Mbengga Island and Suva, Fiji
It was a day of contrasts. We (finally!) picked up our errant Fijian officials in the early morning and headed for the nearby island of Mbengga and a landing at the village of Daku I Beqa. We were greeted by friendly villagers with an exuberant song; soon we learned that singing is something they do often and well. Their greetings included an exchange of names, so we were soon on a first-name basis with our hosts as they led us through the village to their school. Children from each of the seven villages on Mbengga attend school in Daku I Beqa, so the school includes dormitories. School was in session, although I fear that our visit interrupted their lessons. Mike Greenfelder asked the children if they could sing. What a silly question! They immediately burst into song in perfect multi-part harmony.
Mbengga is the home of traditional Fijian “fire walkers”, and we were witness to a performance. A fire pit with large stones was smoldering as we arrived. We gathered around the pit, and a group of men clad in skirts of ti-leaves approached. They exposed the hot stones. One by one, they walked across the stones and stopped to give a wave and the traditional Fijian greeting of “Bula!” before stepping off. Lest any would doubt the temperature, they removed their grass anklets and tossed them onto the stones, where they burst into flames.
The cries of “Bula” continued as we joined our island hosts in the village communal house to participate in the ritual of kava. Kava is a mildly narcotic beverage made from the pounded root of a plant of the pepper family. Sitting on woven mats of Pandanus leaves, we were served kava, each in turn, in coconut cups filled from a traditional wooded bowl (the tanoa) – one clap, drink it down, and three claps. (To tell the truth, some of us took more than one turn.) It produces a slight tingling of the lips and a warm, comfortable feeling of well-being. It also led to more singing and dancing, with traditional Fijian dancing morphing into a conga-line winding about the room. We departed Daku I Beqa to yet more singing, deeply impressed by the warm and genuine welcome that we received.
A short run brought us into another world, another era. The National Geographic Endeavour docked at Fiji’s capital city of Suva on the main island of Viti Levu. Suva is the largest city of the Pacific Isles, with over 200,000 of Fiji’s population of about 850,000. It is a bustling administrative and financial center, with two universities, a Museum, many sports facilities (rugby being the national sport), and numerous government buildings. Some of us went by bus for a tour of the city with a stop at the Museum to see their collection of seafaring canoes. Others left the city by an assortment of taxis and minivans to visit a nearby forest park for a short hike and a dip in a natural pool.
Our two stops today were very different, but they were united by the warm and friendly attitude of the Fijian people. I can recall no other bus drive where we received so many smiles and waves as we drove by. So “BULA!” to Fiji.
It was a day of contrasts. We (finally!) picked up our errant Fijian officials in the early morning and headed for the nearby island of Mbengga and a landing at the village of Daku I Beqa. We were greeted by friendly villagers with an exuberant song; soon we learned that singing is something they do often and well. Their greetings included an exchange of names, so we were soon on a first-name basis with our hosts as they led us through the village to their school. Children from each of the seven villages on Mbengga attend school in Daku I Beqa, so the school includes dormitories. School was in session, although I fear that our visit interrupted their lessons. Mike Greenfelder asked the children if they could sing. What a silly question! They immediately burst into song in perfect multi-part harmony.
Mbengga is the home of traditional Fijian “fire walkers”, and we were witness to a performance. A fire pit with large stones was smoldering as we arrived. We gathered around the pit, and a group of men clad in skirts of ti-leaves approached. They exposed the hot stones. One by one, they walked across the stones and stopped to give a wave and the traditional Fijian greeting of “Bula!” before stepping off. Lest any would doubt the temperature, they removed their grass anklets and tossed them onto the stones, where they burst into flames.
The cries of “Bula” continued as we joined our island hosts in the village communal house to participate in the ritual of kava. Kava is a mildly narcotic beverage made from the pounded root of a plant of the pepper family. Sitting on woven mats of Pandanus leaves, we were served kava, each in turn, in coconut cups filled from a traditional wooded bowl (the tanoa) – one clap, drink it down, and three claps. (To tell the truth, some of us took more than one turn.) It produces a slight tingling of the lips and a warm, comfortable feeling of well-being. It also led to more singing and dancing, with traditional Fijian dancing morphing into a conga-line winding about the room. We departed Daku I Beqa to yet more singing, deeply impressed by the warm and genuine welcome that we received.
A short run brought us into another world, another era. The National Geographic Endeavour docked at Fiji’s capital city of Suva on the main island of Viti Levu. Suva is the largest city of the Pacific Isles, with over 200,000 of Fiji’s population of about 850,000. It is a bustling administrative and financial center, with two universities, a Museum, many sports facilities (rugby being the national sport), and numerous government buildings. Some of us went by bus for a tour of the city with a stop at the Museum to see their collection of seafaring canoes. Others left the city by an assortment of taxis and minivans to visit a nearby forest park for a short hike and a dip in a natural pool.
Our two stops today were very different, but they were united by the warm and friendly attitude of the Fijian people. I can recall no other bus drive where we received so many smiles and waves as we drove by. So “BULA!” to Fiji.
