Conservation
Traditional way of life helps heal our land
IF iTaukei people and communities continue to intertwine their traditional customary behaviour or way of life to how they live, it would bring about prosperity and blessings on their vanua.
The sautu (prosperity) is often felt when the iTaukei traditional way of life is maintained in sustainable conservation efforts and this is something the Lau Seascape initiative has been working towards, working closely with the Masi ni Vanua
o Lau (the forum of traditional chiefs) to lay the foundations for successful interventions across the province.
Grounded in a joint memorandum of understanding, the Lau Seascape is now a multi-partner initiative that comprises of community and indigenous representatives, Government, private sector and non-government stakeholders.
High-chief of Totoya, Lau and Pacific Blue Foundation government and community relations director, Roko Sau Josefa Cinavilakeba said it was good to see the level of work done by the people of Lau through the Lau Seascape initiative.
"Leaders have come together and have worked closely with the people. The high level of bula i vakarau (traditional way of life) of iTaukei allows the vanua to be abundantly blessed and it brings forth prosperity," he said.
"When people carry out their responsibility from deep within their hearts, the iTaukei customs are maintained and we see prosperity in the vanua especially with the abundance of natural resources.
"When we leave that way of life and go into a different direction we tend to also lose our sense of respect or the manner in which we handle our resources and it can affect our livelihood.
"If we introduce programs or initiative and we don't have the level of respect in working together then these things cannot be achieved."
He said this is the way of life for iTaukei as they are closely connected to their vanua and iqoliqoli.
"This traditional way of life helps heal our land. It is a healing remedy for depleted resources and it strengthens and protects relationships of iTaukei people too," he said.
"Empowerment of leaders has been a key area to achieving this and working together to fight the issue of lecaika (lacking individual motivation) and the matter of not protecting the environment."
The Lau Seascape covers the whole of the Lau Province and it includes terrestrial, inshore and offshore extending to the economic exclusive zone estimated at 335,895km.
According to the Lau Seascape Strategy 2018-2030, the chief and the people of Lau are represented by the Lau Yaubula Management Support Team, which has been mandated by the Lau Provincial Council to champion and recommend environmentally sustainable practices that benefit current and future generations.
The strategy highlights that global analyses of marine biodiversity consistently place the Lau archipelago among the highest priorities for conservation, as a hotspot for species richness and species endemism. Each island in the Lau group is recorded to have a suite of special habitats that host endemic species.
The island of Totoya, according to the strategy, has cauliflower corals and Moala Island has a unique stick insect (Nisyrus spinulosus) found on the mountain tops of larger islands of Fiji and bees (Lasioglossum sp., Homalictus fijiensis) that may have speciated. Matuku Island is known to host giant clam (Tridacna mbalavuana), Ono-i-Lau and some uninhabited islands such as Vatuvara have the Pacific boa snake (candoia bibroni) which is currently threatened with extinction. Ono-iLau hosts the red skink (Emoia sp.) and Fulaga has unique and endemic butterflies (oriens augustula, jamides bochus, doleschalia bisaltide, hypolimnas bolina, junonia villida, belanois java, appias albina, eurema hecabe).
Yagasa has beautiful coral reefs, marine vertebrates, humpback whales and seabirds while Vatoa hosts the endemic devil clam (Tridacna mbalavuana) and is a humpback whale migratory route.
Vanuavatu has bats (Pteropus tonganus, Pteropus samoensis) and naturally occurring phosphate while Namuka has karst vegetation. Tuvana has giant clams and edible sea grapes and Kabara has natural stands of majestic forests hosting vesi (intsia bijuga) trees among rocky outcrops and Vuaqava has long horn beetles (xixuthrus heros).
The chiefs and people of Lau are conscious of their fragile ecosystem and have collectively decided to adopt the Lau Seascape as a sustainable development framework that will maintain ecosystem services while supporting economic development and they are proud of their heritage.
THE tradition of bamboo weaving weaving is often handed down from one generation to the next. But for Marika Radaubale of Nawaisomo Village, Naitasiri, it was something he simply learned on his own.
At 67, Radaubale had simply grasped the skill of bamboo weaving, and one he perfected for more than 40 years in the village.
He is the only traditional bamboo craftsman in the village of Nawaisomo. So much so, his work has been recognised by eagerly potential buyers in the hotel industry.
Bamboo weaving might not be distinct in various villages in Fiji as a lot of Fijians know the skills but it's the designs and patterns created that makes Radaubale stands out from the rest.
His special skill allows him to construct crafty decorative patterns such as diamonds shapes and crosses.
The art of weaving and constructing designs highly depends on the flexibility and strength of the bamboo. The skillful Raduabale chooses certain bamboos to fit precisely to the groove as he weaves. He said he only chooses middle-aged bamboos.
He prefers to use the bitu dina or (Bambusa vulgaris) a flexible bamboo, thinner, not as hard with the flattened stem often interwoven in sections to form mats as pictured above.
At the age of 27 in 1980, Radaubale acquired the special skill and has never stopped making bamboo mats since. He says he clearly remembers that year because it was also the year his eldest son was born.
He hopes his son continues the family trademark.
Trying his best to perfect his work, Radaubale makes sure his crafts are unique and neatly created to amazing patterns — flawlessly. He does most of the work by the river banks of Waicekena close to the bitu dina.
Bamboo weaving is also a serenity for him, and he enjoys it as a pastime activity.
He collects bamboos, cut them according to the sizes and starts the weaving process.
He says intertwining bamboo depending on the designs and the bamboo he uses.
His unique pieces are often talked about by neighbouring villagers.
He said his craftsmanship is well recognised in hotels and resort.
"My son has been learning the craft slowly and I hope this doesn't die out like some traditional skills we have," he said.
"I often get orders through people I know, but I also hope this gives recognition to my work as a craftsman so I have better opportunities in the future," he added.
"This is not something I do on a regular basis, it's a past time thing yet I have managed to earn something from it.
"I also farm yaqona and dalo, but I hope this work of mine gets recognised because it can be a good source of livelihood for my family."
Like any craftsman, Mr Radaubale hopes a lot of people will want to learn bamboo weaving.
"Houses that are made from bamboo last long and can withstand even disasters just like the traditional bure, it also allows fresh air in on a hot day unlike corrugated iron walls that do not allow fresh air in," he said.
"If we learn to conserve and maintain our tradition we will be rich because we only use natural resources and don't have to buy a lot of things like we do today.
"Today we don't have bamboo or bure homes in the village because time has changed, but it must not affect our ability to maintain our traditional way of living and practices because if it dies out our future generations will lose out on it completely".
During the weekdays, Mr Radaubale spends his days at his farm with his son. His spare time is dedicated to bamboo weaving.
He hopes more people will show interest in traditional weaving and he is willing to teach anyone interested in the craft.