Rotuman X-files

Hau’ofa asserts “if we look at the myths, legends, and oral traditions and the cosmologies of the peoples of Oceania, it becomes evident that they did not conceive of their world in such microscopic proportions. Their universe comprised not only of land surfaces, but the surrounding ocean as far as they could traverse and exploit it, the underworld with its fire-controlling and earth-shaking denizens…” (1994:152). Here Haou’ofa is referring to areas and space which Oceanic people relate to size. In Rotuma and Fiji this is also evident. Through the interviews done by the LHT team, we have come across similar ideologies that Hau’ofa is expressing. The first interview we conducted was in Vatukoula near the goldmines and here we met Fereti Mario and 70 year old man who claimed to have found the passages to the underworld. The story told of a lovo (earth oven) which was at the bottom of the sea which was found when Fereti’s neighbours father was fishing. Fereti claimed that he had also gone fishing and experienced the lovo in the sea which was believed to be the passage to the underworld. This is just the gist of the story but you get the picture. 

This story really resonated with me and the idea that Oceanic peoples don’t just see their surroundings in terms of land mass but also understand their surroundings in terms of the sea and the underworld. A lot of people in “Western” societies would find this story unbelievable yet these stories and experiences are so engrained in Rotuman history that they cannot be separated.  An interesting point of the interview was actually when Fereti- the interviewee- said that before he experienced the underworld himself he did not believe the stories told by many people in Rotuma.

The LHT team minus Sela

Fereti’s skills and knowledge about these historical experiences have never been written down and I believe that we were the first people to come and interview him and document his story. Along with a lack in documentation or recording of these histories, through my LHT project at the FAC I have noticed the issue of cultural exposure between generations pop up continuously.  

 As a result of talking with numerous cultural elders within various regions of Fiji it is obvious that there is a cultural gap between generations. Youths within Fiji and Rotuma are experiencing a lack of traditional cultural exposure. For Rotuman youths this is attributed to the fact that most youths and families migrate off the island to either main land Fiji or overseas and subsequently only return to Rotuma for Christmas, family gatherings or funerals, which has lead to other linguistic and cultural influences. More common than not the dominant host culture and language replaces the Rotuman language and culture. An example of this was given by Aliti Wiliame from Rotuma. She explained that when she was teaching Rotuman language classes in Suva she gave her young students an assignment on their opinion of the use of Rotuman language. When the students brought the results back they all had said that they didn’t need to learn Rotuman because all the exams and classes in school where in English and when they were at home their parents would speak to them in Fijian. This allowed a wider understanding following on to why Rotuman culture and language is quite commonly consumed by the dominant culture of the host country. In the case of Fijian youths there is a similar cycle occurring whereby youths growing up the city are intermittently and rarely exposed to traditional Fijian culture practiced in the village and passed on by the elders in the village. Living in the city detaches Fijian youths from the flows of traditional Fijian culture and history.

I know I have explored this issue previously in my blog but through my project this seems to be the most obvious issue for me. And even when I look back on the Mataisau Talanoa at USP I can’t help but think about this lack of knowledge sharing between generations. I understand the historical cultural practices involved but culture is fluid and so I feel that the passing on of this cultural knowledge shouldn’t be as restricted as it once was- as the talanoa at USP emphasized, there is a great need for skilled people such as the mataisau to share their knowledge so that these skills and histories aren’t forgotten and lost.