Tribewanted

"A totally unique experience"



What is Tribewanted?

Tribewanted is a unique cross-cultural community tourism project on Vorovoro Island, Fiji and a global online social network.

What Is Tribewanted?

As well as being an adventure of a lifetime, the aim of Tribewanted is that the evolving island community becomes a model for cross-cultural sustainable living that positively impacts and inspires both locally in northern Fiji and globally online to improving the way we live.

Starting in 2006 Tribewanted and the local team have built the community from scratch, fusing traditional Fijian customs and ways of living with international ideas for sustainability
and innovation. On-line, Tribewanted has built an award-winning social network of 10,000 members who participate with and follow the island project.

Tribewanted also runs mobile adventures both in Fiji , Peru and closer to you check out Tribewanted: LIVE


How do I get involved?

You can join Tribewanted online for free and begin to take part and follow the evolution of the tribe.

Better still you can visit Vorovoro and spend anytime from a week or more living alongside up to 30 other tribe members and the Fijian community and taking part in all aspects of the project. Book your island adventure.

If you can’t make it to Fiji you can also get involved and support the project by visiting our online marketplace or attending a tribe gathering or a Tribewanted: LIVE event.


How does it work?

On-island
Starting in September 2006 Tribewanted has been living alongside the small indigenous Mali community on Vorovoro to build a simple, sustainable village. Visiting tribe members participate in island life during their one to twelve week stay. The average stay is two weeks and we welcome a mixture of round the world travellers, families and those looking for a different kind of beach holiday. On the second anniversary of the project Tui Mali opened his arms to the tribe and invited us to stay. The lease has been extended and the project is ongoing year-round beyond August 2009.

Download the Vorovoro Island info pack for full project details 2009

Tribewanted’s Responsible Tourism policy

On-line
Starting in April 2006, thousands of members from 35 countries have now joined the Tribewanted social network. Members have debated and voted on how the on-line and on island communities should be structured. Each month a tribe member is elected to be the tribe’s chief on Vorovoro. The chief works alongside the team and FIjian community on Vorovoro to make sure the project progresses.


Does Tribewanted have specific goals?

Yes! Tribewanted is a sustainable development project, an adventure holiday, and a cultural journey with three main aims:

1. Community Building. On Vorovoro this means embracing and celebrating the local Fijian culture and traditions and becoming a unique focal point for responsible tourism in the region. On-line this means giving a social network a purpose – a real-space and project in the South Pacific.

2. Sustainable Living. Build local (in Northern Fiji) and global awareness (on Tribewanted.com) of our impact on the planet through the realisation that even on a tropical island every action has a consequence well beyond the beach. Use Vorovoro as a ‘test-bed’ for small-scale sustainable projects and education that visiting tribe members and local Fijians can contribute to and be part of. Inspire local community and tribe members to take their Vorovoro experience home with them.

3. Adventurous Experience. To bring like-minded people together online and in a magical place for an unforgettable journey.

Read Tribewanted’s Responsible Tourism Policy


Who is in the tribe?

Indigenous Fijian Tribe
Tui Mali is the landowner and chief of Vorovoro and the neighbouring island of Mali. After a prophecy from a friend we now as Tevita he decided his 200 acre island home where only his family lived should be opened up to the world. A few years later Ben and Mark landed on his beach. Up to 25 members of his family and local villagers now live and work full-time on Vorovoro and over 150 of the Mali community have worked during the project so far.

Internet Tribe
The elected chiefs, Tribewanted team and visiting members meet online before beginning their journey to Vorovoro. As of August 2009, over one thousand members – aged 2 to 67 – have visited Vorovoro. Tribe members spend an average of two weeks on the island (although many end up staying a lot longer) and live, work and play alongside the permanent Tribewanted team and Fijian community. From November 2009 the project is being led by the Cahill family.


And if I make it to Vorovoro what can I expect?

Tribe members can do as much as they like on Vorovoro. The only thing we ask is that you respect the local culture and community, and wash up your plate. Vinaka!

- Sweat: Participate in the sustainability and cultural projects – plant and tend the island gardens, feed the pigs and chickens, collect firewood and help the local ladies in the kitchen, get a sweat on with the Fiji boys with village construction and maintenance projects, take part in sustainability workshops, join local community projects and events, debate in forums, star and produce in Tribewanted TV, and blog from the beach. Learn how to present ‘sevusevu’ to the chief, and then do it, perfect your meke (traditional dancing), weave mats, learn Fijian songs and pick up some of the local language.

- Chill: Swing with the Hammock Society and read from the tribe’s library (all books have been donated by past tribe members), shower in the waterfall (during rainy season) or bath in the sea, cuddle in the tree-house, watch spectacular sunsets from the rock or around the beach-side campfires, eat fresh fish, vegetables and fruit, and sleep soundly in the bure’s (thatched Fijian homes) or vale’s (tribe dorms). Drink kava and sing with team Fiji under the stars.

- Play: Snorkel & spearfish on the world’s third largest barrier reef, teach and play sports weekly in the local primary school, take on the 4-peaks challenge, swim the island, compete in the coconut olympics, paint signs and craft coconut jewelry, play footy in Tanoa Park and volleyball on the beach.

Tribe members reviews of their experience on tripadvisor


What about off the island, what kind of things do tribe members do?


- Discuss & Share: Discuss island related issues, elect monthly chiefs and share the tribewanted story.

- Gather and LIVE events: Meet other tribe members at various gatherings around the world organised by the community.

- Network: Link up with like minded people from a cross the planet in a beautiful place. The Vorovoro Tribe seem to have an uncanny ability to find love. So far half a dozen pairs have become engaged through the project with weddings taking place on Vorovoro’s beach.


Tribewanted: The story so far...

Tribewanted has been followed by media from around the world and in January 2008 a 5-part BBC observational documentary was broadcast. Ben has also written a book about the adventure.

In the beginning …Nat Geo

A year on …Observer / Guardian / Telegraph / Getaway

BBC Documentary … Paradise or Bust

Ben’s story … Buy the book

In the news … Tribewanted Press

Tribal TV … Videos from Vorovoro

Member’s feedback … (Testimonials / My Vorovoro)

Tevita’s Story

Hammock Society Interviews

French / German / Spanish PR




Tribewanted: The Future

The initial Tribewanted: Vorovoro project was planned for three years. But in September 2008 Tui Mali invited Tribewanted and its members to stay and the lease has now been extended. Members can now book time on Vorovoro all the way through to August 2012!

Update on memberships 2009

- Vorovoro Sessions album download.
- Keep an eye out for more Tribewanted: LIVE events
- Plans for Tribewanted beyond Vorovoro…’building tribes for a better life’

For now, there’s only one question you need to ask…

What part will I play?

Join Here!

Join Tribewanted!

It's easy to become a Tribewanted member.

Sign up now to participate in the community!

Upgrade to a paid membership and book your vacation to Vorovoro!

Tribewanted

Want to know how to participate with Tribewanted? All of the information you need is contained here.


What are Tags?

Tags are common themes across blogs. Any member of Tribewanted can tag their blog postings based on the blog's content. If you're looking for member blogs based on a topic, you'll find them grouped under tags.

What are Pages?

Pages are curated groups of information about specific topics. Pages are maintained by Tribewanted.com moderators and aim to provide facts about Tribewanted, Vorovoro, the project, the Tribe members, and other related resources.

Looking for current information on Tribewanted? Browse the different pages on Tribewanted.com to find the information you're looking for!

Want to keep up to date with the latest content on Tribewanted.com? Check out the newest and best blogs by browsing the Tribewanted tags!

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Related Pages

  • ↑Information

    Looking for information about all things Tribewanted? There's a wealth of it stored in here!
  • Jobs

    Want to be part of Tribewanted's international staff? You can find updates on the latest job postings here!
  • Activities

    Like the idea of your own personal desserted island but not sure how you'd pass the time? Here's some info about what happens both on and off the island.
  • Participating

    Want to get involved but don't know how? There are many ways to participate with Tribewanted, in addition to the obvious visit to Fiji. Read more here!