WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE FAILS, PEOPLE SEEK GALOA VILLAGER’S HELP
Suliano Meawai, 52, lives a quiet life in his Galoa Village in Serua. But he is much sought after by an increasing number of people with different kinds of ailments – people from all walks of life and from different parts of Fiji.
His herbal medicines have attracted people to his humble home.
He said people, who had been to see him, included those with body pain, fevers, diabetes and even “women’s conditions”.
Mr Meawai, 52, said knowledge about the herbal remedies was a gift passed on to him by his late mother.
“I believe the gift was given so that I could heal sick people,” he said.
He said this was a free service.
“I do not charge anything. It is free,” he said.
“I had asked my mum to pass on the gift of herbal medicine to me when she returned from America after helping an Indo-Fijian who was very sick in the United States.
“Mum got weak when she returned and I asked her for the gift, I had to persuade her as she said it was from her ancestors and those who have the gift must die with it.
“I said she could not do that but had to pass it on because the villagers and people around me would need help in the future.”
He said after he received the gift from his mum, he had to study the various herbal plants. “I don’t run it as a business, if I do it as a business I will lose my gift. I only ask for my fare if they need me to come to their homes or wherever they are,” he said. “Some people do this as a business but I can’t and am not allowed to. I only give the herbal medicine I don’t charge anything.
“I have been going around here and there and people have to tell me their story, those who are sick must explain their conditions to me.
“Those who are possessed are brought to me and sometimes I am called to go to them and I have met people who have been to witch doctors and have paid so much money seeking medical attention and they end up coming to me.”
Arthur Rounds, 53, a police officer in the Navua Police Station was one of the patients yesterday.
Mr Rounds said he had an ear infection and he went to a doctor last December but his ears were still infected. “They could not find anything until now. So I came to him (Mr Meawai) because my children have been coming here.”
Village headman Beranado Gonerara, 65, said Mr Meawai known to many as ‘Suli Bose’ had been around Fiji helping people who want to live a better quality of life.
He said “Mr Meawai is a healer using herbal medicine, not a witchdoctor as some may think.”