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ABOUT FIJI - CULTURE
In pre-missionary contact years, rituals, elaborate ceremonies, strict observance of customs were part of the Fijian way of life. These cultural traditions have eless survived to the present day, albeit in a more modified form.
Some of the more violent customs such as cannibalism were stopped after the missionaries arrived in Fiji. Human sacrifice was a part of the Fijian ritual in days gone by. For example, when the posts for a temple or chief's house were being set up, live men were put in the holes where the posts were to go - "to hold them up"
The Fiji society is a communal one - with values placed high on the family unit, the village and the vanua (land). People in villages and those in urban areas share the communal obligations and rewards of community life and are led by a hereditary chief.
Hierarchy
The Fijian chiefly system follows the Polynesian system where the position is hereditary.
The Fijian village is made up of several yavusa - the largest social unit for Fijians.
The yavusa is basically a family group going back to one original member of that migration. If the founder of the yavusa had only one son then after his death, the son succeeded him as chief of that yavusa. If there were two or more sons - then the succession was from brother to brother. When the last brother died, then the eldest son of the senior brother became chief.
Each member of the family of brothers then formed his branch of the yavusa called mataqali. The mataqali acquired a distinct name and identity and became the custodian of a particular task.
In a fully developed yavusa, there are several mataqali. They are as follows:
- The turaga or chiefly mataqali who were the most direct line of descent (through patriachal links) to the ancestor. The chief of the village is chosen from this mataqali.
- The sauturaga or executive mataqali - who were next in rank to the chiefs of blood. The chief's second in command - they carry out his commands and support him.
- The mata ni vanua or diplomatic mataqali are the official heralds and masters of ceremony.
- The bete or priestly mataqali performed the religious rites and were the mouthpiece through which the kalou-vu spoke.
- The bati or warrior mataqali.
The smallest unit in the Fijian village is the tokatoka, a subdivision of the mataqali. The tokatoka is made up of closely related families with the same blood relative as their head. Each yavusa is part of a village, with that village being part of a district and that district being part of a province.
The different provinces make up the three traditional Fijian governments or matanitu. The first is Kubuna which is made up Tailevu, Verata and Bau (on the south east side of Viti Levu, the main island). The second is Burebasaga which comprises all the other parts of Viti Levu (the island of Kadavu, Beqa, Vatulele, Ra on the north eastern side of Viti Levu, the Ba province, Nadroga province, Namosi, Serua and Rewa). The third matanitu is Tovata made up of the Lau Islands, the Lomaiviti Group and the Northern islands.
DANCE & SONG
Dance (called mekes in Fijian) and song/chants are an integral part of Fijian culture. Mekes are usually narratives of some important event and rest on strong oral tradition. They tell a story of how a war was won, how a chief was installed or some other great feat. Some of these mekes are old, handed down from generation to generation. Others are created especially for a particular event. In these cases, they are choreographed and put together by a dau ni vucu (or composer), who could be compared to the singing mistrels of old England.
In the past, the dau ni vucu would often go into a trance before a performance. Many believed that the inspiration for the mekes and songs came from the gods or spirits. These days, mekes are performed for important events and even for competitions.
Each part of Fiji has its own distinct dialect and dance. The graceful movements of women performing a seasea (fan dance) or the fierce and energetic movements of the men performing a cibi or meke wesi (spear dance) - are a sight to behold.
TRADITIONAL DRESS
In the past, the dress of Fijians consisted mainly of either loin cloths (for the men) and grass skirts for the women. In general it was the men (particularly the chiefs) who were more flamboyant in their dress - from their elaborate hairstyles to the clothing they wore. For the women, the length of the grass skirt depended on their marital status - short for single women and long for married women. Girls then wore virgin locks up until their marriage and usually had tattooes covering their lower regions (seen as a sign of beauty).
Today, women dress more conservatively - usually wearing masi or tapa cloth for mekes or weddings. In most cases, a cotton or silk or satin blouse is worn as a top with two or three layers of masi as a skirt. In most mekes, women often wear a specially made cotton blouse, a long sulu (called sulu I ra) and either a masi skirt or a tapa print shorter skirt worn over the sulu. Or in special occasions, a tapa top or sheath is worn across the chest (instead of a blouse) with two or three layers of masi as a skirt. On other occasions, women often wear a dress with a sulu I ra or a chamba which is a specially made top and long sulu.
The men either wear grass skirts for mekes and tapa for special occasions. On other occasions the men wear a sulu vaka taga (a sulu - what many mistake as a skirt) with a shirt - the common attire for church, functions and work.
Different parts of Fiji also have distinctive types of dress. People from the village of Dama in Bua, Vanua Levu, don't wear tapa as their traditional dress. Their traditional costumes consists of pieces of finely woven mat called kuta - a type of reed. Kuta is the most highly possession among the people of Dama and Bua (and is called yau vakamareqti).
Special adornments added to the dress also signify status. Chiefs or a person of high rank usually wear a piece of brown coloured masi (called masi kuvui) around their arms or tied around their waist as a sign of their chiefly status. Sandalwood dust on the hair is also a sign of chiefly status.
KAVA
Kava or yaqona is a central part of the Fijian culture. Yaqona is used in ceremonies of welcome, weddings, funerals and other important ceremonies such as the installation of a chief, though it is also drunk socially. An unpounded yaqona root is the most acceptable gift when you are visiting a Fijian village. If you do get the chance to participate in a yaqona ceremony (in most cases it's a high probability), the correct protocol is to clap once (a deep clap with hands clasped together), then take the cup (bilo) and drink the kava without stopping. Once you've finished and handed the cup back to the bearer, you then clap three times and say maca (pronounced matha).
ARTS AND CRAFT
Many of Fiji's traditional arts and crafts continue today. For women, the craft of mat weaving is widesprea ... most Fijian mats are made from the leaves of the pandanus tree. Preparing the leaves is a long process which includes scraping the leaves, boiling them, then drying them in the sun.
Mats are used for different occasions and purposes. The borders of most mats are usually decorated with brightly coloured wool yarn. Mats are not just used for every day purposes but are also exchanged as gifts.
Tapa making or masi making is another craft still being practised today. Made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree, the art is a laborious but satisfying one. Masi is usually decorated with symbolic motifs and various designs in charcoal, and also used as gifts, such as at a wedding.
Like dances, different parts of Fiji are known for their different crafts. Pottery is the traditional craft of the women of Naloto in Kadavu, Nadroga and Rewa and some parts of Ra. The pots made by women from these different regions differ. Two of Fiji's best known potters are Diana from Nadroga and Taraivini Wati from Rewa - check them out at the Fiji Museum in Suva.
For men, wood carving is an important craft, and items include war clubs, spears and cannibal forks, kava bowls etc. The men of Fulaga in Lau well known for their carvings, and they still make traditional Fijian canoes.
FIREWALKERS OF BEQA
If you do get the chance, go and see a firewalking ceremony. Seeing men walk on white hot stones without flinching and come off unharmed is indeed an awesome sight. It's a strange phenomenon as to why the men of Beqa’s Sawau tribe have the power to walk on hot stones without being injured. Some hotels along the Coral Coast and Nadi hold regular firewalking displays. An ancient legend tells how an ancestor of the tribe was given the power. He had gone fishing for eels in the mountain streams of Beqa and had pulled out a spirit god. The god pleaded for his life saying he would give the man the power to walk on hot stones. The warrior let him go free and the rest is history.
LOVO
Another part of Fijian culture is food and the way it is cooked. One method still popular today as it was then is the lovo or earth oven. It is an interesting cooking method used in the Pacific and the food that comes out of the lovo is simply divine - particularly dishes such as palusami (parcels of taro leaves filled with coconut cream, onions and in some cases tinned meat).
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