Ratu Mara, one of the most important figures in modern Fiji history, died about a year into my service. His wife died 2 weeks after him. His wife was born in Cuvu, the chiefly village of Nadroga Province. 1 year after her death, therefore, there must be a ceremony to mark the end of her period of mourning. It was the biggest ceremony i saw during my time in Fiji. All day long, people from all over Fiji & Tonga heaped gifts in front of the provincial chief, the
Ka Levu. For its part, the village is said to have spent over F$100,000 (US$61,000, a fortune) preparing for the ceremony. Folks, this is not some BS performed for tourists (myself & a couple other PCVS were the only foreigners there), it's the REAL THING.
One of many processions winds its way to present its gift, by far the biggest dang piece of masi i've ever seen. Realize masi, a thick paper-like cloth, is made by women endlessly beating on the peeled bark of a very skinny tree. This maybe-200-yd-long piece may represent hundreds or thousands of stems...
Wave after wave present their gifts...
Pigs were presents too, as was a traditional waqa...
A thousand spectators sat enthralled thru the day. Fijians love this stuff...
The Big Picture...
The village had to feed everyone...
After each wave, people gather up all the gifts and stack it in the Containers...
Grand Finale: A tabua is sacred. *One* is a big deal. They were presented thruout the day, and at the end, *50* went down at once...
Receiving the presents. The Ka Levu is just left of center. A Tonga princess is upper left. (I love this photo, tho, sorry, looks more impressive at higher-than-web rez.)
