Vorovoro
From Tribewanted
Vorovoro is an island off the coast of Fiji. It is the first development project for Tribewanted.
Contents |
Main topics
- Visitor experiences
- The Great Bure
- Vorovoro chiefs
- Vorovoro development
- Yavusa tribe
- Vorovoro map
- Vorovoro island kit list
History
Traditionally, Vorovoro Island has been the official residence of the past holders of the title of Tui Mali. The current Tui Mali, Ratu Apenisa Uate Bogiso takes his title in line as a direct descendant of the chiefly family who has been the custodians of the title since time immemorial. Members of the extended family with genealogical connections to the same apical ancestry, and who are members of Tui Mali’s clan comprise the membership of his landowning unit of mataqali Dave’alev u( “the big passage”). This in turn is invariably connected to the Yavusa or subgroup of Muana-i-Ra (“the down portion of the land”) within the vanua of Mali. The set up which in a sense defines what used to be the traditional autonomous vanua of Mali also becomes the outer-bounds of the administrative district in contemporary terms under current laws pertaining to Fijian Affairs.
Vorovoro encapsulates the ultimate embodiment of the vanua of Mali. Any traditional reference to Mali would invariably imply Vorovoro for it is undoubtedly the oracle from which the mana, pride and sense of belonging of the people of Mali are derived. Furthermore, this reference invariably combines the manifestation of the actual and cosmological connection to its land and/ or customary fishing grounds (I qoliqoli). In traditional terms Mali and Vorovoro are inseparable just as its people are inseparable from it.
Mali consists of 3 yavusa(s): clearly referenced by the three villages present today. All villages are located near the coast on flat tracts of land with easy access to the sea and fertile gardening grounds. The villages vary in size, but generally each has around 18-20 houses with the average of 5 persons per household. Yauca, based in the village of Matai Labasa which is on the mainland of Vanua Levu, completes the Mali socio-economic and geo-political landscape.
From written accounts of early historians, it may seems that Mali before the arrival of Christianity was an autonomous polity by itself, having fought noted wars in 1841 and a recent recorded one around the time Cession to England in 1874. It is recorded that Mali had the perfect fortress in “Sugar Loaf Hill”, Vesi. This explains why most battles were fought on Mali turf.
Environment
Vorovoro Island is a spectacular eruption of land; a short plane, bus and boat ride from Fiji’s international airport. Over 200 acres of cliff-topped jungle and palm-fringed paradise surges out of the crystal blue South Pacific ocean.
The island lies to the drier side of Fiji’s second largest island, Vanua Levu. Its leeward (southern) side is characterized by high ridges, interspersed with cave formations separated by mangrove ecosystems and a secluded beach. This side of Vorovoro faces the Vanua Levu and the estuary leading to the Labasa River which provides an alternative route to Labasa. (Labasa is Fiji’s fourth largest town with a population in the up of twenty five thousand citizens).
The island has marked high ridges of rocky formation running along the island like a backbone that is almost continuous. Where there is a break, the valley provides the much needed flat land suitable for crop cultivation, buildings and tribal living! The valley is densely covered with coconut palms and other tropical fruit tees such as papaya and citrus. The valley’s rich loamy soil has served the subsistence needs of the Tui Mali’s family well during the years. Overall the ridge cover is generally that of a talasiga one consisting of intermittent grass patches and canopy of no more than five meters high. However, there are few large trees but mainly in the ravines.
Climate
Like the rest of the Fijian groups, Vorovoro has one of the few really satisfactory tropical climates of the world. Its hot season is never too hot to allow traveling during the middle of the day, and its cool season is no warmer than that of a European summer. Vorovoro like other parts of Fiji experience the dry season from April to November with the rest noted for its wet months. Generally, the northern side of Vanua Levu is usually referred to as “Babasiga” (the sunny side). It is therefore expected that it experiences more sunny days than the rest of Fiji with normal highs of 32 degrees and a low in the mid twenties during the cooler months of June to September.
Gallery
