Our Watery World not water 29 water 71 We usually think of Earth as well earth meaning dirt or dry ground But Earth is mostly water How much water Enough to cover 71 of the globe Scientists estimate that all the water on Earth adds up to about 326 million trillion gallons 326,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons That’s this much 1,234,000,000,000,000,000,000 L What activities use the most water Could you reduce how much you use On average you use this much water for washing hands 1 gallon 3 8 L brushing teeth with water running 1 5 gallons 3 8 18 9 L a shower 2 5 gallons per minute 9 5 L fl ushing toilet 3 gallons 11 4 L a bath 36 gallons 136 3 L 6
All of Earth’s water is important But only a small part of it is drinkable The ocean is too salty our bodies can’t handle it Of all Earth's water 97% is in the ocean whose wide waters stretch from waves breaking on beaches to the vast open seas from mysterious deep dark depths to sparkling blue coral-filled lagoons Our WATERY World Less than 1 of the water on Earth is good for drinking 2% is frozen as ice including at the North Pole on Antarctica and in glaciers 1% is fresh water including lakes rivers and streams Some people call this sweet water It doesn’t contain the dissolved salts that the ocean does Most of the world’s fresh water isn’t on the surface though You’ll find it here under the ground groundwater in the dirt soil moisture in the air water vapor 7
Tekelmarae and the Boy Who Remembered VANUATU Retold by Selina Tusitala Marsh and Pala Molisa as told by Ripae Mandei Tutuhun Tekelmarae the Eel River Guardian of Fun and Love protects the blue waters of Vanlav where people gather to fish and play The people dance in fun swim in love and every year give thanks for all the good things that come from the mountain especially the fish It is custom that you use all of someone’s names when you thank them properly Names hold stories Stories hold the magic of a people Tekelmarae has three names Every year the people gathered to chant Your first name is Tekelmarae Your second name is fun Your third name is love We name you for everyone They watched Tekelmarae dart out from his hole like a flash of black lightning They oohed and aahed at his long black body and waited for his reply The river flows From mountain to sea I am the river The river is me The river then giggled with silvery fish But over time the people began to forget the River Guardian’s names One year the people were so busy working in town they forgot the third name Tekelmarae only came out to his white milky belly The next year the people were so busy at church they forgot the second name Tekelmarae only poked out his black inky head 8
The following year the people were so busy cutting trees on the plantation they forgot the first name Now all the names had been forgotten Tekelmarae was nowhere to be seen River Guardian Come out The water is low The fish are dying the people cried From inside the hole they heard a whisper People of Vanlav You have forgotten Fun and Love The river will not flow From mountain to sea You have forgotten my names You have forgotten me Silence Everyone thought that Tekelmarae was dead They left to go back to work But Majijiki the littlest boy lingered He began crying River Guardian Can’t you see You are the river And the river is me The water flickered Majijiki cried again River Eel Hear my plea Tell me your names So we can all be free The water exploded with a flash of black lightning I am Tekelmarae I am the same Feel me feel me What is my name Majijiki put one hand into the water and felt the eel’s heart beating slower Was the eel dying He couldn’t lose his beloved eel As the eel slipped slowly out of his hands the tail flicked his palm Majijiki giggled He softly poked the eel’s belly teasing Tickle tickle Nearly the eel replied Tickle Tekel Tekel marae Majijiki laughed out loud Then the boy remembered Your first name is Tekelmarae Your second name is Fun Your third name is Love I name you for everyone Tekelmarae swished his tail in the rising waters now full of laughing fish People of Fun and Love To always be free Know you are the river Know you are me 9
