Va's blog from Vorovoro

from w
Just saw this on the tribewanted site: in Fijian, then English translation.
Na noqu mai cakacaka e Vorovoro vei ira na ‘Tribe Wanted’ e a tekivu mai na dua ga na neitou i lakolako vakagade donuya na gauna ni sereki e n vula ko Okosita. Au a lako vata kei ira na makubuqu baleta na luvequ yalewa ko Adi Savaira Naileqe e vakawati e na matvuvale e Vorovoro. E na i lakolako oqo a donumaka na nodratou a gole ko iratou na lewe ni matavuvale oqo ki na nodra soqoni ni lotu e Viti levu. A vakayacori e dua na kena veivosaki se ko cei e bole me tiko me veiqaravi vei iratou na lewe ni ‘Tribe’ e ra tiko voli oqo e Vorovoro. Au a bole me’u vakasaqa ka veiqaravi vei iratou ko Ben, Sera, Repeka kei Dan. E na macawa ga ko ya a vakayacori kima e dua na vuli ni ‘First Aid’ ka ra sureti mai kina e ya rua na turaga mai na vei koro e Mali me ra mai tiko e na vuli oqo. E va na koro e Mali me ra mai tiko e na vuli oqo. E va na koro e Mali. Nakawaga, Ligaulevu, Vesi kei Matailabasa. A mai vakayacori vakavinaka na vuli. Na dau ni veivakavulici e lako mi Suva. Keitou vakayacora vakvinaka na neitouu i tavi. E ra a gunu ti e na mataka lailai, ti e na tini, vakasigalevu, ti e na va kei na vakayakavi.

E a laurai tale ga e so na dredre. Me baleta ga ni ko i keda na i taukei e da dau loloma, e yaco me toso tiko ga kina na cakacaka. E mai vinaka ni da sota kaya e so na turaga yaloyalo vinaka. E na so na gauna e dau tukuna ko Ratu Poasa ni ko iratou ogo, ko Ben, Sera, Repeka kei Dan e sega ni dua na ka e ratou bau volia mai e na gauna taucoko e ratou kana tiko kina e na vuvale oqo e Vorovoro. E dua tani ko iratu na lewe ni “Shine”. Ko iratou oqo ko John, Koula kei Saimoni. E ratou dau voli kakana mai e na veigauna kece e ratou dau mai cakacaka kina.

E na noqu cakacaka tiko e ke, keitou a cakacaka vata kei Adi Raijieli, Kesaia, Raijieli, Kei Miliakere. E na gauna sa tekiva kina na vuli, a lesu tale ko Adi Raijieli me laki tomana nona cakacaka e Nasekula. E na vula ko Sepiteba e na i matai ni siga e na yabaki ruanaudolu kaono, sa tokatu mai kina na i matai ni i lakolako mai vei ira na lewe ni “TRIBE”. E ra lewe ruasagavulu karua na kedra i wiliwili. E na guana e ra tadu mai kina, sa veitavaki tu yani e matasawa e dua na veleti meleni levu me ra vakaloma vinaka kina na yaco mai. E a vakayacori na veikidavaki vakavanua e na loma ni vakatunuloa. E ra a meke tale ga kina na lewe ni koro mai Nakawaga. Ni oti na veiqaravi vakavanua a vakayacori na vakasiga levu totoka. E na siga ga e tarava keitou sa toki sobu mai e na valenikuro ka sa tawani tiko ni kua. E na neitou mai tekivu oqo, e sa tekivu tara tale ga kina na Vale Vaka-Viti levu ó koya sa tawani tiko e daidai.

E totoka sara tu na draki ni cakacaka e na vanua oqo e Vorovoro. E ra taleitaka dina vakalevu na nodra dau gade mai na lewe ni “Tribe”. Keitou dau veivakamarautaki. Keitou vulica e so na meke ka vulici tale ga na i tovo vakavanua vei ira na lako mai eke. Sa dua na ka nodra taleitaka na totoka ni vanua kei na tolo ni nuku vulavula. E dua ga na ka na levu ni kati ni nana e dua na manumanu lailai bati mosimosi. Ia keitou dau cakava tale ga na kena i lumu. E ra dau mai lumuta ko ira na lako mai. Na gunu yaqona e na vei yakavi kei na laga sere mai vei Ratu Savenaca e na veibogi kece. E ra sa dau nanamaki tu ga kina ko ira na vulagi. Na veilasamaki e ke kei keitou na tiko e valenikuro e dua na ka e ra na dau guiguilecava dredre na lako mai. E levu sara na lewe ni “Tribe” e ra dau mai macawa rua, ia oqo e levu vei ira e ra dau vinakata me ra tosoya tale nodra tiko me vula dua. Ko i keitou ga oqo keitou vakavuna nodra tiko. Na i tovo ni lasa kei na veivosaki e ra sa mai tosotoso dredre kina. Keimami dau veitagicaki e na nodra sa dau lako yani. Yala mada eke. E na gai tomani tale yani.

Vasiti Matanawa.

My Days at Vorovoro with the Tribe
Home → Va Matanawa's blogPhotos
By Va Matanawa,
Posted 2 days ago
It has been one and a half years since I have been working with Tribe Wanted. I started working as a cook. I cooked food when the first lot set foot here on 1st September 2006. That time we still had our food at Ratu Poasa’s residence. We later moved down to the kitchen which we are still using now. Later on we extended the building and the table was moved on to this building. A shed was built near the stove so that everyone would have a place to sit and enjoy their food. Another table was built near the beach but without the shed. The members have their choice of where to sit and enjoy their meals.

This year is a wonderful year, 2008. Even though life is difficult because of the high cost of living, we here on Vorovoro enjoy each day to the fullest. I wake up each day to do the cooking. The Tribe have five meals a day. The food that we cook is really enjoyed by the visitors. They only want to eat the food that we Fijians eat. They like our Fish with ‘miti’ which is a coconut sauce mixed with lemon juice, onions, tomatoes, chillies and coriander. They also like fish curry and baked fish with the ‘moca’ as it is green.

The Tribe members also enjoyed food baked in ‘lovo’ earth oven. At the end of each month we have our change over of chief. This is a time we also have a big feast. We prepare many kinds of dishes. We have Chinese dishes, Indian dishes and our own Fijian dishes which everyone enjoys. The Tribe members are so amazed with what they see. They even told me that they had never seen so many cakes in their lives, and also so much food. We have catered for so many people, sometimes more than a hundred. People eat so much and still had leftovers.

At the end of each day I take a quick dive into the sea and enjoy the coolness of the sea water. I change into my evening clothes and get ready for a bowl of grog with the boys. The Tribe members they like to join in our singing and drink a few bowls of the ‘kava’ with us.

Whenever a new member arrives at Vorovoro, they have to present their ‘sevusevu’ to Tui Mali. When Tui Mali comes to the island, someone will beat the ‘lali’ to let everyone know that he is on the island also to warn the members that everyone has to put on a ‘sulu’ and dress in a decent manner. When someone is about to leave this is a good time for them to present the ‘tatau’ so that Tui Mali will give them is blessing for a safe trip back home. Both these occasions are blessed by Tui Mali for each member that comes to the island. This ceremony is very much welcomed and also enjoyed by each member because they get to sit and enjoy a bowl of grog with their chief and meet the workers who are local people from the villages of Mali.

At this time of the year we are also blessed by good weather and the Tribe members enjoy snorkelling around the island. Some of them take a quick dive before breakfast and have another one after breakfast. There are small activities which everyone is briefed about at 9 o’clock and each one is always encouraged to do what they want to develop the place.

Thank you.

To be continued…