PACIFIC ISLANDS REPORT

Pacific Islands Development Program/East-West Center
With Support From Center for Pacific Islands Studies/University of Hawai‘i

By Jona Bola

SUVA, Fiji (Fiji Times, Feb. 27) - Traditionally he is a ‘bati’ or warrior to his chief. He is the protector of the chief and his belongings as well as the village and all its possessions.

Meet Nr, Semisi Ravutu, a villager of Veinuqa in Tailevu who has a lot of passion about his traditional role in society.

Semisi, as he is commonly known among fellow villagers, is one young man village elders have come to trust and have faith in when it comes to any traditional gathering or obligations that Veinuqa Village comes across.

In old Fijian society, warfare, cannibalism and religion were inter-dependent.

Some religious rites and customs required bodies and sacrifices for the continuing security of society while the successful conduct of war required the mediation of priests and the support of the war gods.

But this view of a traditional warrior is no longer part of Semisi's life and his perception of the role of a bati to his chief and his village.

In fact, he has used his role to advocate Christian teachings in the village and testify among his villagers of his faith in the Lord.

"It is true that before, it was the bati who was sent to war to kill each other in the name of the chief," Semisi said. "It is different for me. Now it is my role to fight against any bad omen and activities that would try to come into the village. For me as a bati, I know that my role to my village is to protect it from bad influence from outside. It is true and we cannot deny that things that never used to happen in our traditional villages before are happening now."

He said a big problem in any village setting was the youths.

Semisi has committed himself to helping the youths of his village to achieve something worthwhile in the village.

"I encourage them to participate in village and church activities and at the same time contribute positively to the development of the village," he said. "I always stress to them that the well-being of the village in the future would entirely rest with them and it is time now for them to understudy what the elders are doing," he said.

Semisi said this was one way he had learnt his role from his father and he never denied that he was a chip off the old block.

The 38-year-old man played a pivotal role in the cleansing of villagers when the village celebrated the centennial celebration of the arrival of the Methodist faith in their village.

Semisi said blessings from above would not be able to reach the village if people were not cleansed from their wrongdoings as well as those, which were committed by their forefathers.

"Before the church celebration, we had a meeting in the village and we wanted to have a monument made at the site where Christianity was actually received in the village," he said. "We had to go back to the land where our ancestors first settled and had prayers in the particular area and asked the Lord to allow us clean the place and build a monument there."

Semisi said the place was one that villagers had always been scared of and revered so much because there were a lot of history associated with the place. He said that some time ago, a group of boys went up to a particular hill to gather firewood and when they got back, one of them fell sick for more than a month.

Semisi said nothing happened when they built the monument at the place after clearing and cleaning around it.

"I believe that such ideas that a place is cursed would only affect people if they believe in it and do not have faith in the Lord," he said. "However, I believe that there is mana on top of that hill. It was there that our forefathers received the light of Christianity. And that was exactly why we wanted to celebrate the occasion there on the very place."

Semisi said his forefathers would not have been happier with all that was now happening in the village.

"We have decided ourselves to have our church on the highest part of the village because it was what our elders had done in the past from the previous village site when they accepted Christianity. The village chief and other village elders have agreed that it will be at the hill where we will celebrate the arrival of Christianity to our village."

Semisi said he knew that his forefathers would be proud of him carrying out his role with pride and dignity in his village.

While traditional warriors might serve to strengthen the authority of the leaders and unify and reinforce their traditional ties and bonds, their aim to acquire the divine and chiefly power of mana or spiritual strength, Semisi believes that he is getting just that with the work he is doing in his village.

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