A CROSS given to a high chief of Cakaudrove by a French Catholic priest 148 years ago remains a valuable treasure for the Catholics of Cakaudrove.
The cross was given Ratu Goleanavanua Lalabalavu, who held the title Tui Cakau, in 1862 by Father Laurent Favre to help them overcome the struggles of war against the Tongans led by Ma'afu.
The cross now kept at the Catholic Church in Wairiki, Taveuni has drawn tourists and locals who cannot believe that a century later, the cross is still safe and well preserved.
The cross is kept in a glass box and has details of the events written at the bottom of the box. It states that the crucifix was given to Ratu Goleanavanua by Fr Favre in 1862 and their fight was a victorious one where the Cakaudrove men defeated Ma'afu and his men.
It also states that after the war, Ratu Golea gave the cross to Tui Tunuloa for safe keeping and the cross was kept at the Napuka Catholic Church.
Catholic assistant parish priest Father Petero Tagidrau said that in 2005, the current Tui Cakau Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu asked that the cross be returned to Taveuni.
Fr Petero said the cross was returned in 2005 in a pilgrimage which sailed from Napuka to Wairiki where the cross was presented to Ratu Naiqama.
He said Ratu Naiqama gave it to the then head of the Catholic Church in Fiji, Archbishop Petero Mataca, who recommended that the cross be kept at Wairiki.
Margaret Snider  |
The Holy Cross church... in Wairiki since late 1800s. |
Holy Cross Church sits on the hillside among the classrooms and dormitory of its schools, above the rugby field, looking out over the Somosomo Strait at Wairiki on Taveuni Island.
There since the late 1800s, the church presents a peaceful scene now. But its presence is related to an exciting story: the story of the Holy Cross. For there really is a Holy Cross.
The crucifix came to Wairiki under dramatic circumstances during the war with the Tongans around 1862. Father John Crispin, who is at Wairiki now and has served the Catholic Church in Fiji for 26 years, says of the background of the war: "The way they would do it when there was a local fight they (the Tongans) would ally themselves with the weaker side and would help them to win, so they would overcome the more powerful ones and the weaker ones would be beholden to them."
Such was the case in the mid-1800s. Ratu Koila had assassinated Ratu Golea's father and now had allied with the Tongans to defeat Ratu Golea, who was a chief on Taveuni. Ratu Koila's general was Wainiqolo.
"Send messengers to all the tribes," ordered Ratu Golea. "All warriors are to go as quickly as possible to Wairiki. We will fight with Wainiqolo and we shall see if Cakaudrove is afraid of the Tongans."
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The Cross |
"Sir," he was told, "Wainiqolo has gone to Somosomo and removed your brother Ratu Kalou (Chief of Cakaudrove) and taken him to Lau. He has also taken your son."
Ratu Golea's son was just one year old.
"Very well," said Ratu Golea to his men. "Let's get going."
As they passed in front of Nawi, Ratu Golea saw a Catholic priest on shore. "Jump in the water," Ratu Golea told one of his men, "and go tell the priest that I don't have time to stop here, but I need to talk with him. Ask him to come and see me this evening at Korodogo."
Ratu Golea had a long meeting with the priest, Father Favre, and told him about the assault by the Tongans.
Father Favre assured him that if he would accept this cross, he would not need to fear; he would triumph over his enemies. Ratu Golea and several other important chiefs were encouraged and accepted the cross.
"After the battle is over," Ratu Golea told Father Favre, "come and visit me in Wairiki. If I am victorious over the Tongans, I shall be Catholic and all of Cakaudrove with me."
After arriving in Wairiki, Ratu Golea gave a charge to Tui Tunuloa. "You know that my son Ratu Lala is in Wainikeli," he said, "where he is being held by force. Take your warriors, go to Wainikeli and see that before sunset today my son is in my arms."
"He will be there, sir," said the old warrior. That evening before sunset, the child was in the arms of his father.
Ratu Golea had a younger brother, Daunivavana, who was so named because he was a marksman: he never missed his target and he always hit the smallest bird on the highest branch of a tree with his first shot. Ratu Golea assigned Daunivavana to be the general of his army.
Daunivavana had received information that the Tongans would attack from the interior while Ratu Koila and his followers would come by the shore. Therefore, Daunivavana and his army took on what they thought were the Tongans coming by land and defeated them, after which they realised it was the Fijian enemy. Then he knew that the Tongans must be coming by sea. He rushed with his army to Wairiki and when he was almost there saw four Fijian chiefs bearing his brother, Ratu Golea.
"Are you fatally wounded?" Daunivavana asked.
"No," said Ratu Golea. "But I have perhaps a broken arm."
The men of Cakaudrove attacked the Tongans and when the deed was done only one in fifty Tongans had survived and Daunivavana himself had killed Wainiqolo.
Ratu Golea's older brother, Ratu Kalou, was returned and he addressed all the assembled chiefs: "I don't have much longer to live," he said. "Agree together and name Ratu Golea chief of Cakaudrove."
Ratu Golea became Tui Cakau (Chief of Cakaudrove) in place of Ratu Kalou. Concerning Ratu Koila, he said, "Let Ratu Koila be my second in command, so that he will remember that I have pardoned him and above all that he will never forget that he is obliged to me for that."
Ratu Golea, now Tui Cakau, addressed his chiefs and leaders of his three thousand warriors. He instructed those who wished to be Catholic to join him the next day with Father Favre.
At that time, he said to Father Favre, "Father, all of Cakaudrove is Catholic, I beg you to receive us all today into the Catholic religion and to reunite us all for prayer."
The very cross that was the hope and inspiration in the war has been cared for over the years and is now in a glass case at Holy Cross Church in Wairiki, Taveuni Island. The plaque says the following:
"This crucifix inspired the Tui Cakau to defeat the Tongans under Ma'afu led by his warrior Wainiqolo. The crucifix was given to Tui Tunuloa for safekeeping by Ratu Golea and in 2005, after 143 years, the Tui Tunuloa, Ratu Igenasio Loaloa returned the crucifix to the Tui Cakau, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu, in Wairiki, on Friday, 14th September, Holy Cross day. The Tui Cakau then traditionally handed it over to His Grace Archbishop Petero Mataca D. D. for safe-keeping. His Grace ordered that it be kept in the Church of the Holy Cross, Wairiki, for veneration by the people of Cakaudrove."
The above account of the war in Wairiki is derived from the narrative compiled by Father John Crispin of Holy Cross Church in Wairiki.
He, in turn, has obtained his information mainly from Historical Notes on the Catholic Mission of Wairiki, Taveuni, Fiji, by Father Fabiano Terrien, who spent 27 years in Wairiki from 1895 to 1922; and History of the Catholic Church in Fiji, by Father Alfred Deniau, written about 1887.
With Father Crispin's kind permission, his account has been paraphrased and/or quoted in this telling of the story.
"It's quite unique," says Father Crispin, "to have so much contemporary history written.
Especially (Father Deniau's history) is not well-known and it was only last year that we found this in Rome..."I found a reference to this writing in a French book and then it was supposed to be in Suva - and it wasn't there."
He goes on to say that the Pope gave a commission in 1836 to evangelise the South Pacific and the general archive in Rome is the place to look for records on the early part of the church in Fiji.
"Sure enough," he says, "they had this original document."
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APPROACHING the Garden Island of Taveuni by boat toward the wharf, any first-time visitor will notice a white cross standing on the hill overlooking Wairiki Catholic parish.
The cross has a history and an interesting one.
It dates back to the time of tribal wars between Fijian ancestors of Cakaudrove and the King of Tonga, Ma'afu who won battles in every province he fought in.
The history, written by Catholic priest Father Fabiano Terrien in 1922, talks about the war between Ratu Golea, who led the battle of Taveuni against Ma'afu and defeated the Tongan king and later installed the Tui Cakau.
Father Terrien spent 27 years at Wairiki parish from 1895 to 1922 and the existence of the cross today is believed to have been a result of an event that happened during those years.
History says that before Ratu Golea went out to battle against Ma'afu and his people, he approached the Catholic presbyterian at Wairiki asking for God's blessing to guide his men of Taveuni during the war with the Tongans.
This resulted in another Catholic priest known as Father Favre, giving a small cross to Ratu Golea who told him that the cross was their weapon.
And history says that the cross that took Ratu Golea and his men of the Garden Island to war defeated the great Ma'afu and his Tongan men. And the province of Cakaudrove, according to history, was the first and only island to defeat the Tongans and ended their reign.
The battle which took place at Wairiki in the 1860s saw the men of Cakaudrove attack the Tongans like lions.
Before the battle, Ratu Golea, who was passing by Natewa Bay on his boat on his way to Taveuni, saw a whaling boat anchored on the shores of Nawi Village, where Catholics lived.
"It was Fr Favre who had come to the village to visit the Catholics at Nawi and Ratu Golea told his mata ni vanua to jump into the sea and tell the priest that they needed to talk.
"At the meeting, Ratu Golea told Father Favre that the Tongans were on their way to the island to overthrow him and his brother, Ratu Kalou, and replace his chiefly position with another chief from Macuata known as Ratu Koila," the book says.
"Fr Favre assured Ratu Golea that if he accepted the cross, he need have no fear of his enemies and that he would undoubtedly defeat them."
Ratu Golea and the other chiefs accepted the emblem and took it to war.
According to the story, Ratu Golea and his 3000 warriors assembled on the shores at Wairiki and watched the Tongans approach the island.
Seeing the Tongans sailing toward Wairiki, Ratu Golea said: "Let them come."
He then divided his men into two groups with one going into the dense forest while the other remained by the seashore, both groups led by his brothers, Ratu Matakitoga and Ratu Daunivanavana.
His elder brother, Ratu Kalou had been captured by the Tongans and kept in Lau. After the war, which lasted almost a week, there were only 46 Tongan survivors, who with other Fijian chiefs and warriors from parts of Macuata were granted pardon by Ratu Golea.
"Two days after the war, Ratu Golea sent his 46 Tongan prisoners back to Lau and sent a message with them: "Take back your Tongans and send me my brother, Ratu Kalou.
"If in 15 days my brother is not on Taveuni, I will come to Lau with all my warriors and I will wipe you out to the last man."
Six days later, Ratu Kalou arrived and Ratu Golea called together the province of Cakaudrove that assembled in the presence of Fr Favre and told the congregation: "Father, all Cakaudrove is Catholic. I beg you to receive us all today into the Catholic religion and to reunite us all for a prayer."
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Additonal entry from wikipedia
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