Sunday, February 17, 2008
Oida na vuli sa ga lala so. Ia tavuiya na moli ni rakavi e mutu na vuli ke mai vavalagi.”
This prophecy, uttered nearly a century ago to the tribes of Noivusu and Nasikawa by Ratu Apolosi Ranawai, the only Fijian to be exiled by the government of the day for his political beliefs and perceived threat to Colonial rule, inspired an amazing number of men born of these two relatively small tribes, from two relatively small villages, to play international rugby union and rugby league for Fiji, Australia and New Zealand from the 1950s to this day and educate their children overseas along the way!
Referring to the point that the focus of the Colonial government of that time was to educate the sons of the eastern chiefs at the expense of those from the west, roughly translated, what Ratu Apolosi said was, “Although there are no schools here, through the rugby ball, your sons will be educated overseas”.When you drive down what is supposed be our main highway from Suva to the west, the top of the ridge, just before the orange blob of concrete marking the entrance to Mango Bay Resort, is the border between east and west.
Descending to the flatlands across the bridge to the right is Ratu Filise Memorial School.
The houses bordering the school on both sides of the highway are actually part of two villages - Vuciwai and Namatakula, home to the two tribes – the Yavusa Noivusu and the Yavusa Nasikawa.
My first real contact with these people was about two decades ago in Sicily off the coast of mainland Italy!
I was a radio rugby commentator back then, before TV and the IRB 7s Series and someone in Sicily thought it would be a brilliant idea to host an international 7s rugby tournament there and an equally brilliant person here in Fiji asked me to go over and cover the event “live” for Radio Fiji, although I won’t mention names!
So there I was after flying like forever from Nadi, checking into my hotel in Catania, Sicily, a picturesque town too close for comfort (for me anyway being of Tongan Mafioso connections) to Palermo, the Italian Mafia capital of the world, when the Fiji 7’s Team Management of Messer’s Waisake Saukawa and Ratu Kitione Tuibua walked up to me at reception and promptly invited me to join their team in one of the three villas the Fiji 7s team was occupying.
A short time later I met my roommate from the Yavusa Nasikawa of Vucilevu Village, Mr. Noa Nadruku Kurumalawai. Little did we know that this first meeting in a villa in Sicily was to be a turning point in our lives, but that’s another story!
Noa Nadruku was the 3rd of five brothers, all of whom played rugby union or rugby league, or both codes, for Fiji. The oldest of the brothers, Vili Tani, played inside centre for Nadroga and Fiji, the 2nd brother, Mesake Seavula, played halfback for Nadroga and Fiji and like Noa, also rugby league for the Fiji Bati.
Noa’s two younger brothers, Mitieli and Sireli both played for the Fiji Bati, while continuing this family’s amazing rugby legacy, Vili Tani’s son, Kaliova Nauqe, is the current captain of the Fiji Bati.
Believe me, these five brothers didn’t just make up the numbers, they were outstanding players for Nadroga and Fiji in their chosen backline positions and Noa Nadruku was the best of this very talented lot, but more on him later!
Also hailing from the Yavusa Nasikawa was Lote Tuqiri senior, who played hooker for Nadroga in the early 1970s and is credited with being one of the first clansman from Vucilevu village to head across to Brisbane and lay a trail to be followed by many other young men from there to ply their trade in rugby in Queensland over the years.
Tokula Tuqiri, who played wing for Nadroga and Fiji, followed soon after with his young family, including 4 year old Lote Tuqiri, who was held back by his Father to concentrate on his schooling until he was 17 years old before unleashing the budding athlete on the Brisbane rugby scene.
Lote Tuqiri tore through the rugby ranks in Queensland, was snapped up by the Brisbane Broncos and as they say in Bollywood, “The rest is history”.
Young Lote went on to play rugby league for the Australian Kangaroos before switching to rugby union for a reported A$6 million deal which keeps him in the game playing for the New South Wales Waratahs and the Wallabies until the next Rugby World Cup in 2011. Incredible when you think of the small village and even smaller tribe that he comes from back here in Fiji.
The 2nd house on the left on the flatlands after Mango Bay Resort lump towards Namatakila village with well kept gardens belongs to Lote.
The other tribe, Yavusa Noivusu, also boasts some of Fiji’s most famous rugby sons including the Batibasaga clan, starting with Natuna Batibasaga who represented Nadroga and Fiji in the 1950s.
He was quickly followed to Fiji caps by his three sons, Asaeli, Ilikimi and one of Fiji’s best halfbacks, Isimeli Batibasaga, who played in the great Nadroga decade through the 1970s.Fellow tribesmen and speed merchants Luke Erenavula and Isei Nasiganiyavi both played 7s rugby on the wing for Fiji with distinction.
Isei went on to make a name for himself in Brisbane as “the black flash”, representing the Queensland Reds and Australia in 7s and 15s rugby while Erenavula also played 15s rugby for Fiji before pursuing his rugby career, like many other talented Fijians since then, in New Zealand, quickly representing the kiwis in international 7s rugby.
In fact in 1993, in an amazing feat for international rugby try-scoring, two cousins from the two tribes, Luke Erenavula with 13 tries for Counties and Noa Nadruku with 22 tries for the Canberra Raiders were the respective top try scorers in New Zealand’s NPC rugby competition and the Australian Rugby League premier grade competition. Not bad for a couple of boys from a small village down the coast!
More recently, prop Peniasi Damu and halfback Sirilo Lala have maintained the incredible run of national representation for Fiji in 15s and 7s rugby respectively.
Rooming with Noa Nadruku over three days of the Sicily Sevens really opened my eyes to the reality of the situation these village-based rugby players were in compared to the “professional” players from New Zealand and the rest of the tier one rugby playing nations. Luke Erenavula was also in that team in Sicily.
At the end of every rugby trip overseas representing Fiji, whether in 7s or 15s, these men returned to their tribes to live the simple village life. Ratu Filise Memorial School was and still is, only a primary school. Rugby was the only skill they had.
Incredibly, in line with the prophecy of Ratu Apolosi Ranawai so long ago, so many young men have emerged from these two tribes through their skills on the rugby paddock to make their mark on the international stage and through rugby, educate their children overseas.
The Batibasaga brothers live in Australia with their fellow clansman, the Tuqiri’s, Isei Nasiganiyavi and Mesake Seavula. Luke Erenavula lives in the USA where he still coaches rugby.
Noa Nadruku owns and rents out a couple of homes in Canberra where his children attend one of Australia’s best private schools!
This prophecy, uttered nearly a century ago to the tribes of Noivusu and Nasikawa by Ratu Apolosi Ranawai, the only Fijian to be exiled by the government of the day for his political beliefs and perceived threat to Colonial rule, inspired an amazing number of men born of these two relatively small tribes, from two relatively small villages, to play international rugby union and rugby league for Fiji, Australia and New Zealand from the 1950s to this day and educate their children overseas along the way!
Referring to the point that the focus of the Colonial government of that time was to educate the sons of the eastern chiefs at the expense of those from the west, roughly translated, what Ratu Apolosi said was, “Although there are no schools here, through the rugby ball, your sons will be educated overseas”.When you drive down what is supposed be our main highway from Suva to the west, the top of the ridge, just before the orange blob of concrete marking the entrance to Mango Bay Resort, is the border between east and west.
Descending to the flatlands across the bridge to the right is Ratu Filise Memorial School.
The houses bordering the school on both sides of the highway are actually part of two villages - Vuciwai and Namatakula, home to the two tribes – the Yavusa Noivusu and the Yavusa Nasikawa.
My first real contact with these people was about two decades ago in Sicily off the coast of mainland Italy!
I was a radio rugby commentator back then, before TV and the IRB 7s Series and someone in Sicily thought it would be a brilliant idea to host an international 7s rugby tournament there and an equally brilliant person here in Fiji asked me to go over and cover the event “live” for Radio Fiji, although I won’t mention names!
So there I was after flying like forever from Nadi, checking into my hotel in Catania, Sicily, a picturesque town too close for comfort (for me anyway being of Tongan Mafioso connections) to Palermo, the Italian Mafia capital of the world, when the Fiji 7’s Team Management of Messer’s Waisake Saukawa and Ratu Kitione Tuibua walked up to me at reception and promptly invited me to join their team in one of the three villas the Fiji 7s team was occupying.
A short time later I met my roommate from the Yavusa Nasikawa of Vucilevu Village, Mr. Noa Nadruku Kurumalawai. Little did we know that this first meeting in a villa in Sicily was to be a turning point in our lives, but that’s another story!
Noa Nadruku was the 3rd of five brothers, all of whom played rugby union or rugby league, or both codes, for Fiji. The oldest of the brothers, Vili Tani, played inside centre for Nadroga and Fiji, the 2nd brother, Mesake Seavula, played halfback for Nadroga and Fiji and like Noa, also rugby league for the Fiji Bati.
Noa’s two younger brothers, Mitieli and Sireli both played for the Fiji Bati, while continuing this family’s amazing rugby legacy, Vili Tani’s son, Kaliova Nauqe, is the current captain of the Fiji Bati.
Believe me, these five brothers didn’t just make up the numbers, they were outstanding players for Nadroga and Fiji in their chosen backline positions and Noa Nadruku was the best of this very talented lot, but more on him later!
Also hailing from the Yavusa Nasikawa was Lote Tuqiri senior, who played hooker for Nadroga in the early 1970s and is credited with being one of the first clansman from Vucilevu village to head across to Brisbane and lay a trail to be followed by many other young men from there to ply their trade in rugby in Queensland over the years.
Tokula Tuqiri, who played wing for Nadroga and Fiji, followed soon after with his young family, including 4 year old Lote Tuqiri, who was held back by his Father to concentrate on his schooling until he was 17 years old before unleashing the budding athlete on the Brisbane rugby scene.
Lote Tuqiri tore through the rugby ranks in Queensland, was snapped up by the Brisbane Broncos and as they say in Bollywood, “The rest is history”.
Young Lote went on to play rugby league for the Australian Kangaroos before switching to rugby union for a reported A$6 million deal which keeps him in the game playing for the New South Wales Waratahs and the Wallabies until the next Rugby World Cup in 2011. Incredible when you think of the small village and even smaller tribe that he comes from back here in Fiji.
The 2nd house on the left on the flatlands after Mango Bay Resort lump towards Namatakila village with well kept gardens belongs to Lote.
The other tribe, Yavusa Noivusu, also boasts some of Fiji’s most famous rugby sons including the Batibasaga clan, starting with Natuna Batibasaga who represented Nadroga and Fiji in the 1950s.
He was quickly followed to Fiji caps by his three sons, Asaeli, Ilikimi and one of Fiji’s best halfbacks, Isimeli Batibasaga, who played in the great Nadroga decade through the 1970s.Fellow tribesmen and speed merchants Luke Erenavula and Isei Nasiganiyavi both played 7s rugby on the wing for Fiji with distinction.
Isei went on to make a name for himself in Brisbane as “the black flash”, representing the Queensland Reds and Australia in 7s and 15s rugby while Erenavula also played 15s rugby for Fiji before pursuing his rugby career, like many other talented Fijians since then, in New Zealand, quickly representing the kiwis in international 7s rugby.
In fact in 1993, in an amazing feat for international rugby try-scoring, two cousins from the two tribes, Luke Erenavula with 13 tries for Counties and Noa Nadruku with 22 tries for the Canberra Raiders were the respective top try scorers in New Zealand’s NPC rugby competition and the Australian Rugby League premier grade competition. Not bad for a couple of boys from a small village down the coast!
More recently, prop Peniasi Damu and halfback Sirilo Lala have maintained the incredible run of national representation for Fiji in 15s and 7s rugby respectively.
Rooming with Noa Nadruku over three days of the Sicily Sevens really opened my eyes to the reality of the situation these village-based rugby players were in compared to the “professional” players from New Zealand and the rest of the tier one rugby playing nations. Luke Erenavula was also in that team in Sicily.
At the end of every rugby trip overseas representing Fiji, whether in 7s or 15s, these men returned to their tribes to live the simple village life. Ratu Filise Memorial School was and still is, only a primary school. Rugby was the only skill they had.
Incredibly, in line with the prophecy of Ratu Apolosi Ranawai so long ago, so many young men have emerged from these two tribes through their skills on the rugby paddock to make their mark on the international stage and through rugby, educate their children overseas.
The Batibasaga brothers live in Australia with their fellow clansman, the Tuqiri’s, Isei Nasiganiyavi and Mesake Seavula. Luke Erenavula lives in the USA where he still coaches rugby.
Noa Nadruku owns and rents out a couple of homes in Canberra where his children attend one of Australia’s best private schools!
SEREVI
Bula Sports fans!
The thought occurred to me on Saturday while driving around town listening to the 10am news on LegendFM that Fiji and Suva in particular is still a fantastic place to live isn’t it? As usual, the first three or four stories on the news were negative and I wondered why: Surely there are also good things happening in this country of ours and it isn’t all doom and gloom.
Why don’t all the local media give us a break for the weekend and lead in with good old fashioned positive stories on Saturday? Come on local media moguls; there’s a challenge – “make our day”!
OK, so the citizens of Suva have been known to moan and groan about the potholes and the filthy state of the market on Sunday morning, but that aside, Suva still has its special tropical-paradise charm. Last Saturday was one of those rare days where the capital city regaled supreme in the sun. I did my bit in terms of leaving a “carbon footprint” on planet earth by driving around the Cumming Street block a number of times trying to find a parking space near Wahley’s Butcher.
Not for the fine pork chops, pork loin and pork ribs that Greg Harm Nam sells there, but for the absolutely mouth-watering toasted egg-tomato-onion-cheese and chilli sandwiches sold at the Chinese café next door!
Trust me they are absolutely the best value in town, developed by Gary over the years of ordering his morning tea from them. He must be part-Tongan!
So there I was, doing the rounds, battling the Taxi’s trying to find a parking space on Cumming Street when, through the passing crowd on the footpath and the glass shop front, I happened to catch the eye of the Fijian waitress inside the café and she signalled with hand gestures and a fantastic smile “same order – toasted sandwiches – set”! As only we in Fiji can communicate!
I did another round of the block in air conditioned comfort and returned to be served through my car window right there on Cumming Street! As the saying goes, “Only in Fiji”!
I then proceeded down to the seawall in front of Government House to witness the changing of the guard ceremony which I understand happens at 11am on the last Saturday of each month. Mark down this day citizens of Suva.
What a delightful ceremony it was too, involving troops of soldiers resplendent in their red tunics and white sulus the policemen proud as punch that Commissioner Teleni was also watching. Both squads supported by their respective brass bands, showcased a special part of our proud military history and tradition, which I imagine originated somewhere in our murky Colonial past.
What a gem of an event. As a bystander commented, “It warmed the heart”. We live in hope.
So too does Waisale Serevi - the King of 7s live in hope that he will represent Fiji at his beloved Hong Kong 7s rugby tournament. So here goes, I’m going to have another crack at trying to drum up support for the Maestro, the Magician, the Wizard, the King of 7s.
I’m doing this today because I believe that I have a duty to do so.
It is a privilege that I value dearly to have my views on sports published and I am also in the unique position of having watched and commentated on Fiji rugby and Waisale Serevi in particular, in local and international rugby 7s tournaments over a decade through much of the 1980s. More recently, I have also had the honour of serving on the Board of the Fiji Rugby Union. And as I have stated in an earlier column, I am a big fan of Waisale Serevi and yes there is emotion in all this for me – emotions of pride and hope for Fiji.
We must not forget what this great man has done for our country over so many years of national rugby representation all over the world.
We must not forget the numerous times that Waisale Serevi has single-handedly snatched victory for Fiji from the jaws of death.
No other person in our modern history has evoked such hope for and pride in Fiji like Waisale Serevi.
No other person in our modern history has evoked such unbridled happiness and celebrations across Fiji like Waisale Serevi.
No other person in our modern history has personally and purposely promoted multiracialism through sports in Fiji like Waisale Serevi.
No other person in our modern history has inspired our youth to do well in school, to be committed to their studies, to be disciplined, good law-abiding citizens of Fiji like Waisale Serevi.
No other person in our modern history has promoted Fiji across the rugby-playing world like Waisale Serevi.
No other person in our modern history has symbolised the free-flowing, high speed, magical-handling, exciting brand of “Fiji rugby” around the world like Waisale Serevi.
I personally and publicly appeal through this column to the Board of the Fiji Rugby Union, the Chairman Keni Dakuidreketi, the FRU President Ratu Sakiusa Tusolia and Chief Executive Officer, Ratu Timoci Tavanavanua – all good friends, to please reconsider your stance on Waisale Serevi for the Hong Kong 7s this year as part of the Fiji Team.
I leave it open as to how you accommodate Waisale Serevi as a player or as an official, but Fiji simply cannot leave its greatest sevens player on the sidelines back here in Fiji in this, his already-stated, year of retirement.
As I have stated publicly before, granted Waisale Serevi has not always been the easiest person for the Fiji Rugby Union to deal with at times, but his contribution to rugby and achievements for Fiji through his 7s rugby exploits surely outweigh his off-field indiscretions.
I offer my services to sit down with all stakeholders including the man himself to mediate Fiji out of this sad situation.
Waisale Serevi is a living national treasure of Fiji and we are blessed to have him in our presence. What are we waiting for – his demise, before we say “Isa Serevi”?
I say honour him now while he is still among us and able to be a rare positive force for change for the young people of Fiji; the next generation – remember them?
We, all the people of our beloved Fiji, owe Waisale Serevi big time and right now with the 2008 Hong Kong 7s coming up we have this once in a lifetime opportunity to do the right thing.
Believe me, there will be no other like Serevi.
The thought occurred to me on Saturday while driving around town listening to the 10am news on LegendFM that Fiji and Suva in particular is still a fantastic place to live isn’t it? As usual, the first three or four stories on the news were negative and I wondered why: Surely there are also good things happening in this country of ours and it isn’t all doom and gloom.
Why don’t all the local media give us a break for the weekend and lead in with good old fashioned positive stories on Saturday? Come on local media moguls; there’s a challenge – “make our day”!
OK, so the citizens of Suva have been known to moan and groan about the potholes and the filthy state of the market on Sunday morning, but that aside, Suva still has its special tropical-paradise charm. Last Saturday was one of those rare days where the capital city regaled supreme in the sun. I did my bit in terms of leaving a “carbon footprint” on planet earth by driving around the Cumming Street block a number of times trying to find a parking space near Wahley’s Butcher.
Not for the fine pork chops, pork loin and pork ribs that Greg Harm Nam sells there, but for the absolutely mouth-watering toasted egg-tomato-onion-cheese and chilli sandwiches sold at the Chinese café next door!
Trust me they are absolutely the best value in town, developed by Gary over the years of ordering his morning tea from them. He must be part-Tongan!
So there I was, doing the rounds, battling the Taxi’s trying to find a parking space on Cumming Street when, through the passing crowd on the footpath and the glass shop front, I happened to catch the eye of the Fijian waitress inside the café and she signalled with hand gestures and a fantastic smile “same order – toasted sandwiches – set”! As only we in Fiji can communicate!
I did another round of the block in air conditioned comfort and returned to be served through my car window right there on Cumming Street! As the saying goes, “Only in Fiji”!
I then proceeded down to the seawall in front of Government House to witness the changing of the guard ceremony which I understand happens at 11am on the last Saturday of each month. Mark down this day citizens of Suva.
What a delightful ceremony it was too, involving troops of soldiers resplendent in their red tunics and white sulus the policemen proud as punch that Commissioner Teleni was also watching. Both squads supported by their respective brass bands, showcased a special part of our proud military history and tradition, which I imagine originated somewhere in our murky Colonial past.
What a gem of an event. As a bystander commented, “It warmed the heart”. We live in hope.
So too does Waisale Serevi - the King of 7s live in hope that he will represent Fiji at his beloved Hong Kong 7s rugby tournament. So here goes, I’m going to have another crack at trying to drum up support for the Maestro, the Magician, the Wizard, the King of 7s.
I’m doing this today because I believe that I have a duty to do so.
It is a privilege that I value dearly to have my views on sports published and I am also in the unique position of having watched and commentated on Fiji rugby and Waisale Serevi in particular, in local and international rugby 7s tournaments over a decade through much of the 1980s. More recently, I have also had the honour of serving on the Board of the Fiji Rugby Union. And as I have stated in an earlier column, I am a big fan of Waisale Serevi and yes there is emotion in all this for me – emotions of pride and hope for Fiji.
We must not forget what this great man has done for our country over so many years of national rugby representation all over the world.
We must not forget the numerous times that Waisale Serevi has single-handedly snatched victory for Fiji from the jaws of death.
No other person in our modern history has evoked such hope for and pride in Fiji like Waisale Serevi.
No other person in our modern history has evoked such unbridled happiness and celebrations across Fiji like Waisale Serevi.
No other person in our modern history has personally and purposely promoted multiracialism through sports in Fiji like Waisale Serevi.
No other person in our modern history has inspired our youth to do well in school, to be committed to their studies, to be disciplined, good law-abiding citizens of Fiji like Waisale Serevi.
No other person in our modern history has promoted Fiji across the rugby-playing world like Waisale Serevi.
No other person in our modern history has symbolised the free-flowing, high speed, magical-handling, exciting brand of “Fiji rugby” around the world like Waisale Serevi.
I personally and publicly appeal through this column to the Board of the Fiji Rugby Union, the Chairman Keni Dakuidreketi, the FRU President Ratu Sakiusa Tusolia and Chief Executive Officer, Ratu Timoci Tavanavanua – all good friends, to please reconsider your stance on Waisale Serevi for the Hong Kong 7s this year as part of the Fiji Team.
I leave it open as to how you accommodate Waisale Serevi as a player or as an official, but Fiji simply cannot leave its greatest sevens player on the sidelines back here in Fiji in this, his already-stated, year of retirement.
As I have stated publicly before, granted Waisale Serevi has not always been the easiest person for the Fiji Rugby Union to deal with at times, but his contribution to rugby and achievements for Fiji through his 7s rugby exploits surely outweigh his off-field indiscretions.
I offer my services to sit down with all stakeholders including the man himself to mediate Fiji out of this sad situation.
Waisale Serevi is a living national treasure of Fiji and we are blessed to have him in our presence. What are we waiting for – his demise, before we say “Isa Serevi”?
I say honour him now while he is still among us and able to be a rare positive force for change for the young people of Fiji; the next generation – remember them?
We, all the people of our beloved Fiji, owe Waisale Serevi big time and right now with the 2008 Hong Kong 7s coming up we have this once in a lifetime opportunity to do the right thing.
Believe me, there will be no other like Serevi.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Standing at the crossroads_Robert Matau
Modern day Fijians are still looking at the signs that the land could be telling us something. Even modern day Christians forget the responsibility each human being has over the land and all creatures and fish as Jehovah had wished.
As we wrap up this series we have to ask ourselves whether the GCC was an offspring of the colonialists' attempts to bring their own sense of order to replace the already sophisticated social order that our ancestors had established for themselves.
In that way were they beginning a suppression of the Fijian race that would culminate in today where Fijians are struggling to take hold of their heritage.
If the GCC has served its purpose properly, why are some Fijians still not happy, in a silent way, to-day with how development has trudged slowly leaving the rural Fijian way behind compared to rich farmers of old. The Rewa Rugby Union of old is a classic example of our bone of contention in this issue.
Most of the players who represented the team were from other provinces and involved vanua sides who had more affinity to Tailevu than Rewa. As the new rugby era of the late 1990s led by a number of Tailevu chiefs, including the late Koya na Ratu Mai Verata (one of the prominent chiefs of the old matanitu), members of the Vunivalu of Bau clan and other senior chiefs of the province Tailevu, formerly known as Rewa, started to scoop major rugby titles. The Waimanu rugby players, who used to represent Rewa, joined with Tailevu ruggers but then returned to their original roots and the present day Naitasiri rugby side as a result of unification initiated by the Qaranivalu of Naitasiri, Ratu Inoke Takiveikata.
Then Northland Tailevu (from Verata to the Wainibuka area) split from the Southern Tailevu teams and today they are being blessed with decent crowds and promising futures from budding rugby players. For these dominions, returning to their origins has opened the floodgates that once were closed.
Recently a Fijian prayer group travelled to Canada to conduct a cleansing pro-cess with indigenous tribes who were facing problems similar to what we are highlighting. The group visited the Rankin Inlet and Pangnirtung, Nunavut communities in July last year. The original inhabitants had a legitimate claim to the land. Thus they believed in the special relationship that Fijians refer to as the vanua (the land, sea and surroundings are one with humans).
The Canadian reconciliation involved the old settlers reconciling with the present day inhabitants who had settled the land later. They dug holes where they wrote down their wishes and poured oil over the prayers and offered bread (the body of Christ) and wine (his blood) in a holy sacrament. Deeply inflicted wounds involving the immigrant chiefs and the old guard were being treated and reconciled. The miracle came when a wildlife manager at Rankin Inlet reported that close to 15,000 caribou (considered a delicacy for the indigenous) appeared at the site of the cleansing ceremony. In this case it had been missing for such a long time from their midst.
So what can we do to address this matter in our own time of need. Similarly to how the Canadians reconciled with the custodians of the land, Fiji needs its own reconciliation.
The old matanitu needs to meet the present day establishment so that the harmonious existence of old and new takes place and the people who are supposed to come under the domain of another chief can mix freely with their rightful allies and chiefs.
Much of the new is well versed in modern day politics and are needed to help pave the way forward. A spiritual element needs to take precedence and Christian churches need to pray for the chiefs the people and the land.
The old GCC needs to be restructured and refined to include the ways of old.
What was a "kaucake syndrome" needs to be replaced with a "kau sobu tale mai syndrome". But until we resolve those unsettled issues and what many term as a gross miscalculation of administrative justice Fijians will continue to wander in circles in the wilderness. Today may be the only time we can address this.
As we wrap up this series we have to ask ourselves whether the GCC was an offspring of the colonialists' attempts to bring their own sense of order to replace the already sophisticated social order that our ancestors had established for themselves.
In that way were they beginning a suppression of the Fijian race that would culminate in today where Fijians are struggling to take hold of their heritage.
If the GCC has served its purpose properly, why are some Fijians still not happy, in a silent way, to-day with how development has trudged slowly leaving the rural Fijian way behind compared to rich farmers of old. The Rewa Rugby Union of old is a classic example of our bone of contention in this issue.
Most of the players who represented the team were from other provinces and involved vanua sides who had more affinity to Tailevu than Rewa. As the new rugby era of the late 1990s led by a number of Tailevu chiefs, including the late Koya na Ratu Mai Verata (one of the prominent chiefs of the old matanitu), members of the Vunivalu of Bau clan and other senior chiefs of the province Tailevu, formerly known as Rewa, started to scoop major rugby titles. The Waimanu rugby players, who used to represent Rewa, joined with Tailevu ruggers but then returned to their original roots and the present day Naitasiri rugby side as a result of unification initiated by the Qaranivalu of Naitasiri, Ratu Inoke Takiveikata.
Then Northland Tailevu (from Verata to the Wainibuka area) split from the Southern Tailevu teams and today they are being blessed with decent crowds and promising futures from budding rugby players. For these dominions, returning to their origins has opened the floodgates that once were closed.
Recently a Fijian prayer group travelled to Canada to conduct a cleansing pro-cess with indigenous tribes who were facing problems similar to what we are highlighting. The group visited the Rankin Inlet and Pangnirtung, Nunavut communities in July last year. The original inhabitants had a legitimate claim to the land. Thus they believed in the special relationship that Fijians refer to as the vanua (the land, sea and surroundings are one with humans).
The Canadian reconciliation involved the old settlers reconciling with the present day inhabitants who had settled the land later. They dug holes where they wrote down their wishes and poured oil over the prayers and offered bread (the body of Christ) and wine (his blood) in a holy sacrament. Deeply inflicted wounds involving the immigrant chiefs and the old guard were being treated and reconciled. The miracle came when a wildlife manager at Rankin Inlet reported that close to 15,000 caribou (considered a delicacy for the indigenous) appeared at the site of the cleansing ceremony. In this case it had been missing for such a long time from their midst.
So what can we do to address this matter in our own time of need. Similarly to how the Canadians reconciled with the custodians of the land, Fiji needs its own reconciliation.
The old matanitu needs to meet the present day establishment so that the harmonious existence of old and new takes place and the people who are supposed to come under the domain of another chief can mix freely with their rightful allies and chiefs.
Much of the new is well versed in modern day politics and are needed to help pave the way forward. A spiritual element needs to take precedence and Christian churches need to pray for the chiefs the people and the land.
The old GCC needs to be restructured and refined to include the ways of old.
What was a "kaucake syndrome" needs to be replaced with a "kau sobu tale mai syndrome". But until we resolve those unsettled issues and what many term as a gross miscalculation of administrative justice Fijians will continue to wander in circles in the wilderness. Today may be the only time we can address this.
GCC's lost aura_Robert Matau
The ever assuring voice of the Great Council of Chiefs has helped shape Fiji into what it is today. Without this august body we would not have modernisation in its present form, nor would we have adopted the Western concepts of governance and democracy.
In the absence of their voice through their current stand-off with the military, we take a look at the GCCs history and the consequences that shaped this institution up until recent times, in this three-part series.
SINCE that first shot was fired on May 14, 1987 in Fijis unknowing parliament, the fluidity of Fijian politics has never recovered from the so called coup culture.
It has become the main catalyst to legitimise the overthrow of any tyranny of democracy in Fijian politics. Caught in this vice-like grip is the Great Council of Chiefs, the last bastion of the Fijian race. For many years Fiji has looked up to the Great Council of Chiefs for answers to a wide range of its problems in its darkest hours. And many times they have bailed out a nation on the brink of collapse with their wisdom and aura. That is why it has been revered and tagged with the label, august institution. However, the 2006 coup and the leadership problems that continue to plague Fiji, have given fuel to the growing number of critics who are losing confidence in this institution.
The continuous silence on the part of the chiefs has also fuelled rumours that the GCC may have been too politicised, and, that what the public now hears is only the voice of the institution called the GCC making decisions but without the full mandate of all chiefs. This school of thought is also bold enough to claim that the GCCs aura and manna have been lost.
Interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimaramas public swipe at the GCC, though considered harsh by many, has also given fuel to that same school of thought.
The erosion of chiefly rule, stemming from the 1987 coup, was sensed and opposed strongly by the late Josevata Kamikamica.
He said the chiefly body should be apoliticial, with reference to the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei Party the first political party to receive the backing of the chiefly body.
Mr Bainimaramas slating the GCC was blasphemy in the eyes of any Fijian. But could it be that he knew certain truths within the roots of all things chiefly that gave him the ammunition to conduct the so called clean up campaign, starting with the GCC?
In the absence of the chiefly voice maybe it is an opportune time to review the roles of this institution, its origins and what its initial functions were.
To do this we have to go back into history to fully understand the initial establishment and purpose of the GCC. The Great Council of Chiefs was a brainchild of William Pritchard, the British Consulate who initiated the first ever general meeting of chiefs in Levuka on December 14, 1859 to pave the way for the cessation process of Fiji to the British Crown. Like the 1997 Constitution, the old Matanitu could understand what its true purpose and benefits were.
Their ignorance of understanding the issues was interpreted by the Colonialists as a major threat to their chosen leading chiefs led by Ratu Seru Cakobau the then Vunivalu of what was to be regarded by many, as the leading military and naval power in Fiji, supported by white historians. He was under threat from the Americans to pay up the debts for the burning of the US Counsels residence in Nukulau on July 4, 1846, which plagued Cakobau for the next 20 years. Pressed from all corners to avoid the same fate that Veidovi of Rewa in 1840 faced for his crimes against visiting American ships when he was shipped out of Fiji in chains by Commodore Wilkes to America to answer for his crimes, Cakobau needed a way out. At the same time, Cakobau, who became fascinated by the Hawaiian monarchial system through his secretary Samuel A St.John, assumed the title Tui Viti. He was sending out the message that he held absolute power throughout the divided yet pocket and strongly entrenched matanitu that made up Fiji.
Each matanitu operated under a sophisticated and civilised system of its own chiefdoms your chief did not recognise the other, hence the adage "manu dui tagi" (you only rule in your own land) common to the chiefs of Kadavu. Even more true to this debate were the Colo states that now come under Naitasiri.
Each small state had their own chief and there was no recognised paramount chief in their eyes.
The opportunity to consolidate his position through the first of many coups (with the overthrow of the principle chief of Bau the Roko Tui Bau) during his own lifetime and his continued skirmishes, armoured with muskets and fierce warriors was a war itself against the ancient Fijian chiefly hierarchy. A hierarchy that had stood the test of time over 15 generations before his time.
In the eyes of the old matanitu or old guard if you may, the uprising Bau matanitu was a junior state yet it had the gall to challenge the old ways.
To achieve his goals, Cakobau subjected the seniority of many other matanitu and gave prominence to the lesser matanitu that gave him their support forming the provinces to be their leader. Many of these old Kingdoms were at war with the emerging power for a long time including Roko Tui Dreketi of Rewa, Ratu mai Verata, Takala-I-Gau of Lomaiviti, Tui Cakau of Taveuni, Gonesau of Ra and Lau under the Tongan prince Enele Maafu.
(Next we look at the assessment of the British advance party to check Ratu Serus claims as Tui Viti)
In the absence of their voice through their current stand-off with the military, we take a look at the GCCs history and the consequences that shaped this institution up until recent times, in this three-part series.
SINCE that first shot was fired on May 14, 1987 in Fijis unknowing parliament, the fluidity of Fijian politics has never recovered from the so called coup culture.
It has become the main catalyst to legitimise the overthrow of any tyranny of democracy in Fijian politics. Caught in this vice-like grip is the Great Council of Chiefs, the last bastion of the Fijian race. For many years Fiji has looked up to the Great Council of Chiefs for answers to a wide range of its problems in its darkest hours. And many times they have bailed out a nation on the brink of collapse with their wisdom and aura. That is why it has been revered and tagged with the label, august institution. However, the 2006 coup and the leadership problems that continue to plague Fiji, have given fuel to the growing number of critics who are losing confidence in this institution.
The continuous silence on the part of the chiefs has also fuelled rumours that the GCC may have been too politicised, and, that what the public now hears is only the voice of the institution called the GCC making decisions but without the full mandate of all chiefs. This school of thought is also bold enough to claim that the GCCs aura and manna have been lost.
Interim Prime Minister Frank Bainimaramas public swipe at the GCC, though considered harsh by many, has also given fuel to that same school of thought.
The erosion of chiefly rule, stemming from the 1987 coup, was sensed and opposed strongly by the late Josevata Kamikamica.
He said the chiefly body should be apoliticial, with reference to the Soqosoqo ni Vakavulewa ni Taukei Party the first political party to receive the backing of the chiefly body.
Mr Bainimaramas slating the GCC was blasphemy in the eyes of any Fijian. But could it be that he knew certain truths within the roots of all things chiefly that gave him the ammunition to conduct the so called clean up campaign, starting with the GCC?
In the absence of the chiefly voice maybe it is an opportune time to review the roles of this institution, its origins and what its initial functions were.
To do this we have to go back into history to fully understand the initial establishment and purpose of the GCC. The Great Council of Chiefs was a brainchild of William Pritchard, the British Consulate who initiated the first ever general meeting of chiefs in Levuka on December 14, 1859 to pave the way for the cessation process of Fiji to the British Crown. Like the 1997 Constitution, the old Matanitu could understand what its true purpose and benefits were.
Their ignorance of understanding the issues was interpreted by the Colonialists as a major threat to their chosen leading chiefs led by Ratu Seru Cakobau the then Vunivalu of what was to be regarded by many, as the leading military and naval power in Fiji, supported by white historians. He was under threat from the Americans to pay up the debts for the burning of the US Counsels residence in Nukulau on July 4, 1846, which plagued Cakobau for the next 20 years. Pressed from all corners to avoid the same fate that Veidovi of Rewa in 1840 faced for his crimes against visiting American ships when he was shipped out of Fiji in chains by Commodore Wilkes to America to answer for his crimes, Cakobau needed a way out. At the same time, Cakobau, who became fascinated by the Hawaiian monarchial system through his secretary Samuel A St.John, assumed the title Tui Viti. He was sending out the message that he held absolute power throughout the divided yet pocket and strongly entrenched matanitu that made up Fiji.
Each matanitu operated under a sophisticated and civilised system of its own chiefdoms your chief did not recognise the other, hence the adage "manu dui tagi" (you only rule in your own land) common to the chiefs of Kadavu. Even more true to this debate were the Colo states that now come under Naitasiri.
Each small state had their own chief and there was no recognised paramount chief in their eyes.
The opportunity to consolidate his position through the first of many coups (with the overthrow of the principle chief of Bau the Roko Tui Bau) during his own lifetime and his continued skirmishes, armoured with muskets and fierce warriors was a war itself against the ancient Fijian chiefly hierarchy. A hierarchy that had stood the test of time over 15 generations before his time.
In the eyes of the old matanitu or old guard if you may, the uprising Bau matanitu was a junior state yet it had the gall to challenge the old ways.
To achieve his goals, Cakobau subjected the seniority of many other matanitu and gave prominence to the lesser matanitu that gave him their support forming the provinces to be their leader. Many of these old Kingdoms were at war with the emerging power for a long time including Roko Tui Dreketi of Rewa, Ratu mai Verata, Takala-I-Gau of Lomaiviti, Tui Cakau of Taveuni, Gonesau of Ra and Lau under the Tongan prince Enele Maafu.
(Next we look at the assessment of the British advance party to check Ratu Serus claims as Tui Viti)
Thursday, March 29, 2007
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