September 2011 Blog Posts (10)

After dinner the six-legged tanoa was brought to the middle of the room, and its sinnet wa tabu with the cowri,e shells stretched out towards the chief.

"I'll say my formal goodbye tonight so you can get away first thing in…

In May 2011 East Coast Iyengar Yoga School hosted a 6 day retreat at Papageno eco-resort on Kadavu Fiji Islands.

Suzanne and Harley had visited papageno the previous year and felt it was suitable for them and their students.…

In a few weeks there was to be a wedding; men of the husband's mataqali were building a large shelter for the party and digging lovo (earth ovens) in which to roast the animals.

"At my own wedding," Ratu Lemeki told us, "we…

"In Nadrau," said Ratu Lemeki, "we understand many dialects , because we live in the middle of the island. The name Nadrau means "The Hundreds," and they say it comes from the time when a hundred languages were spoken around here." There are now thought to be about thirty main dialects…

Fijiguide.com does not generally delve into the world of geo-politics but I thought readers may be interested in a recent poll commissioned by the independent Australian think tank, the Lowy Institute.

The survey shows overwhelming public support in Fiji's Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.  The poll's indicates…

" Come in, sir," Eroni said. "Come in, Mr. Devil."



 This time the laughter was a little forced; I guessed that the presence of devils outside at night was not always a joking matter. Derek took out his tobacco (he had been smoking Rothmans until now) and began to roll.…

I n the 1860s and '70s Ratu Lemeki's ancestor decided that Nadrau would not try to resist the new order proclaimed by Cakobau and the white men. His Navatusila neighbours had taken the opposite course, sheltering renegade cannibals from all over the island and committing…

On our second evening in Nadrau we drank yaqona from sundown until after midnight. It induced a numbness in the mouth and throat that reminded me of chewing coca leaves; but instead of the surge of energy produced by cocaine, I felt relaxed and euphoric.…

A traditional Fijian house lasts only some twenty years, but its yavu stays in the same family for generations, regardless of whether the site is occupied. A house is usually abandoned and allowed torot whenever the head of the…