AMINIASI Raika thanks God for blessing his village with an abundance of nature.
The fact that his home village of Nabalesere in Ra, is the gateway to the world famous Savulelele Waterfall, is something he is greatly proud of.
It has not only given him an allowance to support his family but also an opportunity to share his people’s unique culture with the world.
As a young boy, he never really took the waterfall he grew up with seriously until he was old enough to understand the special relationship between the environment, livelihood sources and family survival.
Now, Raika is employed by his village as a tour guide, something which he has been doing for more than a decade.
“My job is to break the ice when people come to Nabalesere,” he said.
“They come with all sorts of expectations and dreams and I need to put them in perspective and tell them what we are all about, our culture and traditions, our history and our relationship with nature and the land.”
For a person his age and built, Raika would easily get full-paid work if he puts his heart and mind to job-hunting.
But he prefers to look at the bigger picture and the good of his extended family.
At least once a week, Raika walks visitors to the village’s waterfall, tucked beyond the village boundary, at the end of a trail that snakes along a mountain ridge.
He shares with them his journey, his people’s dreams and the close relationship Fijians have with their resources.
“I thank God for blessing us with a gift like the Savulelele Waterfall. It has given us an opportunity to run an ecotourism project and earn money for our families,” he said.
“Most of all it has given me the opportunity to share our way life, stories and culture with people from all over the world.
“People come and marvel at our mountains, black rocks, forest and waterfall but the real catch lies in the friendliness of our people.”
As a tour guide, Raika’s job is to inform and entertain guests on their trip to Savulelele.
On the way, he talks about his people’s totemic plant, animal and bird and how they are duty-bound to protect them.
He also shares old myths and legends and historical accounts of how his ancestors traversed the mountains and forests in olden day Fiji to reach Nabalesere.
“I love my job because every day is a learning experience. I learn from locals and tourists who visit us and they learn from me. We learn off each other.”
Raika decided to contribute to his village’s development after spending a few years in the urban centres.
“There are a lot of work you can find in towns and cities but to work for your own people and village is the greatest honour. That is why I came back many years ago to be part of our ecotourism venture. I only get a small allowance for the work I do but it is the contribution that I make to the whole village that satisfies me and keeps me going.”
