Legacy of the lokuca
Village’s spiritual symbol sparks cultural reflection, tradition
ACCORDING to the Oxford dictionary, a totem is described as a natural object or animal that is believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and is adopted by them as an emblem. It means a lot to the people it represents.
As for the people of Nasinu Village on Ovalau, their traditional totem represents more of a curse than a blessing. It is a symbol of death.
Eighty-year-old Salote Vuanicau of Nasinu Village talked about how their spirit animal, or ika ni vanua, symbolises one’s poor adherence to traditional village rules.
Their spirit animal is a fish called lokuca.
“It is similar to that of a mudskipper, but is black in colour,” Ms Vuanicau said.
“One thing I can tell you about that fish is that if it bites you, you will fall sick.
“Worst case scenario? Death.”
Ms Vuanicau describes how the lokuca doesn’t reveal itself when summoned, but will only appear to someone who has been misbehaving.
“It doesn’t appear when you want it to appear, but it will most likely appear in your dreams.
“Once you see that fish in your dreams, that’s when you know you’ve done something wrong and you will start feeling sick when you wake up.
“In most cases, you’ll stay sick until your death.”
Ms Vuanicau also talked about how it was the women in the village who would bear the brunt of it.
“This fish is a stubborn fish and the ones who are most affected are women because as history has explained, women are submissive and have to always carry themselves with respect and dignity.
“Which is still being practised today, but times have changed, women are not as traditional as before.
“When a woman’s dignity is tainted, or if she doesn’t abide by traditional values, the people will know once they hear they’ve been bitten by the lokuca.”
An example was given by Ms Vuanicau when she relayed a story of how a woman was bitten by the lokuca in her dream.
“She was known to be a spiteful person and had never considered herself to be a villager of Nasinu. .
“One day she slept and dreamt she was bathing in a pool. While she was bathing, she felt something bite her private parts. It was a fish.
“She woke up and realised what she saw in her dream when she felt there was blood coming from her private parts.”
Unfortunately, the bleeding didn’t stop. She travelled back and forth to Viti Levu to get treatment and was hospitalised numerous times because of it.
“She came back, then went to CWM Hospital in Suva, and then returned and went to Lautoka Hospital.
“When she came back to Ovalau, she came back dead.”
As unfortunate as it was, Ms Vuanicau has always stressed the importance of upholding respect for culture and tradition, especially for the younger folks.
“What that mother went through was traumatic.
“She was the one who told us it was the lokuca fish that bit her.
“I have always advised the children in our village to behave when they’re in the village because it is disrespectful not to.
“For girls to wear miniskirts, shorts and hair tied up, this is prohibited.
“Things such as playing on the village ground, sleeping with somebody’s partner, even casting a bad eye. We in Nasinu Village believe it will anger the lokuca fish.”
Ms Vuanicau said this was their belief, and they would continue to let the young ones know about their roots and the consequences that come with not following what is supposed to be followed.
Once you see that fish in your dreams, that’s when you know you’ve done something wrong and you will start feeling sick when you wake up. In most cases, you’ll stay sick until your death.
– Salote Vuanicau