Mystery skulls, bones found
ON February 15, 1989 The Fiji Times published a report about some mystery skulls and bones found on Vanua Levu.
The story stated that human skeletons and bones were discovered in a cave on Uluikaukau Mountain in Vanua Levu.
The discovery of about 40 human skulls and skeletons by a young villager chasing after a goat herd left villagers of Nakawaga and Nukubonu, who live on the foothills of the rock covered mountains, baffled.
No one in the village knew why and how the bones came to be in the cave.
Even the oldest villager, Amina Vosabona, who was 80 at that time, said he did not have any information on the bones in the cave.
“From my young days until today I had never heard of any story about any bones being found in a cave around here,” Mr Vosabona told this newspaper.
The report stated 16-year-old Manasa Navita was chasing after his family’s goat herd when he came upon the cave.
Tired and running out of breath after climbing the rugged mountain, he gave up the chase.
Above him was the peak of Mt Uluikaukau, and below, about 24km away, was his village, Nakawaga.
Unknown to him, as he sat on the rock, jutting out under a vesi tree next to him was the cave, packed with human skulls and bones.
“Something caught my attention as I looked across the mountain side,” he said.
“There was this white object that I thought was one of the goats from our herd,” he said.
Driven by curiosity, Navita climbed towards the white object.
“When I drew near, I recognised what looked like a mouth of a cave,” he said.
“When I looked closer, I found that the white object was not a goat, but a human skull.
“Looking further inside the cave, I saw more skulls and bones lying about.”
He dashed down to the village with the news of the discovery.
Upon telling the villagers, an investigation party was mounted to check out the discovery.
The Fiji Times sent a staff member to check out the site and the cave where the bones were found was not that big.
The opening was three feet wide and it was six feet deep.
The cave looked like a mass grave.
When talking to the villagers, they thought that the bones might belong to the owners of Balego Estate — a coconut planting estate about five kilometres from the village.
“No one in the village knew who the owner of the estate was, except that some European took over the estate some time back.
The villagers of Nakawaga thought the Fijian owners of the state were killed and left in the caves when the Europeans took over the estate.
When I looked closer, I found that the white object was not a goat, but a human skull. Looking further inside the cave, I saw more skulls and bones lying about – Manasa Navita