What does The Opa'ivu'eke represent?

The sacred turtle of the Ivu'ivuans represents, for them, the power and presence of the god in their lives. Their ritualized consumption of an opa'ivu'eke can therefore be seen as representing a desire to get even closer to god (the echoes of the Christian ritual of holy communion are unmistakable). For Perina and the other scientists, however, the opa'ivu'eke represents knowledge and opportunity, with the fact that the opa'ivu'eke eventually becoming extinct representing the destructive force associated with seeking such knowledge and such opportunity.