Ancient traditional ceremonies and religious rituals fused at dawn as one of Fiji’s original kingdoms elevated a career military officer to the title of Tui Nayau.
The Lau Group lies in the Fiji archipelago, stretching from Vanuabalavu in the north to Ono which is closer to Tonga than the Fijian capital.
As the sun rose over Nayau in the middle of the Lau Group, Roko Tevita Kapaiwai Lutunauga Uluilakeba Mara was anointed by Archbishop Peter Loy Chong – head of Fiji’s Roman Catholic church.
Reverend Dr Semisi Turagavou, President of the Methodist Church in Fiji, led the service and placed a masi (traditional cloth)crown on the chief’s head before presenting him with a Bible, symbol of his divine appointment.
Vaka Ni Nayau, Akuila Qalo, tied a piece of masi on Roko Ului’s right arm, signifying that the people recognised him as their chief. Qalo is head of the clan which installs the Tui Nayau.
After the service, ceremonial yaqona (kava) was presented in a coconut shell which – as an island chalice – conveyed the spiritual power from the people to their anointed leader.
As Roko Tevita – more commonly known as Roko Ului – drank, he became Tui Nayau, overlord of the island, a position last held by his late father, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, Fiji’s first prime minister, who died in 2004.
Moments later, the people of Lakeba sought permission from the chiefs of Nayau to take the chief to Tubou Village where they also will install him as their traditional leader. It is in Lakeba that Roko Ului will sit in authority over Lau.
Representatives from all Lau’s islands have gathered at Tubou to witness tomorrow’s elaborate ceremonies. They will be joined by Fijian chiefs, King Tupou VI of Tonga, and Te Arikinui Kuini Nga wai hono i te po – the Maori queen.
Roko Ului is Ratu Sir Kamisese’s only surviving son. His bloodline connects the Tui Nayau to the ancient kingdom of Rewa through his late mother, the Roko Tui Dreketi, Ro Lady Lala Mara.
Ratu Sir Kamisese and Ro Lady Lala were also related to the kingdom of Bau at the highest level. And in the Pacific, the Mara family—and Ro Lady Lala—shared blood ties to the royal households of Tonga and Samoa.
Roko Ului served in the Republic of Fiji Military Forces rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He went into exile in Tonga in 2011 after military ruler Frank Bainimarama began a purge of his officer corps.
While in Tonga, Roko Ului played critical advisory roles to the king.