When I was a young boy, I was always fascinated with the police officer who carried the mace during and after every Parliament sitting.
Growing up I was told the mace, also known as the Ai Tutuvi Kuta i Radini Bau, was a symbol of power and authority. I was informed that the war club belonged to self-proclaimed king of Fiji, Ratu Seru Cakobau.
According to the Fiji Parliament website, the mace represented the authority of the Speaker of the House. It is carried into the chamber by the mace bearer whenever Parliament meets.
“History has it that Ratu Cakobau gave the war club as a gift to Queen Victoria of Great Britain in 1874, when Fiji became part of the British empire. The war club stayed in Great Britain until 1932, when it was returned to Fiji by King George IV.”
That recollection of the mace is what is mostly taught in schools.
In this third week of storytelling by Avolosi Tikoimaleya, he gives us an account that Ratu Cakobau was not the original owner of what is today being termed as Fiji’s symbol of power.
According to Mr Tikoimaleya, the war club belonged to Rokomoutu, one of the four sons of Lutunasobasoba.
This week’s discovery, we bring to you a rare account of the original owner the mace.
During the great exodus from Nakauvadra, Rokomoutu led the group which included his three brothers, sister and their people.
They journeyed through the famous ancestral pathway known as the Tualeita (na tua nei tamaqu), because it crossed no river. The famous ridge took them straight to Ucunivanua, Verata.
Buisavulu, their sister, because she was the only girl in the family, was well protected so much so that she could not come out into the sun and only came out when the moon was out.
They were at Verata, when Buisavulu informed them she wanted to reside on Ovalau. Not long while residing at Bureta, Ovalau, she gave birth to a son whom she named Vula (which means moon).
However, when growing up the elders of Bureta disliked Vula and they often told his mother he would not protect the land nor its people when it would be his time to lead.
Buisavulu then advised her son it be best he leave the island and go to neighbouring Moturiki. Because of this when the people of Moturiki and Bureta meet in a traditional setting, their greeting is “ratu vakarua” (chief in two places at Moturiki and Bureta).
While at Moturiki, Degei who was still in Nakauvadra called for a meeting at Sobasoba. A traditional Fijian canoe, camakau, which was Degei’s gift to Rokomoutu who gave it to his sister Buisavulu, was now in the possession of Vula as a gift from his mother.
According to Mr Tikoimaleya, when Vula returned from that meeting he eloped with Adi Buna Naitokalau, his first cousin and second daughter of Rokomoutu. Rokomautu had two other daughters Salacakau and Adi Senibiau.
Adi Buna Naitokalau had a son Vueti (Vuetiverata) and according to stories passed down from generation to generation, Vueti’s handsomeness and physical stature suited his pleasant characteristics.
Everyone adored him but he was not raised by his parents on Moturiki but by his grandfather, Rokomoutu, in Verata.
Then the news reached Verata that Degei had requested his allies to prepare for war at Nakauvadra. It was the war planned against two brothers known as the “ciri” — Cirinakaumoli and Nakausabaria.
Degei had waged war on the two brothers after they killed his pet rooster, “Turukawa”.
Rokomoutu called Vueti and advised him to go and visit his granduncle Degei. He was advised to go and see Bakadroti, the high priest, who would then advise him what to do. Before Vueti travelled up to Nakauvadra, he was given his grandfather’s war club known as the Sigalavalava.
At Nakauvadra, he was informed by Bakadroti that early the next morning he was to make the trip to Narauyaba, a highly fortified village and key outpost of the two brothers.
The next morning he fought away the two brothers and cut open the legendary vines of waka ni vugayali, in the process winning the war.
Upon his return his grandfather thanked him for what he had done and gave him Sigalavalava to own plus a tawake (special pennant or flag) then a sign of nobility from Verata.
Vueti then married the princess of Batiki, who at that time was residing at Nakalawaca in Namara, Tailevu.
Batiki Island in the Lomaiviti Group was formerly known as Vatoa before being settled by the people of Batiki.
Vuetiverata, who was considered one of the favourite grandsons of Rokomoutu and Bau’s first Roko Tui Bau, then settled at Sebi, Bau.
Rokomoutu could not give his chiefly title to his son Buatavatava, or his people would come under the rule of the Tui Bua. Buatavatava was his eldest son and had been banished because he had disobeyed his father.
Therefore, he called his 17 grandsons for a race, the winner would be the next chief.
One grandson, who was bow legged, was not allowed to race. He was told by his grandfather to wait at the finish line and lean on the winner. This according to Mr Tikoimaleya is the origin of a mataqali or landowning unit of the people of Naloto; Naisaraviti, which means to lean).
That race was won by Tuivanuakula, however, those older than Tuivanuakula did not agree for him to be the chief because he was younger. So he left Verata for Somosomo, then to Nayau and then to Tonga before returning to Verata. He had children in all the places he visited.
However, upon his return he was still not accepted. Tuivanuakula then journeyed up to Nayavu in Wainibuka where he married Daviko where they had two sons, Ratu Drua and Mekemeke.
Ratu Drua married and had a son, Roko Seru I.
A flu outbreak then threatened to wipe out his family and because he had only one son he advised Roko Seru I to search for medicine in Viria.
At Nasimasima, the location of Wing Zhong Wah building in Nausori Town, women of Rewa heard of his presence and stature, thus they would be looking for freshwater mussels at the banks of the Rewa river closer to the home of Roko Seru I.
One woman, Adi Qoliwasawasa, captured his attention, his second wife Ketekaisi was from Natogadravu. Together with his family they moved to Bureitu. It was at Bureitu that the people of Kaba requested that they move to Kaba so it would be easy to serve them, they agreed and made the move to Kaba.
It was at Kaba that he married Adi Savusavu, a direct descendant of Vueti. Adi Savusavu was mother to Ratu Banuve and grandmother to Ratu Tanoa. Ratu Tanoa had two sons Tubuanakoro and Roko Seru II.
Tubuanakoro and Roko Seru II spent most of their childhood days in Bau and were skilled sailors winning a lot of races.
On one of their returns from Bau, Tubuanakoro was murdered but Roko Seru II was saved by the people of the Yavusa o Ra Dave of Bau because of his maternal links to them.
Later on Roko Seru kept giving away tabua or whales tooth to allies of Kaba, no one knew the reason he was doing this. After some time he asked his mother for another tabua, because he felt the time was right to avenge the death of his brother.
His mother initially had refused, fearing she would lose everyone she loved. First her son Tubuanakoro was killed and second their father Ratu Tanoa had been exiled. However, Roko Seru II insisted, believing he had gained the trust of the majority. He was given the tabua and proceeded to Lasakau on Bau Island to request them be with him when he waged war against those who had murdered his brother.
The recipients of the tabua heard of the news and stood with Roko Seru. He succeeded and in the process raised the flag of the Vunivalu of Bau as the paramount chief.
Mr Tikoimaleya said he changed his named to Ratu Seru and added Cakobau because of the damage that was done to Bau. In his rise to supremacy, he also took with him the Sigalavalava that was handed to Vueti by Rokomoutu and changed it to the name Ai Tutuvi Kuta i Radini Bau.
The Parliament of Fiji website states “it is made of a type of hardwood called “gadi”. Ratu Seru Cakobau named the war club Ai Tutuvi Kuta I Radini Bau, when translated means, “the kuta (water reed) coverlet of Radini Bau (wife of the Roko Tui Bau)”.
It is a metaphor meaning when the Radini Bau slept, she slept in comfort knowing she was protected by the club.
“The club was embellished with silver palm leaves and doves as symbols of peace and tranquillity when Ratu Cakobau converted to Christianity. At the start of each sitting day in the chamber, the mace is carried into the House by the mace bearer where it is placed on the central table.
“The crown of the mace always points to the Government side of the chamber. The mace sits on the central table as long as the House is officially sitting and the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker presiding.”
