Tribewanted: Vorovoro

A ‘sevusevu’ is an official Fijian ceremony for meeting and greeting visitors. It is the official time and place for visitors to a Fijian village to ask permission and show appreciation of being allowed to visit the host’s village. It is also the official time for the host to welcome the visitor to the village.

Even though it’s official, it’s nothing to stress about! The ceremony, while based on simple protocol, is more about getting to know one another.

Tui Mali, the chief of Mali island, welcomes all Tribewanted members to Vorovoro in an official sevusevu. At this ceremony, all new visitors present a ‘bundle of grog’ (a wrapped 0.5kg of yagona root / kava) to Tui Mali, asking his permission to visit Vorovoro, and expressing gratitude at his and his tribe’s hospitality. For more information on how this is done, take a look at our Sevusevu Transcript

The gift of kava, after being accepted, is pounded and mixed. Everyone shares in the kava ceremony as bilos, or coconut shells, of kava are passed around.

All tribe members participate in the ceremony, dressed accordingly in a sulu, or Fijian sarong. Women are also expected to have their shoulders covered.

For more info on buying your kava, read Kimbo’s guide to grog