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Visiting Nukusere Village

Finding Fiji’s Traditional Hospitality

By Rick Millikan

Fiji both pampered my wife Chris and I in stylish luxury and provided edifying South Seas adventures. Taking the Sonaisali Resort water taxi to “main land” Viti Levu, we ventured forth to visit a mountain village. Fijians have long dwelt in settlements up lush river valleys or along coastlines of Fiji’s three hundred and thirty-three islands.  Some of these communities host guests wishing to discover Fiji’s age-old traditions.

Boarding a bus from Nadi, our tour group rolled through countless acres of sugar cane, Fiji’s main crop. After Fijian king Cakobau ceded his island nation to Queen Victoria, the British began building Fiji’s economy through a new sugar industry. To develop cane production, the Brits encouraged immigration from southern India.  Today Indians comprise nearly half the population. Most Indians continue as farm workers, but like our bus driver, many have also found better paying jobs serving tourists. Chiefs often lease own large tracts of village land to Indian farmers.

Passing through pine forests, our driver pointed out, “Villages have initiated several forestation projects. The logs will be harvested for pulp to sell to Japan and China.” Villages appeared as clusters of palm-constructed bures mingling with the more modern cinder block homes. Young men played rugby on well-worn fields. One village honoured their top rugger, plastering his picture across a huge billboard. He was now a renowned professional in the Australian Rugby League!

Our bus rolled onward through the green countryside. We passed a turn off to view the spectacular Sigatoka sand dunes.   Outside town we imagined Tavuni Hill fortification looming in the distance. Fiji once carried a fearsome reputation as the cannibal islands. This fort memorializes an infamous battle between fierce Fijian resisters and the British army. Now Sigatoka valley is the “salad bowl of Fiji”, growing an abundance of vegetables. Its large plantations export papaya and egg plant.

Winding for miles above ocean shores, we ended our road trip in Navua, a bustling market center for this rice producing area.  Surrounded by colorful shops, we reached a rustic wharf and met our burly guide Elami. He instructed the group to board three long flat-bottomed punts. 

Motors purring, we set out on the wide muddy Navua River. Along the bank, bamboo rafts languished. Villagers abandoned these bilibilis after transporting their produce down river to market. Gray herons waded in the shallows. We encountered several backhoes dredging the channel, perhaps relating to mining the area’s low-grade copper ore.

Draining much of central Viti Levu, the Navua River’s swift current eroded a lush canyon. Carefully traversing white water rapids, we immersed ourselves in exotic scenery.  Bamboo groves lined the banks; tropical forests flourished along the slopes. Numerous waterfalls cascaded down high walls. Towering orange-blossomed flamboyants intermingled with feathery giant tree ferns. Standing on a gravel bar, an elderly fisherman waved and proudly displayed his catch.

Nukusere village lay ten meters above us. Leaving the boat on a riverbank strewn with large boulders, Elami led us along a dirt path circling thatched bures with palm-plaited walls.  We called out, “Bula! Bula!”  Villagers replied smiling. Chickens ran loose in extensive yards; a beautiful pink sow suckled a dozen tiny piglets in an open bamboo shelter above the river.

Our group was naturally curious.  Chris began chatting with a widow who lived there with her son’s family.  Introducing herself as Vhorina, she invited Chris into their bure.  Removing shoes, they vanished into the home. Later Chris reported that it was a cozy holiday cabin. Its only room was spacious, bright and airy. Hand woven mats covered the floor.  “Sulus”, vivid print fabrics, draped the walls. Two canopied beds with handmade quilts stood at one end, cooking utensils and dishes at the other.

Fishing and farming enabled the one hundred and fifty residents to remain self-sufficient.  Owning land in common, each family plants individual plots with bananas, papayas, taro, cassava, sweet potatoes and other vegetables.  A powerhouse generates electricity from 6 to 10 pm, yet little power seemed necessary.  Villagers cooked over open fires, hand washed clothes and bathed in the river.

Gathering at the open-air meetinghouse, the chief addressed us paying respect to our homelands and giving a hospitable welcome. Elami presented kava, demonstrating our good intentions.  Sitting cross-legged on woven floor mats, we awaited the kava ceremony. Made from the dried root of the pepper plant family, this renowned beverage has been used for centuries in Fiji and reputed for pleasantly numbing the senses. The mixer filled a large carved bowl with a muddy brown liquid.   All of us raised our eyebrows and looked at each other, wondering.  The cupbearer delivered this concoction to each of us in turn. Receiving the coconut cup, I clapped once, guzzled the unappealing contents and felt my tongue tingle. The group responded with three customary claps.

Encouraged to ask questions about village life, we learned that each village has a hereditary chief, who oversees the welfare of his people during good times and bad.  Elami explained how Nakusere’s chief inherited his position from four older brothers.

To protect his people, chiefs scrutinize all strangers. Historic acts of war and cannibalism instilled a lasting distrust; today, relationships are carefully maintained. When a village girl wants to marry an outsider, the chief needs to approve the wedding.  If the girl elopes to live in her husband’s settlement, the next morning his chief must send a delegation of elders to reassure her chief.

Elami talked about how Fijians help one another. “You have noticed the recent flood damage.  The river rose fifteen feet this spring.  Now everyone is pitching in to recover. I’m helping replace their children’s school books.”

Festivities continued with lunch: baked fish, cassava, taro in coconut milk, sweet pineapple, and freshly squeezed orange juice.  While savoring our food, village women set up handicraft displays: carved masks and bowls, shell jewelry, wooden statuettes, and sulu fabrics. Friendly bartering ensued.

Invited to sit once again, grass-skirted boys entertained us with Fijian welcome dances.  Young men drummed out rhythms and sang haunting melodies. Asking us to join them, we danced a jolly side-by-side shuffle. As early missionaries forbade face-to-face dancing, south sea islanders enjoy the two-step “tralala”.  Creating a most pleasant camaraderie, this simple dance continues to be very popular. Later we formed a line, snake dancing until Elami gathered us for our return down river.

Fiji’s landscape evoked its fascinating history. Our journey bestowed insights and revelations. Experiencing village hospitality, we also discovered the simple joys of life.

Flying to Fiji: Air Pacific www.airpacific.com

Sweet Suite Accomodations; Sonaisali Resort www.sonaisali.com

Touring Fiji: Rosie The Travel Service www.fijifvb.gov.fj or phone 679 722 755

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