Fiji bats

from w
Jenny on Vorovoro Island is tending to go batty with the screeching fruit bats keeping tribewanted folk up all night! I haven't tasted bat stew yet but Jenny seems to be game.
The story below is from the tribewanted website.
Bats, bats, bats!
Community → Jenny Cahill's blog By Jenny Cahill, ,
Posted 3 days agoWe are at war on the island with bats – enormous, screeching, mango stealing fruit bats. They flock by the dozens in the mango tree outside our window each night, gorge themselves on the fruit and keep us awake all night with screeching and squealing so loud that it makes me miss the dog back home that barks all night outside my bedroom window – it seems like a lullaby in comparison! Not only that, but they cause the hard, unripe mangoes to drop THUNK onto our tin roof – it sounds like softballs raining from the sky!

With no natural predators on the island, the bats are way overpopulated – they strip the papaya, banana, and mango trees of their fruit each night. So we have opened bat season on the island to cull them down to more reasonable numbers. Jimmy and Nemani were up till 2 am last night hunting – Jimmy with a slingshot, and Nemani with a sharpened stick that he throws with the skill of an Olympic javelin athlete. The fruits of their night’s work, two bats, were simmering in a pot in the kitchen when I left the island this morning. Yep, they are edible, and I hear, also quite tasty. After boiling, they are stripped of the meat on their hind end – that’s the meatiest part. So it is bat butt curry tonight – I sure hope they taste better than they smell, that’s for sure! I will let you know. And here’s to hoping that tonight’s hunting is far more successful, because at only 2 bats a night, we will be hunting for a looooong time before reducing the numbers enough to save some mangoes for us to eat.

Jimmy and the kids are with Tui Mali (the island chief) at the prize giving ceremony at the Mali school today – I believe that is the equivalent of awards day. It is the last week of school before their big break – 8 weeks. Looking forward to having more kids around the island!

Much love from our family to yours!

Mama Jenny

Tribewanted still going strong

from w,
Ben Keene writes about responsible tourism in the tribewanted site where a small eco-tourism venture continues on Mali Island, near Labasa. I like his ideas but there are too many questions Ben!

Responsible and fairly traded tourism at Tribewanted
Community → Ben Keene's blog
By bengazi, Vorovoro, Fiji
Posted 5 days ago

Fair trade is an attempt to slow down economic activity to match the pace of culture; it is commerce with a conscience. For those of us who travel, it doesn’t take long to realize that the resilience of culture will wear thin and eventually break when it is made to conform to the speed of commerce.

We must ask, in the words of Barack Obama “not only is this profitable, but is it right?”

At Tribewanted we aim to maintain economic growth for ourselves and the local community without sacrificing the fundamental rights, dignity, and health of the land and people involved. We realize that there is and seek to understand the intimate link between culture and the environment and we take every opportunity to reach our decisions based on relevant environmental, financial, and social issues, the three elements of social enterprise.

Our decision making process in regards to fair trade and responsible tourism is based not only on developed and undeveloped but also on the reality that discrimination and exploitation exists throughout all levels of society and that commerce when practiced with a conscience can be a powerful tool in the fight to protect the environment and preserve and empower all cultures.

In the evolving spaces of responsible tourism and social networking, the answers are very rarely straight forward. Making decisions based on these principles can take time. To help us facilitate a more holistic decision making process we have implemented a few internal guidelines for everybody involved with our project.

Is it good for the environment both local and global?

•What effect will the proposal have on the Tribewanted’s carbon footprint?
•Will the proposal encourage greater levels of energy efficiency in the local community?
•Will the proposal encourage the use of renewable energy in the local community?
•Does the proposal maximise opportunities for effecient use of resources?
•Does the proposal favor the use of renewable local resources including recycled materials?
•Does the proposal have a plan for minimizing waste and waste disposal?
•Does the proposal include a plan for minimizing water use and encouraging water efficiency?
Is it good for the people?

•Does the decision address the needs of all members of the local/Tribewanted community?
•What effect will this decision have on the development of a healthy, equitable, and involved local/Tribewanted community?
•What effect will the decision have on the safety of the Tribewanted village?
•What effect will this decision have on the cultural heritage of local community?
•Will the proposal help improve the educational resources of the local/Tribewnated community?
Is it economically sustainable?

•How much ongoing maintenance will the proposal require and does it minimize those costs?
•Does the proposal show an eventual return on investment?
•Can the proposal be structured to provide other opportunities for generating revenue?
•Will the proposal enhance the value of the Tribewanted experience and/or Tribewanted’s assets including the natural beauty of the local environment?
•Will the proposal encourage additional investment in the region?
•Do all involved parties fully understand the proposal and it’s implications?
•Based on feedback from all parties, can the proposal be improved upon in any way?
Since the start of the project in September 2006 we have had successes and failures. Everyday, lessons are learned that help us come closer to realizing our goals. Maintaining a positive triple bottom line in Fiji has been and will continue to be a delicate balancing act and though we occasionally experience set backs, over the long run significant progress has been made.

The future of Tribewanted: Vorovoro is bright and our efforts to promote responsible tourism and actively engage in developing a sustainable eco-community on Vorovoro are met with widespread enthusiasm from the local community. Here is a short list of some of our achievements many of which would have been impossible were it not for the close relationship that we have worked hard to establish with the local people.

•Regular village meetings and workshops are organised to discuss ideas and proposals.
•Community groups work closely with us in developing conservation and management plans. We work to empower local communities to manage their own resources.
•Wherever possible, food and supplies for the camp are purchased from local sources.
•Tribemembers are encouraged to build relationships with community members through involvement in local schools, purchasing goods from local shops and spending time in villages.
•Tribewanted works to develop alternative livelihoods in the communities in which we work, to reduce the fishing pressure on fragile marine ecosystems and to try to improve the economic status of poor and isolated communities. Recent examples of these initiatives have included a vegetable co-op with the youth group from Nakawaga, an arts, crafts, and souvenir business to support local women.
•Tribewanted, with support from our team and tribe members, has provided over $10,000 for school scholarships over the past 2 1/2 years. These scholarships allow children whose families cannot afford school fees to receive education from the primary up to the university level.
•Island team members carry out beach clean-ups in partnership with local communities.
•Fresh water use is minimized, and water is conserved wherever possible.
•All waste is sorted and disposed of responsibly.
•Island team members and the kitchen staff use only biodegradable cleaning products.
•Tribe members are encouraged to offset carbon emissions from their flights to Fiji
•In the Tribewanted village, all electricity is produced using sustainable technologies.
•A strong commitment to to teaching sustainability through our regular workshops, seminars, and forum discussions, The Mali District School Green Club, and H.O.P.E. Labasa
•Working with local villagers and students from the University of the South Pacific, and in cooperation with the WCS and WWF, Tribewanted monitors the impacts of fishing activities on marine systems and species. By training villagers to record the size, number, species, and weight of catches regularly brought into villages by local fishermen. This data is then used to track changes in species populations and marine health, and to develop appropriate conservation strategies.

In order to help accelerate our progress we have also committed to the following objectives:
•Off-setting carbon emissions on flights for the Tribewanted team to and within Fiji as well as emissions resulting from the development and running of the Vorovoro community by purchasing carbon offsets. We also commit to encourage all tribe members to do the same.
•To work in partnership with Tui Mali and local fishing villages, considering the impact of each and every one of the tribe’s actions on these communities.
•To support local community projects both financially and with volunteers under the guidance of development experts.
•To generate local employment.
•To consider with each decision the tribe makes, the impact on the terrestrial and marine environments.
•To promote and raise awareness for sustainable and earth friendly living and travel as a real option for both tourists and communities around the world.
•Continue to support our local, family-run, taxi and hotel partners.
•Continue to help our members’ to respect and apreciate this environmentally and culturally sensitive region of Fiji through cultural classes, a comprehensive orientation, and informal discussions both on and off the island.
•Encourage our business partners to adopt more comprehensive environmental policies.
Everyday we all make decisions that impact our environment and those around us. To often these decisions discount or ignore their environmental repercussions.

Implementing a fair trade policy has helped us to be more responsible not only in our activities here in Fiji but also in our own lives off the island as we become more aware of the environmental implications of our actions. We hope that reading this will inspire you to take responsibility for your own actions as well. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us island@tribewanted.com

A sea change and Vorovoro

from w
The tribewanted project continues on Vorovoro Island near Labasa. Here is a posting from a sea-change family, which is on the tribewanted website. While many visitors to Fiji continue to stay in the large resorts, eat expensive food, etc. with little interaction with the local people except in a tourist-staff worker relationsip, those who go to Vorovoro experience a real change in lifestyle and get to know the people from Vorovoro and Mali islands who are Peceli's relations.
A family perspective of Vorovoro...
Community → Blogs from Vorovoro → Jenny Cahill's blogPhotos
By Jenny Cahill,
Posted 1 day ago
Just a couple months before arriving on Vorovoro, we made some exciting and scary major life changes in our family. Prior to these changes, we were like so many other middle class American families –we were stressed and burned out parents trying to squeeze the most out of the few hours we had per week together as a family, trying our best to raise kind, loving, conscientious, and capable children in a culture where it seemed everything was against our goals.

Despite our best efforts to keep our family a #1 priority, we had become slaves to busy schedules and endless obligations. Jimmy spent most of his time at a demanding and unfulfilling job that, while it provided well for us financially, left him with little time or energy foranything else. The job of raising and schooling our 3 kiddos fell primarily to me, and we felt that we were just enduring life, rather than enjoying it. Jimmy and I longed for a more balanced life, where we could both be present in our family while also sustaining our family financially in ways that fulfilled us rather than drained us. After years of this exhausting battle, we decided to change it all. With no solid plan in mind, we said goodbye to the 13 year career, the security, the generous paycheck. We traded financial security for happiness, fulfillment. We stepped into faith that we couldmake the life we wanted -simple, uncluttered, intentional, with time and energy for ourselves and our family,earning money through skills that we enjoy. We chose a summer of living in Vorovoro as a springboard for our family as we entered this exciting, new chapter of our lives.

Our family has been on Vorovoro for 6 ½ weeks now, and sadly, have just under 4 weeks more to go. Our time here has been the most intensely joyous time of our lives. We fled here from a culture that thrives on productivity, efficiency, and impersonal relationships, our hearts hungry for something that we did not yet know, but hungry just the same. Within days, maybe even hours, of setting foot on Vorovoro, our hunger had begun to satiate, and now I would say our hearts are content and full in ways they have never been before. Everything about this place is salve to the heart, food for the soul. Never before have we felt so connected to each other and to ourselves. Surrounded in beauty, laughter, and song, one cannot help but to see clearly how Western culture has gone wrong, how the hectic schedules and pressures of American life leave little room for the things nourish us our souls. It is this contrast that gives strength to our intentions to change the way we live our life in America, intentions that we brought with us to Vorovoro, hoping that we would find something here that would help us sustain those intentions in our life back home. We have found exactly what we were hoping for, and so much more. The unique community that is Vorovoro is amazing in ways that I find I just cannot describe.

The fellow tribe members we have spent time with have been just amazing – older folks with wisdom and stories to share, young travelers who impress us with their insight and maturity – remarkable role models for my children, and ourselves. Our Fijian family – warm hearts, open arms, hearty laughs. Their enthusiasm and joy are authentic and sincere, their playfulness and love of life are incredibly contagious. The ideals of the project areso in line with our own visions. It has beenhugelyrewarding to be part of a work in progress and see the results of your own hard work at the end of each day. The island allows freedom and independence for my children – they have grown in ways I never anticipated. Timid at first about meeting so many new people, they are now usually the first to meet and greet the new arrivals, eager to show them around the island.

Tribe members and Fijian family alike join in their playfulness – there is always someone willing to guide, listen, play, or with whom to simply share a laugh or an adventure. The line between work and play just doesn’t exist on Vorovoro – everything is exciting and fun. They join in on projects and discussions, their ideas and efforts are respected and appreciated. They are made to feel important – the kindness, gentleness, patience, and respect with which they have been treated havemade them aware of how capable they are. They move in and out of daily activities – working with the ladies in the kitchen, grating coconut, chopping paupau, or baking bread, or maybe clearing brush, catching bait, or weaving coconut leaves with the men. They’ve all formed their own close relationships with various members of our Fijian family.

They live their own lives here, set their own schedules, make their own goals – I have become aware of how much they are capable of. It has been inspiring and affirming to me to watch my children grow, become comfortable with new people and experiences, challenge themselves and see projects through to completion. As I hear their laughter ring through the village, when I see the joy they bring to others with their smiles and questions, when I listen to them tell me about the things they have learned from watching and talking to other people, I am filled with gratitude. More than ever before, I understand the old wise saying that goes: “It takes a village to raise a child.” Truer words have never been spoken.

Our time on Vorovoro has given us gifts that will be a part of us forever – we have experienced enduring and strong connections to ourselves, to each other, and to our goals and intentions for our family. We have formed relationships that will last the rest of our lives. The important lessons of slowing down, laughing much, and enjoying the moment we are in have become a part of us. Sega naleqa! A world away from our other life and the distractions that come with it, immersedin meaningful work and interactions, no longer running on the proverbial hamster wheel, we are beginning to learn to listen, really listen. And we like what we hear.Au lomaniiko, Vorovoro.Vinakavakalevu na wisdom.

Meanwhile back in Vorovoro

from w
While the shenanigans in Suva get reported or misreported, life in Vorovoro and Mali Islands continues as one day after another in the sun. Here is an interview, courtesy of tribewanted, with Varanisese, a woman from Mali.

The Hammock Society Interview with Francis
Community → Hammock Society Interviews → James Kerridge's blog
By Jimbo, ,
Posted 3 days ago

Jump, jump, bubble and twist if you eat too much sugar it’ll make you go like this. The Hammock Society is buzzing from a sugar overdose thanks to the beauty sitting with me who’s been cooking up plenty pawpaw jam. It is with great pleasure to bring to you the mother of the tribe, the one who’s been keeping you fat and happy, the one and only… Francis.

Bula sia everybody.

What’s it like to be a mother on a remote island?

The mother’s job is very hard. When its five… wake up… make the fire, make tea, scrape the coconut, father is still asleep… after that spread the table and you call the family. Then after that you wash the plate and think about the lunch… need to feed the family three times a day. If no fish, and no man to help… you go pull some cassava and cook. You can rest a little bit after lunch but at three o’clock need to make dinner. If six people in the family, like my family, then its very difficult. But now, all my children grown up… just Chelli at home.

Where did you grow up?

In Hawaii.

Really?

That is what we Mali people call Ligulevu… we call it Hawaii because the people very happy there hahahahaha. My mother is from Ligulevu so that’s where we brought up. Now my mother and my daddy all lost and my uncle, only my aunty is there still alive.

Did you grow up in a bure, like the ones we live in here on Vorovoro?

Yes, I live in the bure, many kids stay together… we are nine children plus adults… just one big room, when we sleep girls that side, boys this side and our mum in the middle.

And your mum had to cook for all of those children?

Yes, and my grandmother help. We use the fire, no gas back then, just the fire. When I was a little girl I saw a match for the first time, before the match it can take a long time to light the fire.

Do you miss living inside the bure?

It is difficult to call the man to cut the reeds and coconut leaves and repair the roof. Now its good because we don’t change the roof because the iron on top.

So your mum cooked for many mouths, but they were all Fijian mouths and here you are cooking for an international tribe as Tribewanted’s Head Chef!

Now we know many new foods, before it was only Fijian. We now cook lentil flans, sheppards pie, mashed potato, pizza… hahahahahaha.

Does Poasa like pizza? I bet he loves a margarita!

Hahahaha… we don’t cook pizza for Poasa, he just likes Fijian food. All my family like that, we eat Fijian food. We just have cassava and vundi and another type of banana and green vegetable, we plant some bele, plant some pumpkins, we have fish in the sea. Everything we want, we got it.

How do you catch the fish? Do you use dynamite and blow them out of the water?

Hahahaha, no dynamite. Sometimes… we can use a net to catch the small fish and then use the small fish on the line to catch the big fish… and small hermit crabs make the fish very hungry… the fish love that and we love the fish hahahaha… I put the bait on the hooks and when the fish eat the bait… PULL THE FISHING LINE! Hahahaha… and you be careful you take the fish properly and you bite the head to kill it. Finish hahahahaha…


If I was a fish I would be more scared of you than the sharks!

That’s not just my way, every Fijian lady does that hahahahaha…

Do you eat the fish raw or do you cook it?

You can it eat it roar, sure, but better to fry it in coconut milk, if not you can boil the fish or curry the fish. We eat all parts of the fish, only the bone left hahahahaha… in Fiji the important part of the fish is the head. The chief will always have the fish head, we serve him that, the eyes are very beautiful… ooooo very tasty.

Tui Mali once offered me the eye ball of a big, decapitated fish… when I politely declined he looked like I had just turned down gold.

Yeah, its like that… fish eye very tasty.

Do they teach you mat weaving at school?

No, we just learn this in our family because this is our Fijian custom… when we are small kids we learn from our mum. But now my daughter Chelli, she always runs off when I’m trying to teach her to weave the mat hahahahaha…

How long does it take to make a mat?

First you must grow the tree, then take the part you need and dry it in the sun. Then you boil it, beat it and cut it into the pieces you need. Takes a very long time, not easy… no. Then you begin to weave, the big mat can take two or three weeks to weave… ooooo long time.

I’ve seen many mats get buried with the coffin at funerals… mixing the old burial style with the new. Do you think it’s a waste of time making something that will just be buried and rot away?

Yeah… but you know that’s our Fijian custom, its very important. That’s our last gift to them.

I also heard that in your custom; only the woman cry at funerals. Is this true?

Just the woman cry but its up to the man… if it take their heart, it aches to them… then they can cry.

Your family structures are very interesting to me because they’re very different to what I know. Back home, people are always moaning about their ‘in-laws’ but here in Fiji you cannot speak to the in-laws.

Like myself, I cannot talk or joke to Poasa’s older brother Tui Mali. I’m not allowed to talk to him, that’s our Fijian custom. When his parents were alive I can only speak to the mum, not the father. But only Poasa’s mother angry with me.

Why, were you a naughty girl Francis?

Because… if I’m doing something wrong… carelessly… she talk very hard to me. Its good because I learn more from her, talk very hard but talk straight… when she saw something wrong she talk to me, not to other ladies like that… always talk straight.

You’ve invited many tribe members to visit your church, and some are surprised its not on Mali, instead you travel a little further to the mainland. Why is this?

One of my daughters was very sick… for three years! I took her to every church for the pastor to pray for her but she not get better. I took her in the hospital but they cannot find any sickness… x-rays and everything but no sickness there. After that I hear about the Revival Fellowship and they say if my daughter receive the holy spirit she can get alive… make her better. It was new to me to hear that kind of thing. So I took my daughter there and they pray for her and now she has received the holy spirit she speak in tongues and now the sickness has gone. That was in 2005 and the sickness has not come back.

I was born into a catholic family and during my confirmation ceremony I was waiting for the Holy Spirit, was hoping for some Jedi powers but when the bishop placed the sacrad oil on my forehead… I felt nothing. What does it feel like?

This, one time they pray for me and the pastor touch me and ask me what I want to pray for… please I want to receive the Holy Spirit… I just want to know ay! When they touch me… long time, long time… I just say hallelujah and after that I speak in another tongues. I was filled with happiness, very happy that time. It start from inside, like a wind, very cold in my stomach that’s going round… very happy. I now know that this is true, that’s why we go back to that church.

It sounds like the Revival Fellowship Church has changed your lives, how has Tribewanted impacted on your life?

This island was just one family, but now its very good to us… all the people come from around the world. We thank Alan Kelly very much for bringing us the wind turbine because before… we use the fuel generator and it costs a lot of money. We now have jobs to help pay for schooling, I’m very happy the tribe is here.

What would make you even happier?

Every time I wash by hand, all the kids growing up… washing washing washing… my shoulder very weak now, I would like a washing machine. Maybe some day we can get a washing machine.

Or otherwise your arms might fall off and there’ll be no one to cook pawpaw curry!

Hahahahahaha… yeah that’s right… hahahahaha…

Any last messages for the readers out there?

About half past five in the morning we sit together and sing hymns, if we have power we can play the keyboard hahahahaha…

So bring some ear plugs and get yourselves over here pronto to sample this amazing atmosphere and culture. What’s for lunch Francis?

Pawpaw curry… you favorite ahahahaha…

Yes yes!... its another great day in Vorovoro. If anyone is travelling from the UK and you have some spare room in your luggage for a couple of hammocks, please email geoff@paradisehammocks.co.uk – we’ll need more chilling space for the extra visitors next month! And remember readers… chill out, don’t workout. Go Hammocks!

Vorovoro open for another three years!

Making pawpaw jam from the Vorovoro kitchen.
from w
There is good news from the tribewanted website that the eco-tourism/workcamp project on Vorovoro Island will continue for a further three years. Yes, the way to go! This project by young people and attracting adventurous kind of young people from many countries has proved to be a valuable innovative kind of eco-tourism where there is respect for the local community, plenty of interaction and employment for our relatives, the Mali island men and women and the children paricularly of the District School. This is quite dofferent from the experience of many tourists who just have a holiday and the local people serve their needs for luxury. Okay, okay Meg and others, some resorts are excellent in tourist-local relationships!

Post from Bengazi, Vorovoro, Fiji
Posted 3 days ago
Good news tribe, island and Fiji lovers – thanks to all your hard work and support since 2006, Vorovoro is now formally open for another three years!

What have you achieved so far?

Collectively invested approaching $2,000,000 into the local economy in Northern Fiji.
Generated 20 full-time jobs and fundraising for four villages
Supported the development of the local school and communities
Built an island village!
Raised awareness about and made changes towards more sustainable living
Won posh digital media awards, recorded an album, been on the telly and in magazines
Made friends, connections and memories for life.

A report of the first three years of Tribewanted: Vorovoro will be available later in the year and there will be discussions between now and then as to future plans for the project.

You can now book your stay on Vorovoro any time between September 2009 and August 2012.

Another tribewanted interview

from w
This time with Save - here's another tribewanted interview in Vorovoro Island. Another babasiga kid's story.

By Jimbo,
Posted 3 days ago
Reaching out to the north, east, south and west… all the people around the world breathing oxygen and farting methane, welcome to Hammock Society FM. We’re coming in live from utopia, from the blessed hammocks of Vorovoro and today we’re gonna have an education with the teacher of all things Fijian, ladies and gentlemen introducing Captain Culture, the man called Save.

Bula sia

Well here we are at long last, the teacher and the student. For those of you who haven’t seen Save… he has a very big afro which is in proportion to his brain. How big are you going to grow your ‘fro?

Like before, no one cut their hair small because they didn’t have anything to cut their hair with so they grew it big… that was a symbol of Fijians, big hair and big beard, all covered in one piece.

Even the woman!?

Hahahaha…no, the ladies just the big hair.

I’ve seen ladies with beards in some of the local villages, one wanted to marry me.

What did you say?...

Moce (good bye).

Hahahahahahahaha…

Who has the biggest hair in the village?

Warriors, strong men used to have the biggest hair. People say that they work with supernatural powers and they have that gift in them.

What gift do you have?

I have the healing powers of fracture, not sprain… but fractured bones. I use massage to heal. The length of time it takes to heal depends on your amount of power, it depends on how much pain you can take, how much muscle is in your body… but Fijians believe in this kind of medicine.

Where does it come from?

It comes from my mother’s side, my grandfather massaged a man with a broken shin for one month two weeks… he was healed, all fixed and cutting sugar-cane again…. hahahahahahaha.

If you have children, will they inherit your power?

Uhmmmm…. they have to accept, it’s in them already… they have to accept it.

How do you increase your power?

By massaging, by practicing…. because it can be with you but you’re not practicing it.

Wow! That’s some pretty far out stuff… punk rocker wizards in Fiji.

Hahahahahahaha…

When tribe members arrive here on the island, they bring some kava as their sevusevu which is presented to Tui Mali on Tuesdays. It can be a bit nerve wracking but you’re here to explain the meaning and the process…

Sevusevu also means greeting, like just because the first thing you’re coming here, not to the people but to the land so that is the greeting done to the vanua… the village is just a village, vanua is the trees, everything in that area, the land, the sea, the fish, the people, the people who are alive, the people who are dead. For us, the greeting is different, it’s not just personal to humans… it also ties us to the village… the village will know why you are here and the village will give you freedom, not getting hurt. Once the sevusevu is done, when the wingman holds the kava… he accepts the kava on behalf of Tui Mali, he hopes that you come and enjoy, this is a small place but it is you who is making it big and you are welcome, this is your home, it is your sevusevu. But when Tui Mali takes the kava, what he is saying is like… here may the people of Mali, there’s another kava here in front of me which is a sevusevu, people are coming here to come and live in this place and I hope you could hear this even though you are not here. Then he will turn to us and say to us that you are my eyes on this island… and you are my ears… I’m not here every day so whatever you do here, whatever you see you are doing it to me. He will say one verse from the bible which says whatever you do to your friends, you’re doing it to God always. Sometimes you see him pointing up hahahahahaha…

I’m gonna get a diploma in culture after this interview.

Hahahahaha… I think we should record the next sevusevu and will try to translate it in one culture class… maybe we turn it into a play… that’s what I was thinking.

Sounds like a great idea, let’s do it instead of the meke one day… you must of taught hundreds of people the meke by now?

The meke is the traditional Fijian dance, it is something strange about our culture… you could also say it’s our bible, that’s where we keep our writings of our past and the future. It’s all in the meke, once we know everything we will try to arrange it in words, lyrics and do the meke, after that… it is performed. That is done to keep the traditional way, so everything was kept in the meke.

We got sevusevu classes, meke classes… and then there’s the art of spear fishing….

I use the pole spear, walk along the beach and hunt that way, no swimming. For us, we can see the fish easily than tribe members. Seeing the fish is the difficult thing, spearing fish is easy, seeing the fish is the most important thing. So we just see the waves… how the ripple goes… and the fish will make the waves different so you will know there’s a fish there right. Then you look through the sea to see the fish. To spear a fish in the sea depends… because as soon as the sun rays go through the water it bends right, so I’m used to that.

Do big fish come in that close, surely not?

During the month of October, I was in class seven, about twelve/thirteen years… I come back from school and I went out fishing, this was like a hobby for me every afternoon because there was nothing to do… our house was isolated right on the end… I go out fishing in the mangroves… I see this swordfish coming, it’s about six feet long coming straight to me… the fish knew there was danger in the mangroves and it turned away. I threw the spear at the head but it bounced off, it was really a big one… I don’t know how! Then it turned to me, I started running for the mangroves… I was like half wading through water… as soon as I jumped up on one of the mangroves the swordfish came up, left the sea and dived trying to hit me! But it hit one of the mangroves, it was there… stuck!

That’s like something out of a cartoon, are you winding me up?

No, it’s true… it got stuck… then the nose broke and it swam off. When you’re a small you’ll go for any fish… you’re experimenting, trying to learn.

Do you like the taste of swordfish?

I don’t eat it. What we call tabu, like taboo… there are some fish, some trees, there’s some plant you’re not supposed to touch, to eat… you’re not suppose to go near it. Like me, my family, my area we’re not supposed to eat the saku, the swordfish… this identifies where you come from, like if you know you don’t eat this fish and you meet someone else who doesn’t eat this fish then somehow you are related to each other. It’s a tabu from our ancestors that practiced it.

What happens if you did eat it?

Like me, I ate it once… I didn’t know, it was a curry fish, mixed up and the swordfish was there… and I got ringworm, like a rash… so it’s there and it will always be there.

You obviously skilled at catching fish, I wonder who’s gonna catch your heart?

Hahahahahahahahaha…

But Team Fiji tells me you’re already married… married to the grog!

Hahahahahahahaha… yeah, it’s true hahahahahahahahaha…

You’re often pounding the kava getting it ready for the mix. It sends a deep, thumping sound across the whole island… it reminds me the scene from Jurassic Park when the T-Rex is coming and all they can see is the cup of water rippling in-time to the thumps. This sound has become known as the Vorovoro heartbeat.

In other villages, you won’t find me pounding like this… you will find me drinking like this hahahahahahaha, but here I pound the kava.

It’s a heavy job, do you find it hard?

It get’s easier the more you drink, the more drunk you get. Kava makes everything easy hahahahahahaha….

How would you describe the effects of drinking loads?

Errrr… it’s really difficult to say… most of the time you’ll find your head becomes heavy like a small ant with a big bun on it’s head hahahahahaha… like… you’re focused, everything is OK but your body is not that way. It might make you go head over heels hahahahahaha. You can’t walk the normal way hahahahahahaha…

And around the grog mat, you’re serenading the tribe with your musical skills playing the ukulele and guitar upside down like Jimmy Hendrix…

Hahahahahahaha… when I was young, I would listen to music only because I couldn’t get a left handed guitar… so I didn’t want to step back and don’t do it… I thought I might as well do it and find my own chords. I started playing the guitar upside down when I was nineteen, my mum bought me the guitar and taught me only three chords. Just by seeing and listening I try to learn… it was really hard for me… so any chords I would pick and play and if it comes right I would know it’s a chord! So my listening skills was better than my singing at that time. It’s just matching up of strings hahahahahahahaha.

What sort of music do you enjoy?

I love all music hahahahahhahaha…. any music I’ll listen too because I’m trying to get the sound from it. It’s not the whole thing, just the small thing… so I listen to any type… that’s why I don’t know the name of any bands, I just listen to it hahahahaha…

A little hermit crab told me you used to be a bit of a Maradonna in your younger days?

Hahahahahaha… yeah, not really Maradonna, I was playing football for Fiji under 17 and 19… I went to New Zealand. They wanted me for under 21s but I said no, I was studying Architecture, I stepped out of the team. Football was not big at that time, not like now, so I thought I would study instead and then passed out from there and was teaching for five years.

Do you regret giving up the boots?

Yeah, now like… I tell my nephew… if you have that age of going to play I think you should do it because you can study your whole life. When I was teaching, I was also teaching how to play football… I even took a team to Nadi… that was the under 19s and I think I took one of the guys that plays for Fiji rugby sevens… William Ryder. He was my soccer player hahahahahahahaha…

Let’s bring the Fiji National Soccer team to Tanoa Park here on the island and get a match going, I’m sure you’re still got some skills in your toes… we’ll give you a spear too and then we’ll be unbeatable!

Hahahahahahahaha…

What would you say is the main difference between Fijian culture and other cultures from around the world?

OK, the main thing is the Fijian culture is when they know something is wrong they will hide it. They will carry the burden silently and then it’s going to be good after that. But sometimes it is too much hahahahahahaha… we are supposed to be like this… hahahahahahahaha.

Oh maaaaan, and here I am trying to lead a project in a culture that wont tell me something is wrong. Can you teach me telepathy?

Hahahahahahahaha…

Any last words of wisdom for the readers out there?

I didn’t know that traveling is learning, but now I know that people come here and learn so much, they come to learn, I thought they were just a tourist on holiday hahahahahahaha but if travelers are thinking that way, that’s a good thing. Most of them have come and really enjoyed this place, felt this place… it’s the culture we are trying to bring up here, we dig more into our own, it’s not just you learning, we’re also learning about us and you hahahahahahahaha… it’s hard to explain this place… you have to come here and feel, it can be hard to explain feelings, people should just come hahahahahahahaha…

Cool, let’s go pound some grog…

Is that against Hammock Society law?...

Hmmmmm…

Hahahahahahahaha…

And remember readers… chill out, don’t work out! Go Hammocks!

Raijeli from Vorovoro

from w
Here's a delightful interview from tribewanted and Vorovoro Island. Raijeli is talking.
The Hammock Society Interview with Jelly
Community → Hammock Society Interviews → James Kerridge's blog
By Jimbo, ,
Posted 6 days ago
Calling out across the waves to all the people around the world, coming in live from the hammocks of Vorovoro… welcome to Hammock Society FM. And today, I bring you Vorovoro’s very own Beyonce… introducing to the whole world… Jelly.

My name not Jelly hahahahahahaha… Raijeli, like Rachel, not Jelly.

Excuse me, for the readers out there it’s pronounced ‘Chel-li’.

Bula sia everybody.

So… you’re a Mali girl, born and bred?

Yes. My mother is Francis and my father is Poasa. I was born here.

On Vorovoro… like a turtle?

No, hahahahahaha… in Labasa hospital.

Were you educated here?

Yes, I went to Mali District School… then to Suva, stay with Tui Mali and school there before coming back with his wife to All Saints Secondary School.

What was the best school?

Suva. Because All Saints is too strict, too much discipline. You have to wear uniform… long skirt…. plat your hair, keep it nice, Suva more relaxed.

I see you have a big blonde afro… what would your headmistress say now?

Hahahahahahahaha… I don’t know.

What do you use to dye your hair? Is it some sort of coral?

No! My hair is real. I was born blonde, yes. It come down from my great grandmother… that’s what I heard. My nieces are blonde too.

What about your children?

I don’t have any children hahahahahahaha.

Why?

I am not married, I am still single.

How old are you?

I am 26 years old.

The biological clock is looming… are you watching the boats full of new tribe members, seeing if there’s a potential husband onboard?

Hahahahahahaha…

Or maybe you have a boyfriend from Mali Island?

Nooooooo… you cannot eat breadfruit curry with breadfruit.

What a beautiful metaphor for inbreeding.

We’re all related in Mali.

(section deleted)

Do you play any (other) instruments?

The organ… the ukulele.

Many talents, are you in a band?

No, I play in the church. It’s called the Revival Fellowship Christian Church in Labasa, maybe hundred people go.

Any crowd-surfing when you play?

Eh!

When you play, do people go nuts and start jumping up and down and bouncing around?

No! It is a church. We sing songs, play music, read the bible, make prayers.

So we’re looking for a good, loving, caring, strong, musically gifted, God loving man. Does that sound good?

Yes hahahahahahahaha…

In the meantime, you’ll be here working on Vorovoro…

I’ll be here in the kitchen… helping cooking, baking, washing… everything in the kitchen. The tribe bring lots of new recipes which we try to cook, look very nice.

Taste very nice too. Sometimes around the dining area, there is no talking cos everyone is just enjoying the food so much. All you can hear is the cutlery bouncing off the plates. Sometimes, in my eagerness, I miss my mouth and make a mess.

Hahahahahahaha… like when you eat pawpaw curry.

Ahhhhhhh… p-a-w-p-a-w c-u-r-r-y… I like to say it slow… it makes it sound even more delicious. I could eat it everyday. What’s your favorite meal?

Fish, baked fish. Cut them up, just the flesh and marinate them in garlic and onion… then sprinkle it in salt, wrap it in banana leaf and put it in the oven. Keep checking oven till looks nice, looks cooked.

And when you’re not cooking and laughing your flip flops off, you’re playing volleyball…

Yes, I like to play for fun.

Do you play any other sports?

Bit of netball, some touch rugby.

Any football/soccer?

No, don’t like getting my legs kicked.

The tribe have been here for two and a half years now, what big differences has it made to you and your family?

We now have new power called Jenny Wind Turbine in my house.

Ah yes, a gift from Alan Kelly – a very generous tribemember indeed.

Before we use a diesel generator, it makes lots of noise but Jenny is quiet.

What does she power?

A TV and DVD and lights. I only use it watch rugby sevens.

Have you got a refridgerator?

No, we never have one. We just keep the food in containers, something like that… or pick the food and cook it.

You have your very own supermarket here, what’s growing on the island?

Breadfruit, cassava, vundi…

Vundi! I love Vundi.

You try it?...

Yes, it’s manna from heaven. A big fat banana that you boil in water and the water turns to syrup.

The ants like it too… hahahahahaha…

I bet they do. What else grows here?

Bananas, pawpaw, avocado, mango.

Wow. There’s no need for the evil Tescos Supermarket chain to come here. Vorovoro is very happy thank you very much.

Nice life. We go fishing too, use the hermit crab as bait, throw the fishing line, catch the fish, bite it’s head and kill it… you have to be careful otherwise it might bite your lip… finish hahahahaha… throw it in the basket.

Are we talking about men here or fish… like fish fish?

Fish hahahahahahaha…

Phew! And when you bite it’s head, what does it taste like?

Seawater.

What if you catch a really big fish, bigger than your mouth?

Bang them on the ground, on the rocks.

Do you catch anything else?

We catch crabs too.

Are we talking about men?

No! Crabs! Hahahahahaha… we go to other end of the island on the full moon, in the mangroves, wait for the tide just about to go out. You just have to put your hand on the back of the crab. If you’re too slow… the crab will run off or bite your finger!

Have you been bitten?

Yes. I break off the claw from the crab and it opens up.

So here you are disarming crabs, crushing fish heads with your bare teeth… is there anything that scares you?

The frogs, they live here. I don’t like the frogs, the skin all bumpy.

All the better to put them in your bed!

No! Hahahahahahahahaha… I am part of the Hammock Society too. I will just bring the cake to the Hammock Society.

Sounds good to me, any last words to the tribe readers out there?

God bless and Go Hammocks!

And if you’re a good, loving, caring, strong, musically gifted, sporty, Christian who wants to save this blonde bombshell from gnarly frogs and live in paradise… then please send a photo and a little bit about yourself.

Hahahahahahahahahaha…

Until nest time readers… chill out, don’t work out

Tribewanted continues on Vorovoro

from w
We pop into the tribewanted site occasionally though we have never been members. It's mainly because of our relationships with the people of Mali Island who are closely related. Peceli has met some of the tribewanted team on two visits to Vorovoro. Here is some news posted yesterday. The funeral described of a young man aged 31, gives little detail of what really happened, why he died, and that is concerning. Our family from Vatuadova attended the funeral as the young man was related.

Islands as Arks: re-discovering Vorovoro
Community → Blogs from Vorovoro → Ben Keene's blog
By Bengazi, Vorovoro, Fiji Posted 1 day ago
………….
University of the South Pacific Ethno bio-diversity study begins
As I am sure you will read on Ben Katz’s blog – our sustainability manager was able to recently persuade a team of five students and lecturers to visit Vorovoro to begin a study of local knowledge of Vorovoro’s reefs. The goal is that after this initial research more students will return to extend the study, building up detailed knowledge of the islands marine environments so that both the knowledge and the reefs can be preserved for future generations.

At sevusevu on tuesday (Tui Mali’s weekly visit to Vorovoro) the USP team presented their two day findings to chief, team, tribe members, and the Prisons Commissioner for the South of Fiji (as Tui Mali’s guest). Teddy Fong, the team leader from USP, spoke of ‘islands as arks’, of how we can see the whole cycle of life on and around an island – and how they provide a rare opportunity to see global ecosystems on a micro scale. When we first looked to come to Vorovoro, I remember thinking something not disimilar although not as scientifically put – that on Vorovoro, we can see so easily the full cycle of life and its biodiversity, and that is why it is the ideal place to educate, inspire and make connections. We will post the full report of their survey online when it is complete and I hope that the partnership will grow from here.
‘’’’’’
The 11th Hour: a holistic sustainability workshop
After a full meke class on Thursday morning (with Crimestopper even introducing a new head wiggling style), Ben Katz lead a discussion on tribe members attitudes and involvement with sustainable living. Interestingly all those present had been involved through their work at home in some way: Jodie as a sales rep for a recycling company, Louis from Holland knows a lot about liquid nitrogen and even sells CO2, Paula from Italy sells bikini’s (thus saving on extra clothing…), Becky had been involved in Environmental & Energy Law, Moya ran the eco-car fleet for Estee Lauder, Sophie had produced Radio Campaigns on green issues, and our very own Katz had run a sustainable landscaping business.

From Hybrids to Shampoos to Greenwashing to defining sustainability, Re-designing Design itself and becoming re-connected with our environment, we covered a lot of ground. The third compost loo is being re-decorated by the tribe with eco facts for what you can do easily at home.

Later in the afternoon, as the showers began, we settled down in the Great Bure with scones and sugared tea to watch The 11th hour, the most compelling environmental documentary I’ve seen – following the insights of the world’s most eminent scientists into the state of planet today and what must be done to prevent catastrophe. The closing comments of the film are made by an indigenous indian chief who speaks very plainly that no matter what, the earth will survive, the question is whether we want to survive with it.

A community in mourning
News came early in the week that Mosese’s (one of our boat captains) younger brother had tragically passed away at the age of 31. Peni was a fit young man, who met his lovely wife whilst visiting Vorovoro one afternoon last year, and since begun a new life in Nakawaga village. No one seems to know why he dropped down so suddenly last week – all the villagers can say is that his wife had been saying that Peni had told her in the days before his death that he “would soon be going to a far off place.”
Marau left early in the week to start helping the village prepare for the significant funeral. I travelled with the family on Friday morning and arrived to a village full of people quietly preparing for a heavy day. The two hour service was followed by the short pilgrimage to the village grave site on the hill, and there in the midday heat, 150 gathered – wailing, singing hymns and shoveling thick heavy mud into Peni’s final resting place. I don’t think I’ve ever been part of something like that – where you can feel the communal shift in emotion for a man who passed too soon to one of quiet acceptance for all except the immediate family, as the flowers were placed on his mud and rock make-shift grave.

Life – and death – on these beautiful islands, a story we’re fortunate to be part of.
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When vavalagis dance the meke

the pics are from http://www.flickr.com/groups/tribewanted/pool/
from w
Certainly this is a first - a group of vavalagi visitors to Fiji perform mekes at a Fijian traditional gathering such as Macuata Day in Naduri! Way to go - instead of tourists sitting down watching the locals perform their dances. Shows there is a good cultural exchange and a patience to learn the dances, to dress up, go the distance.

from the Tribewanted website:
Macuata Day
Community → David Randall's blog
By Kai Viti, ,
Posted 4 days ago
Bula sia tribe.

Last week was a full on cultural week for the tribe here on Vorovoro. All the tribal chief’s of the Macuata region were having a four day meeting in Nadori. On the Monday we had the Sevu Sevu so Tui Mali could leave for Nadori early Tuesday morning. We were to meet up with him on the following Friday to perform meke for the chiefs on their day of celebration, Macuata day.

So the week begun with the tribe eager to learn and perfect the meke for our performance on Friday. It is a great honour to be invited to a gathering of chiefs and to perform a traditional Fijian dance to them. So the tribe were all very excited and determined to get the meke well and truly ingrained into their psyche. We split into men and women so the girls could do a fan meke and the boys would do the vuikimalua and the katuba nivucu, commonly known to us as the 1 to 6. The moves are easy but there are a lot of intricacies that make it frustrating to learn. [Moves can be very similar but have very different endings which is a tad confusing. ] The girls were taught by Va until she had to leave on Wednesday and then by Anna. The boys were taught by captain culture himself, Savé.

On Thursday afternoon we had a ceremony to welcome in Tui Mali’s new boat. This was a great opportunity for a dress rehearsal for Friday’s big event. I was dressed up in tapa and a huge piece of cloth that was carried by most of the tribe. Having 12 girls in my costume was really nice I have to say. I had to walk very slowing into the Fijian village so that my entourage would keep up. Movement is a tad restrictive when you’re attached to 12 girls.

Earlier that day we had gone on a mission to find materials for our costumes. We used leaves from the duva vine. Savé took us on a rummage through the jungle to find some and then we all got to tie them up to be used around the wrists for the men and around the waist for the women. We got to wear them later that day as part of the boat ceremony we did for Tui Mali’s new boat. The ceremony consisted of drinking grog (now there’s a surprise) until the boat came and we made our way to the beach. While the boat was coming into the shore 3 guys jumped off the boat and swum the last 50 metres or so. We then covered the boat in the huge piece of cloth that I had been wearing earlier. Tevita then offered some grog and Puasa accepted on behalf of Tui Mali and much was said in Fijian in a very fast and loud way by Tevita. We then made our way to outside Tui Mali’s house. His veranda had been done up by Tevita earlier and looked really amazing. We drunk more grog with the boat captain who had come all the way from Suva and Puasa’s son. Then I was invited on to the veranda to watch the guys perform the meke. I hadn’t seen it from such a vantage point before. The girls one looked great as did the boys although there was much room for improvement on the last meke for the boys. We then ate and carried on the grog session. I left after a few hours but team Fiji kept drinking until the wee small hours.

The next morning we had an early breakfast and all got on boats and headed for Malau. There we boarded a bus which took us to Nadori. The bus journey was fun, if a bit dusty, and everyone was in a jovial mood even though team Fiji had very little sleep. They don’t seem to need much. I was excited as I didn’t know what to expect although I knew everyone would be extremely welcoming. When we got to Nadori we were shown to our area. Each district had it’s own covered area with matts and a tanoa. We had our own section as Mali district’s area was full. Almost as soon as we sat down a group of women came over with massive amounts of tea and cake. No one else seemed to be offered any and I’m not sure if that’s because everyone else had eaten already, we were a tad late, or Fijians only offer tea and cake to foreigners. We seemed to be given heaps of tea and cake everywhere we go but I rarely see Fijians eat it themselves. I’ve never eaten so much cake in all my life until I came here.

After tea the meke started. We watched one and then when behind a building to get ready for our performance. I again got a special bit of tapa to wear as chief but it was very minimal compared to the previous day. The girls performed their meke first and the crowd absolutely loved it. You can judge how much they like what you do by the amount of cloth that is given during your performance. Collectively we came away with a huge amount of cloth even after giving loads to other groups. When it came to the boys performance I was really calm and looking forward to it. When you are performing in front of people who just want you to do well and are really happy that you are embracing their culture then you can’t go wrong. Of course you want to do your best but I felt no pressure from the audience. We were warmly received and I felt it was over far too quickly, I loved it. Performing Fijian dance to Fijians is a wonderful way to show your appreciation and love of this beautiful country and people. I felt such an honour to be there. It was a very special day. When the mekes were done, and there were some amazing ones, especially the last group of ladies, the band started playing and people started dancing. Many Fijians would come to us and ask us for a dance, another way of showing their appreciation.

The journey back was great as team Fiji sung their appreciation of the day. When we got back I was very tired and very dusty from the bus trip and everyone had a swim and wash in the sea before getting ready for Roger and Franklin’s leaving party. Macuata day was a day that will live with me for many years to come.
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Meanwhile Tui Mali, Apenisa, relaxes!

Vorovoro story on FijiTV

from w
Go to http://www.fijitv.info/news for September 16th and look for Indepth story on Vorovoro. Five minutes on the eco-tourism venture that is now two years old. Sorry, don't know how to put a video here but you can go to the tribewanted site and they have a link to the fijitv story via Youtube! And, other stories.

Is tribewanted still going strong?

from w
Our niece's daughter is getting married in a couple of week's time on Mali Island so our relatives are very busy in preparation. Maybe some of the Vorovoro eco-tourists will be there at the celebration as the location for the wedding is quite close to them. I was wondering how they were going these days on Vorovoro Island so I clicked on the tribewanted website, and yes, they are going okay. Their appointed chief writes in the blog as follows:

Chief's Update 24.7.08
Community → Mariah Boyle's blog
By Maya, California, USA Posted 1 day ago

Bula sia tribe! So much has happened in the last week! Last Wednesday we celebrated Dan’s (August chief) birthday (organized by Jo, vinaka)with a scavenger hunt, piñata, and murder mystery evening. We all were given parts in a murder mystery and dressed for the parts and started in character over dinner, and after dinner we moved into the great bure where someone was murdered and lots of sleuthing followed. The game was a highlight of the week and something that is still on the island for future tribe members!

Thursday was also a historic night – we held our first ever Vorovoro trial. The accused, Ben (tribe member), Jim (island gapper), and Sosi (Team Fiji), were accused of two incidents of Frog Bombing (placing frogs in beds of tribe members before they went to sleep) that occurred on Tuesday. I was the judge for the trial, we appointed a jury, and Crimestopper escorted the accused. The evening was full of laughter as we heard testimony from the victims, gathered evidence from the audience, and determined that all three were guilty. Tevita and I conferred and decided that the punishment needed to be decided by the big man himself, Tui Mali. On Friday in Liga Levu we asked Tui Mali to decide a punishment for those accused, and he asked the three to come to his house and dig holes for large poles that will hold up his power line, which has recently fallen down. As a show of moral support the tribe will accompany Jim, Sosi, and Paul (nominated to do the work of Ben who left Vorovoro on Monday) and encourage them while sitting in the shade nearby. Look for a blog detailing the entire night to be posted soon by the tribe members!

Friday we were invited to Liga Levu for lunch as we purchased reeds from them, and the money the received was used to buy two new weed cutters for their village. They cooked a feast for us and we meke’d for them to say thank you! The ladies of the village also meke’d for us. The school was released early that day from testing as well so all the kids joined us as well! When we left the village gave us come voli voli trees which is used to weave the mats in the bure, and now we can start making our own mats. The day in Liga Levu was an absolute highlight for the tribe, and another example of how this project is bringing the communities closer together, and providing the villages with revenue.

On Saturday we held the island forum (see forum summary of discussion) and enjoyed the sun. Sunday was another nice day of sunbathing and great meals cooked by talented tribe members!

Monday we had yet another birthday, Jo turned 23! Dan organized an evening of kids games: we all made sock puppets, did face painting, had a piñata, played the chocolate game and jelly bean in flour game, and musical flip flops. It was a great night!

On Tuesday work on the Team Fiji bure roof continued as well as construction on the family bure (more windows and a wooden floor). In the morning we also started snorkeling and mapping the bay, an ongoing projects for the next two weeks. It was a great sevusevu day with Tui Mali in great form, everyone joking around, and a good vibe happening on the grog mat.

On Wednesday we learned the fan meke from Va, started to prepare the leaves for more mats, finished the roof of the Team Fiji bure, and kept working on the Family Bure floor.

The spirit on the island is very high right now and a lot of projects are wrapping up! I can’t believe I’m already at the end of my month as chief, and everyday I learn something new and have more fantastic memories. A big vinaka vakalevu to all those who have participated in this month – either on the island or online.

Moce Mada,
Mariah

Is tribewanted still going strong?

from w, I don't know if this is really a recent post, or they gave up on blogs on their site a month or two ago. Anyway this is about Tevita, community manager on Vorovoro Island.

Tevita's challenge to Fiji

By Jale, Vorovoro, Fiji Posted 5 days ago
(as interviewed and scribed by Adam Pacey)

As the Community Manager, Tevita passionately describes himself as the bridge between Fiji and the world as they visit Vorovoro through the Tribe Wanted project. There is no doubt it is a role of tremendous responsibility but also one which Tevita finds exceptionally rewarding. With his finger directly on the pulse of everything that is happening on Vorovoro Tevita decided he wanted to provide a monthly blog to allow everyone to share in these rewards and hear how he sees and feels the project progressing. Welcome to the first of those blogs.

First and foremost, the most important message that Tevita wants to get across in this opening blog is how strong the community spirit is on the island. That is not the spirit of Team Fiji and the spirit of the visiting Tribe separately, but it is the spirit of Vorovoro as a unified and thriving Fijian village. As Community Manager Tevita is constantly alert to the mood on the island and throughout his community, and he is keen to stress how tremendously proud he is everyday seeing the village pull together as one to work on the ongoing projects and further the two way cultural enrichment that is happening here. It is important to him now to keep this momentum going so all the world can experience it. Just last week, for example, the Tribe and Team Fiji decided for the first time since the project began that they wanted to eat together as one at regular intervals. Sure enough a couple of days later and a delicious banquette was laid on for all in the Grand Bure. It was a great evening, enjoyed by all, but best of all he says it was not prompted by him or by the Tribe Wanted staff it was a community driven intiative that came about through a genuine feeling of togetherness and simply because it felt right. That is the Fijian way. Tevita sums it up perfectly by saying it is just like building a Bure – your foundations must be solid and the rest of the building will be solid and long lasting. On Vorovoro the community spirit is the foundations and he is very happy to report the foundations of Vorovoro are very solid.

Tevita looks upon Vorovoro like any other Fijian community and he constantly aims to ensure that in work, rest and play it operates and functions as such. This is working. It is really working both for the world and for Fiji. There is no greater testament to this than when other Fijian Chiefs visit Vorovoro and are both surprised and impressed by the truly traditional Fijian reception they receive and how accurately Fijian customs are being followed. Throughout Fiji, Tevita has observed the gradual fading and disappearance of the traditions and cultural richness which he and his team is now nurturing so successfully on Vorovoro. Perhaps only 10% of Fijian villages are still practicing these traditions he estimates and goes on to say that if there were a competition on Fijian culture and tradition across Fiji he is confident that Vorovoro would do very well! It is this he says that leads visitors to the island to constantly ask himself and Tui Mali “how did you achieve this?” or to call them ‘lucky’. Tevita’s response is simple … “what is happening here comes from the heart”. He explains that every member of the community on Vorovoro is passionate about what is happening here and is keen to learn and participate, and once that passion is in place then the rest is relatively easy. To learn a Meke, or Kava Ceremony etiquette, or the traditional Fijian greetings only takes moments he says, but their cultural importance is timeless. So the question is not really for him or for Tui Mali, or for Vorovoro but it is for the rest of Fiji … when will the rest of Fiji feel the same passion for their culture again. The people of the world are interested and are learning Fijian culture and traditions now … the people of Fiji should be proud and embrace their tradition and culture too. That is Tevita’s challenge to Fiji.

Everything is moving in the right direction and the coming month has plenty in store. New pathways and landscaping to protect the grass during the dry season, the finishing touches to the new Team Fiji bure, clearing up and raising the new gardens and Fruitopia, amongst many other things are all positive improvements and take us ever closer to being a fully self sustainable Fijian village. Culturally there will also be good progress and Tevita is particularly looking forward to developing and practicing new Meke’s and to the tribe getting to grips with the full Kava mat ceremony which it is planned will be performed for the first time at the Tribe Wanted 2nd Year anniversary.

Finally Tevita says he is very excited about the Fijian language lessons, that started today. As the method by which mankind communicates thoughts, ideas and feelings and, perhaps most appropriately, passes on culture and tradition he has no doubt this will be an important addition to the Tribe Wanted experience.

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And this is something new! I've never seen the Mali women with hula hoops before!

Wanted - a director for Tribe Wanted

posted on from Ben Keene's blog:
Wanted: Vorovoro Project Director Year Three
Home → Ben Keene's blog
Tags:Team Fiji Photos

Have you got wings? A real challenge and a remarkable opportunity to live and lead Vorovoro By Bengazi, Devon, UK
Posted 06 May 2008
Responsible for the Tribewanted: Vorovoro project in Fiji

Role
To lead the project on Vorovoro alongside the team, chiefs and tribe members
To manage budgets and accounts for Vorovoro
To manage marketing and sales for Vorovoro in Fiji

Requirements
Availability in Fiji from mid August 2008 for 12 months
Demonstrate strong cross-cultural leadership experience, preferably in South Pacific involving eco-tourism and/or development work
Demonstrate clinical communication & organisation skills
Instinctive and non-stop social skills with people from all backgrounds & cultures
Comfortable with outdoor, basic lifestyle
Strong interest in sustainable living, culture, adventurous living and people from all backgrounds
Not concerned with a 9-5 work ethic – Vorovoro is 24/7

Reward
Full board on Vorovoro
Travel/ Insurance
Pro rata competitive director’s salary
A unique opportunity to lead the project throughout it’s third ‘adult’ year

Send whatever you think we need to see to choose you island@tribewanted.com
Application deadline 30/5/08

Comments
By Airoy, Pennsylvania, USA
Posted May 12, 2008 4:01am Just a question? Have we considered posting this on sites such as
http://www.greenbiz.com/green-careers
http://www.ecoemploy.com/jobs/

I’m sure there are other websites like this in other countries. Perhaps a good place to spend time finding these networks would be in the South Pacific Proper, in places like NZ, AUS, & FIJI.

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…

Ulai from Vorovoro's blog

from w
I notice that the tribewanted website includes postings from a blog from Ulai who seems to be in England at present. He thinks back to his earlier life and also has comments on how he views the project at Vorovoro. Ulai is a bright young Fijian lawyer who has been around a bit including a stint in Australia helping with Aboriginal land problems.


Still got the dreadlocks Ulai?

There's a program on the BBC at present called 'Paradise or Bust' which tells the story of the eco-village project. There are plenty of short videos on Youtube including one of the Mali District School children singing, one on exploring the reef which includes Fijian string band singing and a bit from the BBC program Paradise or Bust.

tribewanted celebrate diwali

from w
The new chief Carol writes about how they celebrated Diwali with a family connected to Govind's restaurant internet cafe. That's the place where Peceli and I post from when in Labasa. She writes:
Last night was a special off island night. Sham, who owns Govinda’s Internet Café in Labasa invited the tribe over to his home to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Light. We loaded ourselves into the boats for gorgeous starlit night ride into town. After being presented with plates of incredible Indian sweets, we headed out onto the cement awning above Govinda’s and proceeded to behave like overgrown 6 year olds given access to things that go BANG! FLASH!. It was absolutely fantastic, so much fun. I had a terrible case of the giggles through our delectable post-delinquint dinner in Sham’s living room.
--


They also posted a picture by John Hendicott of the bure and it does look different with some kind of extension in the roof. I've never seen a bure like that in my life! Perhaps they have sleeping quarters up there!

Vorovoro - teaching Mali kids new things

from w
The latest from the tribewanted website includes stories in the chief's blog about the relationship between the tribewanted visitors and the local Mali school children with a competition on growing sunflowers and a fundraising with pressed flowers. Way to go!

a lali drum for Vorovoro

from w
There's always something happening with tribewanted on Vorovoro Island. On 1st October they installed a newly carved lali which is a large slit drum played with two sticks as a call to people in the village. Ben's blog describes the event and photographs taken by Chris Marino have been posted on Facebook, but I think you need to sign in to access that site.

Tribewanted website

from w
I noticed that the tribewanted website has a different look - it's one year on - includes some good reading of their recent developments. - such as -
Island Development: The story so far (Edit)
In the first few months on Vorovoro the people of Mali, the team and the tribe members have built:

Three compost toilets complete with coconut swinging doors
A kitchen complete with stone oven and recycling units
The ‘Great Bure’ (big Fijian style house) and a mini bure
Two sky-view bucket showers in the woods
A 3 water-tank, guttering, and hand-pump rainwater catchment system
A bunk house
An outdoor dining area
A wood store
A floating pontoon and jetty on the south side of the island
A farm where fruit, vegetables and chickens are thriving
Renovated one of the family houses and added recycling unit to the village
Cleaned-up the main beach and village.

(Later: On Friday tribewanted posted the sad news of the death of Pita, one of our relatives. Pita is a lovely man who spent part of his teenage years at Vatuadova and then he became a carpenter. He did a lot of the work in developing Vorovoro Island tribewanted site. Our relatives are going to Mali Island tomorrow for some of the ceremonies associated with the funeral.
w.)

Mali children in Labasa parade

from w
Doing their bit in putting 'green' into the Friendly North Festival, the children of Mali District School and their tribewanted friends join in the parade. Pictures are from tribewanted website.