Taukei Ni Waluvu - The Legend

The Legend

While I was in Vunidawa, news came through, first communicated by messages on lalis (hollowed- out wooden drums) beaten from village to village that Ratu Manasa the Taukei ni Waluvu (Native or Owner of the Floods), highest chief of Waima, Matailobau and Nagonenicolo districts had died in Nairukuruku... It was standard belief that with the death of the holder of the hereditary title floods would follow for a fortnight. I had to go to the ceremony of reguregu and have presented on my behalf by my matanivanua a whale’s tooth for mourning. It had been fine up till now but on the day after the news the heavens opened with torrents. The river swept up at a forbidding level and with menacing currents. - British Colonial administrator Philip Snow, 1944.

The Taukei ni Waluvu traditionally is the leading chief of the chiefdom of Nabena, Matailobau District that originally consisted of twelve tribes, in Naitasiri Province. Turner, observed the cultural transformation, where, the high chief of Nabena is not removed from his subjects, but sits in a more egalitarian rather than a hierarchical village structure. An outsider's initial impression is that he is primus inter pares in his district. Matailobau District being one of the Pre-Colonial States of Eastern Viti Levu Island and formerly of Colo East hill province. In 1945 Colo East merged with Naitasiri Province. The other Eastern Viti Levu Pre-Colonial States being Verata, Waimaro, Bau, Rewa, Naitasiri and Namosi.

In 1858, zealous Methodist missionary Reverend Frederick Langham,who was stationed on Bau island, had journeyed via Nalawa District Ra, up the Wainimala river headwaters of Viti Levu to Nakorosule-Waimaro. He was advised by the Nakorosule chief, Rotavisoro who was also the nephew of the Taukei ni Waluvu, that traditional protocol necessitated his uncle Rodavetanivalu, known then as the Taukei Waiburebure of Navaulele be first converted.

Reverend Wallace Deane recounted the Nakorosule chief saying, "If I embrace the religion which you bring, my relatives will be angry with me. My advice is: go to the Taukei Waiburebure at Navaulele. He is my chiefly uncle. If he desires the Lotu (religion), I will accept it also." Perhaps Henderson’s observation is appropriate, to understanding Rotavisoro's dilemma, “any leading chief who embraced Christianity in Fiji at this time took upon himself great risks. His authority was based to some extent on his efficiency, especially in war; but more on his supposed descent from the gods whom the people propitiated and feared. By severing his connexion with the old gods he cut the ground from under his feet, and struck a blow at the authority of every other chief in Fiji which they would not be slow to resent". As documented in Fiji Methodist history, Ratu Meli Rodavetanivalu II accepted the Lotu and became a nominal Christian through Langham on 14 September 1862 and was later baptized in 1867. Bauan kinship politics through the Tui Nalawa was instrumental in the Taukei ni Waluvu's conversion.

Tradition records that Ratu Seru Cakobau, the Vunivalu of Bau and Tui Viti, honoured Rodavetanivalu II, Vunivalu of Navaulele for being a staunch ally of his Christianization and pacification campaigns of the hill tribes by conferring on him the title ‘Owner of the Floods’ or Taukei-ni-Uwaluvu from his earlier title Taukei Waiburebure. In any case the title meaning remained the same. In the Bauan dialect the word for flood is 'uwaluvu' whilst in the Matailobau dialect it is 'waiburebure'. In April 1868, as recorded by Sir John Thurston, Ratu Cakobau in retaliation of the Reverend Thomas Baker massacre at Navatusila, launched a two pronged campaign via the Rewa river and the Ra coast with the Matailobau and Waimaro-Soloira tribes as allies.

In a cabinet memorandum from King Cakobau's private secretary Henry Milne to his Minister of Native Affairs, Robert Swanston, is further evidence of Cakobau's close relations with the Taukei ni Waluvu during the campaign. The memorandum dated 19 May 1873, announced," The king is now at Matailobau, and has in conjunction with the chiefs assembled there, determined to go through Viti Levu. The Matailobau as you are aware are very old allies of the king " Apparently Cakobau's traditional links to the Taukei ni Waluvu can be traced to the Vunivalu's ancestors, the Nadurucoko in Wainibuka and the Dewala in Ra. Milne's memorandum makes it quite explicit what Cakobau and the Taukei ni Waluvu's intentions were as was spelled out, " By the King's last letter(13 May 1873) the Honourable the Minister for Naive Affairs will see that it is intended to push through the hills and if necessary force all "Colo" to submit to the general Government".

Cakobau's Christianization campaign or Valu ni Lotu was as recounted by Robert Nicole, "In 1873 the fledgling Cakobau government embarked on a campaign of subjugation in the north and west ( especially Qaliyalatini, Naloto, Magodro, Yakete, Vaturu, Sabeto and Navatusila) and in the central and eastern parts of the interior( especially Nadawarau, Muaira, Waikalou, Soloira, Nalawa, and Nasau)." Nicole continued, " With the capture and execution of numerous Colo chiefs during this campaign, interior districts to the East and North were severely weakened".

The campaign was effectively over when Nubutautau, stronghold of the Magodro fell on 11 September 1873 to Cakobau's forces.

In 1998, a meke -i- wau (traditional club dance) of Bukuya village in Magodro district in the Province of Ba performed for the Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, recounted the Taukei ni Waluvu’s tribal skirmishes in that part of Viti Levu’s western highlands.

Image: Reverend Frederick Langham (1833–1903), Physically impressive with leonine hair and beard, Langham believed himself the champion of the Fijians and encouraged annexation by Britain. Nicknamed the 'Cardinal', he lived on Bau Island from 1861 where he won repute among colonists as Cakobau's adviser.

According to Fiji Wesleyan church authority, the more exalted Taukei-ni-Waluvu title, now bestowed upon the chiefly patron of Wesleyan Christianity in the interior of Viti Levu, was metaphorical to the biblical account of Noah's divine commission prior to the great floods.

Most probably, the title change by Ratu Seru Cakobau was consistent with Bauan tradition where honorific titles were proclaimed on warriors to signify chivalrous deeds. The Vunivalu of Bau is said to have embellished his ally’s renown as the traditional rainmaker in preferring the title. In pre-Christian times such a power was credited to the Taukei Waiburebure. This mystical power is thought to still remain with the Taukei ni Waluvu today through the Chiefly clan's bete (priests) of Nabena village.

Commodore Goodenough in his journey up the Wainimala river to Nairukuruku On 21 January 1874, with Reverend Langham and Ratu Timoci Tavanavanua, son of Ratu Cakobau, met with, "the Governor of the twelve tribes of Matailobau, who was the first to Lotu in these parts." The twelve tribes were made up of the old tikinas of Lutu, Waima, Matalobau and Nagonenicolo. Furthermore recording that the former heathen chief's, " left ear lobe is distended enough to carry a stick from one and a half to two inches in diameter". According to Brewster this disfiguring was the fashion of the highlanders where small prized articles were secured in the distended ear lobes.

Ratu Meli Rodavetanivalu II had two sons Ratu Drekenavere and Ratu Isikeli. Ratu Drekenavere had a daughter Adi Vaciseva who was given firstly to the Tui Namosi, Romatanitobua as a bride though later married the Vunivalu Rara. Their issue, a son Ratu Ilaitia Baleinaivalu, was later Buli Lomaivuna. Ratu Isikeli was once Buli Nalawa in Ra Province. He had a son, Ratu Sailosi (1898–1932),raised on Bau Island as a youth, he died heirless. Ratu Meli hence did not have any surviving male issue. Legend has it, that, Ratu Meli had a canine pet named Tui Colo, which probably was a gift from Reverend Langham. The black dog, possibly the first canine recorded in the hills, was a status symbol for the chief. Ratu Meli died during the measles epidemic that ravished Fiji and indeed the hill tribes from January to June 1875. Tui Colo was buried alive with his fallen master in his grave mound at Navunitavola-Navaulele. A probable Christian compromise to heathen burial rites where in former times, the high chief's wives would have been strangled to accompany him to the underworld. On Ratu Meli Davetanivalu II's demise, his elder brothers- Rovucago III and Rinabobo II descendants according to chiefly succession tradition have held the title Taukei ni Waluvu.

Image: Chiefs of Fiji.1880s Ratu Isikeli Ranabobo Davetanivalu - Turaga Buli and son of Taukei ni Waluvu Ratu Meli Davetanivalu II seated first left in second row. A photograph showing a group of Fijian chiefs, sitting in two rows in front of the verandah of Government House at Suva. The occasion is not certain. It is most probable the chiefs as Roko Tui’s -head provincial administrators were invited by the Governor to celebrate either the Golden Jubilee of the Methodist Church in Fiji in 1885 or Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee on 20 June 1887. All were High Chiefs in their own right.

Sir Arthur Gordon Fiji’s first substantive Governor in establishing colonial rule from 1875 to 1878, had originally created 12 Provinces headed by Roko Tui’s and two hill Provinces on Viti Levu- Colo East and Colo West headed by respective Governor's Commissioners. In 1893 another Commissionership, Colo North was created from these two Colo Provinces and from areas of Ra, Ba and the Yasawa group.

1-6 left to right, front row: 1. Ratu Luke Tabualovoni, Buli Wainunu,Bua; 2. Ratu Kinijoji Katonivere, Rokotui Macuata; 3. Ratu Tevita Suraki, Rokotui Ra; 4. Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, Rokotui Tailevu ; 5. Ratu Marika Toroca, Rokotui Lomaiviti; 6. Ratu Nemani Driu, Rokotui Ba kei Yasawa.

7-13 left to right, back row: 7. Buli from Colo East Ratu Isikeli Davetanivalu; 8. Ratu Peni Tanoa, Rokotui Naitasiri; 9. Buli from Colo West, Tui Noikoro Ratu Katonisau ; 10. Ratu Luke Nakulanikoro, Rokotui Nadroga; 11. Ratu Sairusi Dula Rokotui Kadavu; 12. Ratu Timoci Tavanavanua, Rokotui Rewa; 13. Ro Matanitobua, Rokotui Namosi.

Missing are Rokotui Cakaudrove Province, Ratu Josefa Lalabalavu and Rokotui Lau Province, Roko Eroni Loganimoce. Originally Tailevu and Naitasiri counted for one Province with Ratu Epeli Nailatikau as Roko Tui. In 1882 the Province was split in two with Ratu Peni Tanoa as Rokotui Naitasiri. In 1877 Serua Province was carved from Rewa Province under a ‘Buli- Roko’ Ratu Kinijoji Gagabokola.