Tribewanted: Vorovoro

Mention has been made elsewhere about the big celebration that we had mid-way through my chief stint…we were in the Fiji Times twice, one of them a full-color spread, and we sacrificed one of our dear pigs for the occasion. Try as I may, ever time I start to describe the day to my friends, I end up misty-eyed, so I wanted to share more details about why it will stand in my mind as a highlight of my trip.

Tui Mali recounted the day numerous times afterwards, and each time I felt so proud to have been a part of it. A lovely man from the Northern Fiji Development office had been invited to come visit the island on one of our sevusevu days. He came with some other distinguished guests, friends of his, and many of the elder members of Mali, who had not previously visited. When the “Five Million Dollar Man” (affectionately referred to as such because he has funds to invest in the northern regions of Fiji) arrived, the ladies were getting dressed for the fan meke. He caught site of them and, according to Tui Mali, asked what was going on. “Oh, nothing special, it’s just a regular day on Vorovoro, come with me to my home…” The $5M man would have nothing of it. “I’ll just stay here and come up to the village later, I want to see what this is about” but Tui Mali is not a man with whom one argues.

Needless to say, the $5M man made his way up to Tui Mali’s veranda, where he and his guests were seated in the positions of honor and the rest of the tribe was waiting. We’d been cleaning the villages, so everything was trimmed and tidy and decorated. And everyone was in their best attire (vinaka, Linda, for lending out your sulu jabas). Linda was performing her duties as my wingman as we sat to Tui Mali’s right on the veranda. I can’t remember the full order of things. But lots of grog was offered, blessed, returned, re-offered, blessed again, and so forth. I find the blessings so beautiful. And, in particular, Tevita presents them like no one else. Paul Jay described his style as that of a race car driver, building in passion until the bitter end. Here’s a small taste of his performance on that day:

One of my aims, as I got a better grasp on the Fijian language, was to know enough to recognize when I was being discussed (which led to a very funny moment at Poasa and Frances church when I realized that they were talking about me and saying something about a bilo…what this had to do with church, I had no idea. But someone told me later that they were saying I was the one who’d made the photo mugs for Poasa and Frances, which they’d brought to a church potluck one day. Ah-HA! so, bilo is also a mug!)...see if you can pick out the mentions of the world (vuravura), the grog (yaqona), and the thanks Te is giving (vina’a va’alevu in mali dialect).

The $5M man was further stunned to see a white Kaiviti, our dear and vaunted Kimbo, serving the grog perfectly. If one wasn’t paying close attention, you’d never notice his hands shaking – which to me is merely a manifestation of the responsibility we all feel in trying to make Tui Mali proud, with no regrets about entrusting his island and his community to our wacky project. Kimbo did an excellent job, one might even say “shit hot” (you happy, Kimbo?!) even after a long hiatus in the UK. And the ceremony continued with meke, of course!

The men’s meke, Vuki Malua, is always a favorite to the tribe, but it was a particular delight to our guests who had never seen Kaipalangi (Europeans) turning slowly with such prowess. I am always especially fond of Gilo’s freestyle meke jazz hands, which are on display in the clip above.

And then, the piece-de-la-resistance, the ladies fan meke led expertly by Va. Amazing. All of the costumes were hand-made, the fans woven, the garlands whittled, and the moves rehearsed over and over. This was a new meke for the tribe, and we’d formally presented it to Poasa earlier in the week. I’m so glad to have witnessed this one, as it left the $5M man nearly speechless.

We all moved the party down to the village and enjoyed the delicious lovo feast that everyone had worked so hard to prepare. And then we continued with a long grog session in the bure, which included Jimbo’s tatau and the announcement that he’d be returning as a gapper just a month later. The elders of Mali and the $5M man apparently told Tui Mali, when they had to depart with the tide, that they did not want to leave because they felt like they’d been part of a dream and did not want it to end with their waking.

I get chills when I think of Tui Mali sharing that sentiment. Because there are days when I wonder if my time on Vorovoro was all a dream. But then I have the photos, the fans, and the video snippets of singing and laughter to remind me that I shared unforgettable times with my tribe and my Fijian family. Vina’a va’alevu to everyone who played such a special part in this day.

xx,
Adi Kazoo