Fiji Barefoot Law

by Serafina Silaitoga

Fiji Times - Monday, March 01, 2010

NEW village laws introduced by a group of village heads in the Northern Division restrict people from wearing shoes, women growing long hair and wearing shorts and limit freedom of clothing and leisure activities.

The 200 villagers of Nukubalavu in Savusavu have to take off their shoes when entering the village boundary and walk barefoot to their homes. This rule also applies to visitors.

Health authorities, however, have expressed concern, saying walking barefoot could expose villagers to diseases such as leptospirosis. The Cakaudrove divisional health office in Savusavu said it would act to protect villagers from exposure to health risks.

Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr Salanieta Saketa said the ministry would investigate before making a statement on the issue.

Roko Tui Cakaudrove Ro Aca Mataitini was away in Taveuni but the provincial office said that laws decided by the villagers and their chiefs were entirely up to them and applicable only in the village boundary. On hairstyles and banishment of villagers for marijuana and homebrew breach, the office referred all queries to Ro Aca.

All women and children with long hair have cut and keep their hair short.

The decision of the village elders follows last year's Cakaudrove provincial council meeting where they were asked to protect the Fijian culture from modernisation.

Village headman Maciu Baleidaku confirmed that new rules have been put in place restricting villagers from certain freedoms of clothing and leisure activities.

Anyone caught with marijuana or drinking homebrew in the village boundary would be banished, he said.

He said Savusavu chief Tui Nasavusavu Ratu Suliano Naulu and tribal heads of the village have been engaged in meetings on the new law the past two weeks. Mr Baleidaku said the chiefs agreed to introduce the laws after the two-week meeting.

He said concerns were raised about how villagers and visitors continued to show a lack of respect for Fijian culture and traditions through disrespectful dressing and unnecessary loud noise in the villages.

Men who spend long hours drinking yaqona have been told cut down and spend time with their families.

The new laws, Mr Baleidaku said, would be put submitted to the police and the Cakaudrove provincial office in Savusavu.

Mr Baleidaku said village police officers had been chosen to make sure rules were followed. He said villagers had been informed and accepted the decision.

Discuss protocols, linguist urges

by Elenoa Baselala

Fiji Times - Monday, March 01, 2010

THE enforcing of traditional protocol or rules in rural villages should be discussed amicably, Fijian culture expert and linguist Doctor Paul Geraghty said.

He said most if not all villages had protocols which must be followed.

However, he agreed that using corporal punishment was not a good enforcement method.

"People must follow these protocols," he added.

"When I take visitors to rural villages, I explain the rules and protocols and they respect and follow them," Dr Geraghty said.

Meanwhile, Dr Geraghty has urged Fijians to take up the Fijian course at the University of the South Pacific to improve their command of the Bauan dialect, widely accepted as the "Fijian" language.

While the number of those taking this course has increased in recent years, Dr Geraghty has urged those in the media practising in the Fijian language to take up the course.

No shoe law ‘is new'

Monday, March 01, 2010

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My feet, my only carriage ... Dr Paul Geraghty in Suva yesterday

LINGUIST and Fijian expert Doctor Paul Geraghty says the "barefoot rule" being enforced in rural villages is new.

Dr Geraghty said Fijians in the pre-colonial era normally did not wear shoes.

However, the word "vava" or shoes does exist in the Fijian vocabulary. He said Fijians, or probably their children, wore shoes made of halved coconut shells, which he believes was probably for a particular game.

A man who walks barefoot himself, Dr Geraghty said it was nothing to do with wanting to be "Fijian".

"If I wanted to be a Fijian, I will wear shoes because all Fijians wear shoes," he said.

"I walk barefoot because I don't think shoes are of any use. It is only useful in cold countries. I don't wear shoes and I am a very healthy person, I hardly get sick," Dr Geraghty added.

No more cash payments for Fijian landowners

Fiji Broadcasting Corporation, February 22, 2010

Lease payments to Fijian landowners will no longer be paid out in cash by the Native Lands Trust Board from the 1st of April.

General Manager, Alipate Qetaki, says the decision was put in place as a security measure to safeguard the money, NLTB staff and the landowners.

Speaking to FBC News Qetaki said the movement of large amounts of cash during lease money payouts in May and November every year has always been a concern for the Board.

The NLTB Board had shelved the decision for some time but decided to implement the policy at it’s last board meeting last year. Landowners are currently being paid in cash twice a year, in May and November, and Qetaki said it is becoming very dangerous to move the large amounts of cash, some of which amount to $20m at a time.

This he said, was the main reason the Board had decided to stop cash payments of lease money. Instead all landowners have been asked to open bank accounts where money can be deposited each time payments are made by the Board.

Qetaki said there is another advantage of paying money to Bank accounts and that is the Banks will have the history of each land owner’s credit standing which will assist them when they wish to borrow to start up a business or a development project.

Meanwhile Qetaki said landowners are starting to heed the Board’s encouragement to lease their own mataqali land to increase their income. A mataqali member has leased 22 acres of their land overlooking Suva Harbour to do a residential subdivision.

Village acts on dress

Theresa Ralogaivau

Fiji Times - Monday, February 22, 2010

A BUA village plans to formulate strict dress rules, behaviour and hairstyles for the villagers as they prepare for their biggest development so far.

Aurum Exploration (Fiji) Limited is expected to commence mining hills near the village this year.

Nawailevu villagers won't be allowed to wear their hair in garish, radical or ultra-modern styles.

A meeting of the chiefs and development committee agreed bauxite mining, which is expected to get underway near the village this year, mustn't erode traditions and customs.

Committee member Josefa Rokoduna said they would learn from the lessons of other villagers where developments took place.

"We know that a price of development is the loss of tradition and customs and we are working hard so that doesn't happen to us," Mr Rokoduna said. "The chiefs have decided bauxite mining will take as little from our lives as possible.

"We will come up with a set of rules that villagers have to abide by including our visitors."

The rules to be formulated at a meeting next month will be sent to the provincial council and the police.

"Women must wear skirts and dresses and sulu-i-ra for traditional functions while the men must dress decently," Mr Rokoduna said.

Visitors won't be allowed to move around the village without the permission of the headman.

Keeping tradition alive

MANEESHA KARAN

Fiji Times - Thursday, February 18, 2010

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Kabara craftsman Taniela Gu working on the 'Drua' at their Valelevu home yesterday.

Inoke Galu, 39, has sent a message to his elders back home in Kabara that their traditional knowledge about craftsmanship are being successfully passed on to the younger generation.

To prove this, he has completed building a three-foot drua (double hulled canoe) which he started after his father's death.

It was two years back when Mr Galu and his father Jone Lupe had built their first three-foot drua which was exhibited during the Melanesian Art Festival in 2006.

"It took us three weeks to complete the drua. Then within the next three months after completing the first drua, we built three more each measuring 10 metres in length," Mr Galu said.

"I was inspired by my old man's craftsmanship and I challenged myself to build a canoe by myself to prove to my elders and my village that their knowledge was still being successfully passed on to the younger generation."

He started working on the drua six months ago.

"It is taking me long but my father's works inspire me to complete it. I am doing all the work by myself and I appreciate the help I receive from my uncle Taniela Gu."

Mr Galu said the survival of such skills was important to his Lemeki Clan in the village of Naikeleyaga in Kabara.

He used materials including mahogany from the land of some landowners in Valelevu, and coconut husk (magimagi) as the binding.

"I have not used any modern materials in the art because I wanted to use the traditional methods. I have also placed the traditional Fijian designs to decorate the canoe."

"I believe building such art helps retain the cultural backgrounds. These canoes will also suit many resorts which want to add an ancient traditional flavour or as souvenir to their assets," Mr Galu said.

He was also interested in selling his art and receiving contracts for traditional art.

Ra Villagers Await Ice Plant

Fiji Times - Tuesday, February 16, 2010

STORING their catch from the sea will no longer be a problem for the people from the costal villages of Nakorotubu in Ra.

This was after they were promised an ice plant and a fisheries officer in their district last week.

The coastal villages, which included Verevere and Namarai, expressed their concerns that they did not have any place to store their catch.

Ministry of Fisheries officials who were at Namarai last week as part of the government officials' tour said the ice plant was supposed to be built in 2007 but it was put on hold.

Since they rely mainly on the sea for their livelihood, the villagers requested for an ice plant that will ease their storage problem.

The ice plant will be similar to that in Wainikoro in Macuata and Malaka in Vanuabalavu.

Tikina (district) Nakorotubu representative Mosese Dranibaka said that an ice plant was supposed to be built there years ago but that changed.

Mr Dranibaka said if constructed, the ice plant would ease the burden of having to pay for transportation costs to deliver their fish to their markets.

With that in place, the fishermen would be able to concentrate more on fishing, rather than worrying about the storage, he said.

Mr Dranibaka said that was one district in the Ra Province that relied heavily on the sea so they needed something in place that could help them maintain their livelihood.

$3.9m for Rural Electrification in Ra Province

Fiji Times - Tuesday, February 16, 2010

THE Department of Energy is spending about $3.9million for the electrification of 604 families in the Ra Province.

Department supervisor Frank Rokowaqa said projects were in progress.

Mr Rokowaqa, who was part of the government tour of the province last week, said they had projects from Vunikavikaloa to Waimicia, Tokaimalo district and Rokoroko Village and settlement. Mr Rokowaqa said the communities also contributed partly to the project.

In this case, they had to pay 5 per cent of the total cost of the project.

Four districts in Ra, they had to pay $231, 184 for their projects. Mr Rokowaqa said those from Vunikavikaloa would pay $9,530.80, the Tokaimalo district pay $204,538.50 and those from Rokoroko Village would pay $17,114.75.