Tribewanted: Vorovoro

This is the first in a three part series sharing our legend Pupu and his endless wisdom about various aspects of Fijian island life.

NATURAL BITEY BUG REPELLENT – ISLAND STYLE

Mosquitoes (namu) and sandflies are part of island life, and here on Vorovoro we try hard to avoid their bites without the use of nasty chemicals that can hurt us and our environment. We are lucky to have our own natural repellent made here on the island by our beloved Pupu Epeli. We are ever thankful for the relief this mixture provides us – it makes our skin soft and scented like coconut bread. Tui Mali has jokingly named it “Rewa,” after a brand of popular butter in Fiji. As quoted from our wonderful project director Jimmy, “It’s like a buttery coating of protection for our skin.” Tribe members, island team, and Team Fiji all use this repellent on a daily basis, so I thought we’d all like to know which island plants are used and how it’s made.

To make the Rewa, first make sure you’ve bought a liter or two of good quality coconut oil from the market, or even make your own as we have done here on the island. Next try to keep up with 70 year old Pupu as he trots into the bush, trusty machete in hand, and collect the plants required. There are two plants used in this mixture: vasa and tugaigai. Vasa is a low growing shrub with long, thin, boxy shaped leaves. Tugaigai is a delicate tree with many tiny dark green leaves.

After collecting the plants, find a shady spot to sit and prepare the plants for their new home in the coconut oil. First, finely chop the vasa leaves and set aside. Next, to prepare the tugaigai, scrape the soft outer bark off the branch and discard. Then scrape the next layer into thin strips. When all the bark is removed, chop it finely along with the leaves and their stems and then mix together with the prepared vasa leaves.

Once the plants are chopped, mix with the coconut oil in a bottle or plastic tub. Pupu recommends “sunning” it everyday to encourage the plants to release their protective oils. The infused oil from the mixture is the ready to be applied sparingly (a little goes a long way) to exposed skin, avoiding the face as it is quite strong. The Rewa last indefinitely. Pupu has been using his batch for over 15 years, simply adding more coconut oil when required.

In addition to keeping the bitey bugs at bay, the Fijians say the Rewa is also useful for treating minor scrapes, rashes, existing bites, and general skin irritations. It also makes a wonderful massage oil. (Fijian massages are legendary!)

If you’ve visited Vorovoro already, please comment here on your experience using our splendiferous magical mixture!

Vinaka vakalevu Pupu for teaching us how it is made. And here is to a bite-free evening! I’ll drink to that – TALO!

Coming next in the Pupu’s Island Wisdom series: Traditional Fijian medicine and remedies.

Moce mada vaka leilei,

Bebe