Viwa Island, Fiji
After making better than expected speed over the past 24 hours, the islands of Fiji were visible at dawn through the morning clouds of a heavy tropical sky. The National Geographic Endeavour anchored outside of the barrier reef that surrounds the low, coral island of Viwa, with the larger volcanic islands of the Yasawa group looming as a backdrop. Our Fijian officials landed by floatplane to officialize our entry into Fiji, and soon we were ready for a morning of water sports. By scuba, fins and snorkels, and glass bottom boat we explored the reef and its colorful corals and fish. By mid-afternoon, the tide has risen enough for us to venture a long and bumpy Zodiac ride, punctuated by “shooting the gap” between waves breaking on the reef, for a landing at a village. No “threat welcome” here; instead, we found warm, friendly smiles and the Fijian greeting of “Bula,”a word that we soon mastered. After walking along the beach and paying a visit to the school, we entered a neat and tidy village of traditional houses, or bures, their walls and high peaked roofs made of thatch. At each house the greeting “Bula” rang out to us. In the center of the village a display of handicraft awaited us, featuring traditional tapa cloth made by pounding the bark of the paper mulberry tree and richly decorated with geometric patterns in shades of brown. There we found the largest bure of the village, and adjacent to it two banks of solar panels and a satellite receiving dish antenna (above), as the people mix their island tradition with 21st Century technology. Invitations to enter rang out from the large bure. After respectfully removing our shoes, many of us accepted the invitation. There we found the men of the village seated cross-legged on woven mats, engaging in the ritual of kava. Kava is made from the root of a cultivated shrub of the pepper family. It is scraped or pounded and infused with water to produce a beverage that is an important part of the cultures of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. It is mildly narcotic, producing a warm glow of well-being and relaxation. A carved wooden bowl (tanoa)) containing the magic elixir occupied center-stage in the bure carefully attended by two villagers. With guidance from the village chief and our own kava-meister Mike Greenfelder, we easily slipped into the ritual: one resonant clap to receive the coconut shell of kava (“high-tide” – a full shell, or “low-tide” – a half-shell), a cry of “bula”, down the kava, and three claps of appreciation. Whether it was the beverage or the sharing of the ritual, it did leave us with a warm glow and a desire to return someday to the friendly people of Fiji.
After making better than expected speed over the past 24 hours, the islands of Fiji were visible at dawn through the morning clouds of a heavy tropical sky. The National Geographic Endeavour anchored outside of the barrier reef that surrounds the low, coral island of Viwa, with the larger volcanic islands of the Yasawa group looming as a backdrop. Our Fijian officials landed by floatplane to officialize our entry into Fiji, and soon we were ready for a morning of water sports. By scuba, fins and snorkels, and glass bottom boat we explored the reef and its colorful corals and fish. By mid-afternoon, the tide has risen enough for us to venture a long and bumpy Zodiac ride, punctuated by “shooting the gap” between waves breaking on the reef, for a landing at a village. No “threat welcome” here; instead, we found warm, friendly smiles and the Fijian greeting of “Bula,”a word that we soon mastered. After walking along the beach and paying a visit to the school, we entered a neat and tidy village of traditional houses, or bures, their walls and high peaked roofs made of thatch. At each house the greeting “Bula” rang out to us. In the center of the village a display of handicraft awaited us, featuring traditional tapa cloth made by pounding the bark of the paper mulberry tree and richly decorated with geometric patterns in shades of brown. There we found the largest bure of the village, and adjacent to it two banks of solar panels and a satellite receiving dish antenna (above), as the people mix their island tradition with 21st Century technology. Invitations to enter rang out from the large bure. After respectfully removing our shoes, many of us accepted the invitation. There we found the men of the village seated cross-legged on woven mats, engaging in the ritual of kava. Kava is made from the root of a cultivated shrub of the pepper family. It is scraped or pounded and infused with water to produce a beverage that is an important part of the cultures of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. It is mildly narcotic, producing a warm glow of well-being and relaxation. A carved wooden bowl (tanoa)) containing the magic elixir occupied center-stage in the bure carefully attended by two villagers. With guidance from the village chief and our own kava-meister Mike Greenfelder, we easily slipped into the ritual: one resonant clap to receive the coconut shell of kava (“high-tide” – a full shell, or “low-tide” – a half-shell), a cry of “bula”, down the kava, and three claps of appreciation. Whether it was the beverage or the sharing of the ritual, it did leave us with a warm glow and a desire to return someday to the friendly people of Fiji.
