Tribewanted: Vorovoro

Reaching out to the tribe family wherever you may be… at work, at college, sitting on a train… welcome to Hammock Society FM. If you’ve visited Vorovoro before, you may have been transported across the sea by the man I’m about to have a chin wag with, introducing our second Boat Captain, the man called Jone…

Bula sia, I’m happy to be here, part of the Hammock Society.

You know Jone, if there were more hammocks in the world there would be less violence.

Yeah, I think that’s true.

The other day, another member of Team Fiji asked me to call you ‘mixed vegetables’ but they had a mischievous smile on their face so I refrained. What does this mean?

My full name is Jone Robinson. My grandfather was English, white skin. He came to work in Fiji, in the mill where they make the sugars. He married a Fijian lady and got five kids, one girl, four boys. All my family have different colored skin, some white, some black. One of my uncles is Chinese. My dad married an English lady before and had nine kids, then the wife died and a Fijian nanny come to help. My dad married the nanny, my mother… and that’s where I come up, just two of us – I have a twin… him called George and me Jone.

Are you telepathic?

No, just look the same… play plenty tricks on people. He lives in Lautoka. I miss him.

Well, he is welcome here anytime to play tricks on the tribe members.

Vinaka Jim.

Have you lived in Mali all your life?

I was born in Labasa and lived in Nakawaga all my life. The time I grow up, I go to school, I only reach form 5. My dad asked me to work with him in the sugar mill in Labasa… working, working, working. I don’t feel like this anymore so I go and stayed with my mum in Nakawaga village… stay there… see everybody fishing so I learn how to fish with them… fishing, fishing, fishing.

The people of Mali are famous for their fishing skills.

In those times we use the spear, not the gun, very hard work… up, down, up, down. We have no flippers, no mask, no snorkel, we use two glass eyes like swimming goggles… ooooooooooooo much easier now. We had one community boat, I look after that boat properly.

And then Tribewanted arrived on the scene…

I start work there in the beginning when we clear that place for the big bure. After that, the TV company come called Shine… I work with them for almost six months. Soon as they left, Tribewanted asked me to work with Api.

Ah yes, the second half of your comedy act, there’s a great chemistry between you two, I think perhaps you were lovers in a previous life.

No. I always meet Api after school, we went to different schools. I used to go to Api’s island (Kia) for holidays. I go and stay there for almost over a year, I come to know Api very well, nice island.

It sounds like a tropical Brokeback Mountain to me.

What’s that?...

Two gay cowboys called Api and Jone.

I think I punch you.

No violence in the Hammocks please, no violence… be calm like the sea, it’s nice and flat today but as we approach the wet season it’s gonna get rough. Does that scare you?

Yes, we do not own the sea. I don’t want anything bad to happen to the tribe members. I want them to feel safe, but sometimes the waves are big and they look scared… must get them to the island quickly, better for them to be on hard ground, not water.

I guess when growing up on an island, the sea is your enemy and your friend – it can be an abundant food source yet wash away a village in an instant.

Plenty fish in the sea. Sometimes I dive down to twenty metres, something like that, shoot the big fish with a spear gun. My biggest catch was a grouper fish, 120kgs, very big fish. Sometimes we sell it in the market to make extra money. In the old days, people sell turtle there… catch turtle, cut it up, take all the flesh, see it on the table with a weighing scale… ten dollars a kilo, they do it like that, maybe ten years ago.

I’m glad those days are over.

These days, the big fish are in deeper water. In my father’s time there were plenty big fish in the shallow part but all gone now.

Do you think this is due to over fishing? It’s easier now you have spear guns…

No, there are plenty more sharks now. They eat the fish too. Some types of fish are protected, like the Napoleon Wrasse. If you get caught selling that at the market and cannot pay the fine, you get put in jail. Very serious something like that.

What happens if you accidentally catch a poisonous fish and sell it in the market?

Don’t know, but the people who eat it will get sick. This one time, a husband and wife eat a poisonous fish and got really sick. The wife, she spew up, sick everywhere. The chicken came along and ate the sick. The chicken died. The husband and wife got better.

I hear the most dangerous part of fishing is when you actually catch a fish cos that’s when the sharks come for a free munch. If you hold a dead fish in your hand you might get your hand bitten off!

My uncle in Nakawaga has a leg missing, a tiger shark come and bit his leg once, come back and take it off.

Does stuff like that happen often?

Not that much. Three people have been attacked by sharks in my village over many years. Best be careful cos you’re in the sharks home when you fish.

As a vegetarian, I’m at peace with the fish kingdom so I could probably chill out with the tiger sharks.

I don’t think the sharks care if you taste like cabbage or not.

Are you married?

Yeah, I marry in 2001.

Did you present a whale’s tooth (Fijian custom) to her father for his blessing?

No, I ran away with my wife.

A kidnapping! Did you put her in a rice sack and run off?

No, I ask her, she say “yes”.

And then you put her in a rice sack!

Later, I passed her house at night, she saw me and followed me. She come and stay with me. I say “OK, it’s up to you”. She was from Ligulevu.

Hang on a minute, you didn’t run far… Ligulevu is just over the hill from your village.

In the morning, her dad and mum came and had a meeting with my uncle, my uncle with the one leg. They were really angry, speak in high voices. But she wanted to stay with me.

Are they still angry?

For a long time they didn’t speak to me. The eldest sister stays in my village and doesn’t speak to me.

Do you have any children?

Three children. Clifford is 13 years old, Eva 10 years and Rachel 8 years. They go to Mali District School, the one the tribe visits on Fridays

I’ve met Clifford… he punched me in the nuts when playing rugby. He plays dirty, probably takes after his dad…

I play for the Mali Sharks number 14 on the wing. I played long time, since I was small. Now the rugby is good, they got rules, you play dirty you get sent off.

Clifford didn’t get sent off for low blows!

Hahahaha! There was no referee.

What school will he go to next?

He go to mainland, schooling in Tui Mali’s wife’s school – All Saints. He will stay with my half sister in mainland, she works in the Grand Eastern (hotel), her name is Joan and she is the fat one.

Charming! While we’re on the subject of fatties, it’s the month of Santa, are you looking forward to Christmas?

Everyone comes back to their families from all over… Suva, Lautoka. Spend Christmas and the New Year then go back. Big parties, drink plenty grog, sign songs, make fun. The New Year happen in Nakawaga, they have to feed everybody for the big party.

Sounds like you got plenty of fishing to do?

No, I’ll be here in Vorovoro, spend it with the tribe. Then we go to Nakawaga together.

Any last words for all the readers out there…

Out where?...

On the internet.

Oh, I thought you meant the sea.

Over the sea and faraway…

Thanks very much, come and enjoy this life in Vorovoro, this is a very nice life.

It certainly is. Until next time readers…. chill out, don’t workout. Go Hammocks!