Regarding the new Tui Macuata

from Peceli
 I was happy to see the photo of Ratu Wiliame at first, but offerng a prayer and blessing should be done by the Talatala Qase not by Ratu Peni. Then when I see Ratu Peni with a big beard doing the blessing I stopped to think about it. Only Macuata people can understand the protocol. We have two chieflly clans, one is from Bolatagane which is Ratu Osea's family, and the other one is from Nawaivuvu and Vuya.  Usually they alternate in taking the Tui Macuata role. Ratu Jone Matanababa is the turaga ni yavusa in the Nawaivuvu and Vuya clan. Ratu Peni  should have realized the sensitivity of the situation and asked advice from both groups before rushing into an installation. Now the two groups are at odds with one another as indicted in the story in the Fiji Times. We people from Macuata are embarrassed by this situation. We need to pray for good sense and a right outcome.

from the Fiji Times today:

Chiefly split

Serafina Silaitoga
Thursday, May 23, 2013

+ Enlarge this image

Taukei Namara Ratu Peni Sogia prays over the new Tui Macuata Ratu Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere. Picture: Serafina Silaitoga

A TEAM of police officers was deployed to the village of Naduri in Macuata yesterday to keep the peace after a split over the choice of the new Tui Macuata Ratu Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere.

The atmosphere was tense as the two halls in the village accommodated two factions that had differences over the decision made by Taukei Namara Ratu Peni Sogia.

Divisional police commander North Senior Superintendent Fulori Rainibogi said the officers were sent to the village to keep the peace among villagers.

"We sent a team to monitor the situation in Naduri and ensure that nothing happens in the village," SSP Rainabogi said.

Police officers patrolled the village lawn and sat in meetings in the two halls. Ratu Peni and members of his tokatoka Namara sat in their own hall at one end of the village while members of the tokatoka Nawaivuvu and Vuya under the yavusa and mataqali of Caumatalevu met in the village hall in Lomanikoro of Naduri.

A heated argument erupted between Ratu Peni and traditional leaders of tokatoka Nawaivuvu and Vuya when they met to discuss the issue. Ratu Peni said in an interview with this newspaper that he had informed the traditional leaders meeting on Tuesday afternoon and no one objected.

He said the objection to the idea only happened yesterday morning.

But the turaga ni yavusa Nawaivuvu Ratu Jone Matanababa, who led a team of traditional leaders to Ratu Peni's house to ask him to call off the installation, said the consultation process followed was not right.

On his return from the meeting, he told clan members that the discussion was not fruitful as Ratu Peni had refused to call off the installation. "E katakata sara na veivosaki, caka na vei dusi, so na ka sega ni dodonu me cavuti sa cavuti ena delani katakata ni veivosaki. (It was a heated argument and fingers were pointed. Some words that were not supposed to be said were uttered.)," he said. Ratu Jone told clan members they did not agree with the decision made by Ratu Peni. He told them they were disappointed over the process followed to choose the new chief.

The disappointing factor, he said, was that the tokataka Nawaivuvu and Vuya had not met to discuss the successor of the chiefly title.

Young men in the hall suggested they visit Namara to iron out the issue with Ratu Peni while other members of the clan asked police about the powers they had to stop the installation.

But Adi Samanunu Katonivere, the younger sister of the late Tui Macuata, who was also in the hall told the men that if they wanted to clear the air with a good heart, they should visit Ratu Peni.

"Ko ga e kila ni nona itutu na gole i Namara me lai veivosaki vatakei Taukei Namara baleta na ka sa mai yaco, tucake gole kina baleta me savasava na noda tou veivosaki." (Whoever knows that they are the rightful people to go to Namara to talk to the Taukei Namara about this issue, please go so we can discuss openly with clean hearts).

Ratu Jone told his members that for the sake of keeping the peace in the village and their relationship as a family, it was important for them to remain calm and follow the proper channel of challenging the decision made by the Taukei Namara.

However, the young men present at the meeting told the elders they couldn't keep accepting such decisions because they would remain disappointed and so it was important for them to settle the matter.

Some Fiji drawings and paintings

 From w
Here are a few of my sketches and paintings I made in Fiji - from Cuvu, Suva, Nukutatava, Pacific Harbour and other places. Click on any to see enlarged.  The one of the village church is actually a linocut.

A babasiga kid has knee surgery

from w
Jordan, our grandson had knee surgery at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne this morning and is recovering well this afternoon, even eating Maccas for his evening meal! George is staying with him and it's a beautiful hospital. His anaethesist sang a Fijian song to him as he went under. That children's song about a bulumakau. Apparently the anaethesist spent his childhood in Fiji! Peceli and I visited this afternoon and picked up Andrew Junior who was there all day for moral support. Jordan is in Platypus Wing, a lovely area decorated with paintings. Jordan's injury was to do with the growth plate on one knee (injured in a river near Labasa quite some time ago!)

and there's a bit to do over the next months to get it going well.
And on Sunday Jordan has visitors from Geelong - Andrew Snr, Andrew Jnr and their friend Jhiah.

And on the third day Jordan came home with a magnetic device to start the process of fixing his leg - over four or five months. Apparently the technology is very new and Jordan and another teenager were the first children in Australia to have this method of reconstruction of the limb.  The bionic boy!.

Can Fijian play Aussie rules? Yes!

from w

Nic Nat rules the roost in thrilling Eagles win

Date

from a WA paper: May 17, 2013 - 9:59PM

Nic Naitanui knows how to finish a story.

His kick after the siren to hand West Coast a two point-win over North Melbourne was meant to be. It had built to this all week.

He had been the middle of all the pre-game hype as he looked to face the big Roo Majak Daw for the first time.

Unfortunately for North, as the siren went on the 12.18 (90) to 13.10 (88) result, Daw was sitting on the sideline with the red subs' shirt on – with only four touches and one goal next to his name.

Naitanui capped off a great night and thrilled the crowd with a high flying mark to earn the shot at goal.

The Kangaroos should feel a bit dudded.

Special books about Fiji in a Melbourne bookshop

from w
Yesterday Peceli and I were delighted to be able to purchase a superb diary by May Cook, the wife of a missionary who lived at Nasoso, Macuata. Rev Oswald Cook worked tirelessly in Macuata and later in Lakeba. May is a lovely writer, noticing small details of life in the Naduri area and on numerous boat trips along the coast, and observing Fijian customs in the period 1904-1906. Her son collated her diaries and published them not many years ago with only 100 copies so we were lucky to get one pristine copy. Thanks to Rev Cyril Germon whom we visited a couple of days ago who said, 'Peceli, there's a book you might be interested in because it's about Nasoso and Macuata a hundred or more years ago.' I searched the internet and found libraries where the book is located and also bookshops. Kay Craddock- Antiquarian Bookseller, in the Assembly Hall Building - next to the Baptist Church - 156 Collins Street Melbourne, had the book. Website kaycraddock.com  There were about twenty excellent precious books about Fiji - first editions - that kind of book - but the prices were high as you would expect. But anyone interested in the history of Fiji can go there and browse.  A gem of a shop in the heart of Melbourne.

Happy Mothers Day in Fiji

from w
May all mothers and potential mothers in Fiji have a lovely day today - also the adopting mothers, the orphanage Mums, the absent mums, the families who mourn their mothers who have passed on, baby sitters and carers of children.
Here's a picture of Mila and Talei from Vatuadova.

About the Labasa River

from w
Always there is talk about cleaning up the Labasa River environment and being aware of degradation when mangroves are removed. Well, here's another effort to replant mangroves to save erosion and destruction.

Major rehabilitation for river

Salaseini Moceiwai
Tuesday, May 07, 2013

A MANGROVE planting program is scheduled for parts of the Labasa River in the hope of reducing the effects of climate change in the area.

Organised by the Department of Environment under the Building Resilience Project, the initiative will start next month in conjunction with World Environment Day.

Senior environment officer northern Senimili Nakora said the project's goal was to reduce the vulnerability of targeted communities to the impact of climate change through a strengthened and co-ordinated approach within the national climate change policy and strategy framework.

"We aim to achieve these goals with an approach that involves resilience — building in high bio-diversity tropical mangrove areas and associated coral reef, sea-grass and upland ecosystems across its community project sites," she said.

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Photos of Labasa River are by Bhaskaroo.