,你會領悟到自己的神圣使命,明白自己將要成為什么樣的人。你將站在這峰頂,像我,像你的祖父、曾祖父以及之前的每位酋長那樣,擺上代表自己的那塊石頭。在你擺上石頭的那天,你將更高地托起這座海島,讓島民們生活得更好。莫阿娜,你是大家的希望。而他們并不在礁石外。”圖伊酋長伸手指向礁石外廣闊無垠的大海:“他們就在這兒。”兩人低頭俯視山腳下的村莊時,他將手放到莫阿娜肩上:“你是時候成為大家需要的人了。”
莫阿娜回頭看了眼石碓,把手放在代表父親的那塊石頭上。這里便是日后代表她的那塊石頭的安放之處了。“您認為我可以做到嗎?”她問道。
圖伊酋長給了她一個碰鼻禮。“只要你有這個決心,你肯定會成為一位偉大的酋長,成為莫圖魯尼島的莫阿娜……”
莫阿娜抬頭看向父親,思忖著他的一席話,知道自己跟隨他的腳步對他來說有多重要。她終于做出決定,準備挑起重擔,順應父母,成為他們期望的酋長。
她別過頭不再看大海,將目光放在小島上,下定決心在這兒找到自己的快樂。莫阿娜告訴自己,沒必要向往礁石外的世界,因為她需要的一切、熱愛的一切都在這里。
幾天后,莫阿娜戴著用鮮花裝飾的頭巾,身旁跟著她的寵物豬胖胖,和父母一道去參加島民大會。途中,莫阿娜發(fā)現(xiàn)塔拉祖母在海岸邊盡情地與浪共舞,她僅停了片刻就繼續(xù)朝開會的部落茅屋走去。
會場上,鼓手們敲得大鼓咚咚直響,島民代表們在鼓聲中陸續(xù)來齊了。圖伊酋長、西娜和莫阿娜一入座,急促的鼓點也迎來了最后的高潮。圖伊酋長放下手上的戰(zhàn)斧,示意全體人員入座。他還沒來得及宣布會議開始,一個嘹亮的聲音響徹部落茅屋,“莫圖魯尼島的人們!”主持人大聲喊道,“圖伊酋長!”
“謝謝——”圖伊酋長剛開口,卻又被那個聲音打斷了。
“莫圖魯尼島的圖伊酋長!”
“謝謝大家,”圖伊酋長轉向島民們說道,“總有一天,莫阿娜將領導大家。我可以驕傲地說,從今天起在村子里,你們會見證她的進步。”他慈愛地看向他的女兒,然后把酋長戰(zhàn)斧交給她。莫阿娜笑了,感受到父親的自豪。這時,所有人都轉向她,等她發(fā)言。
莫阿娜優(yōu)雅一笑,深吸了一口氣,但是她正要開口時,那嘹亮的聲音再次響起:“莫圖魯尼島的莫阿娜!”他朝著莫阿娜的耳朵尖聲喊道。莫阿娜嚇得不小心松開了手,沉甸甸的戰(zhàn)斧掉到地上,險些削到胖胖的鼻子。
接下來的一整天,在父母的觀察下,莫阿娜有模有樣地當起了“莫圖魯尼島的酋長”,進行環(huán)島巡視。
一位叫麥維亞的島民抱怨屋頂漏水,莫阿娜便爬上他家屋椽去查看哪里出了問題。麥維亞對圖伊和西娜解釋道:“每次暴風雨來臨,屋頂漏水漏到爐火上,不管我往上加多少棕櫚葉也無濟于事——”
莫阿娜在部落屋頂上叫道:“搞定啦!”她低頭朝他們笑了笑。“不是棕櫚葉出了問題,而是大風把屋頂?shù)臋M梁吹歪了。”她解釋道。接著,她咬了一口麥維亞遞給她的食物。“這豬肉真好吃。”話一出口,她便注意到待在腳旁的胖胖,頓時覺得剛才嚷這么大聲是真過意不去。
之后,一位叫托羅的大個子男人讓人在他背上文身,莫阿娜握著他的手站在一旁陪他。
“哎喲,哎喲,哎喲。”托羅反復呻吟著,抓著莫阿娜的手越握越緊。
“你表現(xiàn)得很棒。”莫阿娜說道,她強忍住手上的疼痛,盡量讓聲音聽上去自然些。
幾個小時過去了,莫阿娜仍握著托羅的手,她感覺自己的手都發(fā)麻了。“再過5個小時就好了。”她對托羅說道,自己已疼得眉頭緊蹙。托羅把她抓得更緊了,又呻吟道:“哎喲,哎喲,哎喲……”
終于,文身完成了,托羅起身擁抱了莫阿娜,感謝她的幫助。接著,他便一瘸一拐地僵著身子朝家走去,莫阿娜則不住地甩手以緩解疼痛。
托羅的朋友阿瑟磊磊正好路過,笑容滿面,祝賀托羅有了新文身。“馬努亞!”阿瑟磊磊邊喊邊拍了一下托羅的后背。這讓托羅疼得齜牙咧嘴,快速從朋友身邊彈開了。
莫阿娜繼續(xù)在村里巡視,想看看還有誰需要幫忙,胖胖則努力跟上她。兩個小女孩和一個小男孩氣喘吁吁地朝她跑來,一個勁兒地說個不停。他們講得又快又大聲,你一言我一語地都想把話說明白。
“露阿打我。”洛阿說。
“洛安也打我了。”露阿反駁她。
“可是我打人一點兒都不疼啊,就像瓦沃摩多一樣?”洛阿趕緊說。
“我當時就問,要是莫阿娜會怎么做呢?”拉阿接過話。
“我回答說,要是莫阿娜的話,肯定會很酷。”露阿說。
“所以露阿就停下不打我的臉了。”洛阿接著說。
“還給你畫了幅畫。”拉阿說。
說完,三人舉起一幅糟糕透頂?shù)漠?,畫中有人在激?zhàn),莫阿娜正在勸架。莫阿娜看著畫,一時不知如何是好。
“這里畫的是血。”露阿指著畫說道。
莫阿娜微笑著接過畫,一一謝過他們?yōu)樽约簻蕚涞倪@份特別的禮物。
不一會兒,村里一個叫薇拉的廚子找到莫阿娜,想請教她一個問題。
“我在想該拿那只正在吃石頭的雞怎么辦,”薇拉說著,同時指了指憨憨——一只長相滑稽古怪、眼睛歪斜無神的公雞。它正努力吞食一顆小石子。“它傻不拉唧的,完全不懂得自我保護。是不是干脆把它煮了吃了更好?”
莫阿娜看著憨憨,只見他剛咳出那顆石子,又開始啄它。“嗯,有時我們的力量會藏得很深,”莫阿娜說,“在一些情況下,藏得更深。不過我相信,憨憨比看上去要更聰明些。”
莫阿娜繼續(xù)巡視著,遇上了一位麻煩纏身的農(nóng)夫。他把新摘的椰子拿給莫阿娜看。
“莊稼出事啦,”這位農(nóng)夫說,“今天早上,我在洗椰子,可……”
莫阿娜打開了一個表面正常的椰子,卻發(fā)現(xiàn)里面又黑又爛。她又湊近細看了會兒。圖伊和西娜將目光投向莫阿娜,看到了這糟糕的情形。其他人也紛紛看向她,看她會作何反應。
“看樣子,嗯……我們應該把有問題的椰子樹先砍掉,然后再重新找一片果園。”莫阿娜指著一塊空地說:“就那兒好了。”
農(nóng)夫贊同地點了點頭。圖伊和西娜也自豪地對視了一眼。
莫阿娜感覺棒極了,看向她慈愛的父母以及他們身后雄偉壯觀的山峰。然后她眺望著蔚藍的大海,陷入深思。她愛她的家人、她的島嶼以及她的島民們,想為每個人盡一份力。最后她俏皮地笑著朝父親瞄了一眼。
“我晚上不回來吃飯啦。”她說。
“發(fā)生什么事了嗎?”圖伊關切地問道。
“呃,沒什么啦,我就想自個兒……去那座山上走走。”莫阿娜說著,露出了大大的微笑。
圖伊過了好一會兒才明白她真正的意圖,于是咧嘴笑了,心里十分高興,自豪不已,一時連話都說不清楚了。“你……是的,那么……所以你是要……。”圖伊轉頭對西娜說道:“她要……莫阿娜想去爬那座山。”他低下頭,輕聲補充道:“她要去擺屬于她自己的石頭。”
西娜忍俊不禁地說道:“我知道啦。”
他們正打算回家時,一位叫拉沙里的漁民匆匆趕來。“我是不是來晚了?”他問道。
圖伊走上前說:“其實,莫阿娜要去——”
“發(fā)生什么事了嗎?”莫阿娜問這位漁民道。
拉沙里一臉凝重地將莫阿娜帶到海灘上,圖伊和西娜也跟隨而來。他們來到一艘漁船旁,拉沙里舉起漁網(wǎng)給莫阿娜看。里面什么都沒有。
“我們在環(huán)礁湖東邊捕到的魚越來越少了。”拉沙里說道。
“嗯,那我們可以換個漁場啊。”莫阿娜說。
“對啊,就換個漁場嘛。”圖伊重復道。
他急切地想讓莫阿娜去爬那座最高峰,設法讓她快點動身。可拉沙里繼續(xù)說道:“呃,我們捕不到魚了。”
“噢,那不然就到離島稍遠的海域,”莫阿娜提議道,伸手指了指遠處。
“我們試過了。”拉沙里說。
“島的迎風面那邊呢?”她追問道,心里漸漸不安起來。
“還有背風面、淺灘、海峽,整個環(huán)礁湖我們都找過了,連魚影子都沒見到。”拉沙里說。
莫阿娜看著沙灘上的其他漁船全都一無所獲,不禁面露難色。前不久,她還看見漁船滿載而歸,漁網(wǎng)里都是魚。她想不通,魚兒怎么會都不見了呢?
“我會在島民大會上反映這個情況,”圖伊說道,“我相信我們會找到解決辦法的。”
莫阿娜朝環(huán)礁湖看去,視線越過礁石投向開闊的大海——那是一塊全新的領域啊,漁民們從沒在那兒捕過魚。她爬上一艘船,想找個好位置領略大海的廣闊。顯然,大海是他們唯一的選擇。
“要不……我們?nèi)ソ甘庠囋嚕?rdquo;莫阿娜提議道。
拉沙里大吃一驚,圖伊與西娜都驚呆了。
“誰也不允許到礁石外去。”圖伊說道,盡量保持冷靜。
“我知道,但要是環(huán)礁湖里沒魚了——”
“莫阿娜——”
“而大海里有那么多——”
圖伊想把她拉下船,可她已跑到了船頭。
“我們有條鐵律。”圖伊提高嗓音說道。
“只是一條舊規(guī),而且那時到處都是魚——”
“可正是這條鐵律讓所有人安然無恙,不至于遭受滅頂之災。”圖伊大吼道。
莫阿娜盯著父親,憤憤不平的同時,也為他大發(fā)脾氣感到羞愧難堪。
圖伊火冒三丈。他心里清楚莫阿娜一直渴望在遼闊的大海航行,所以她說要去礁石外捕魚時,他覺得她只是出于私心才找了這個借口。圖伊咬牙切齒地瞪著站在船上的莫阿娜,然后一把將她拉回到沙灘上。
“一次次,我以為你能打消這個念頭……”他說完甩頭就走。“任何人都不得到礁石外去!”他加快腳步,氣沖沖地喊道。