BEYOND the chants, the yaqona and the sacred rituals, the installation of Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara as Tui Nayau, Tui Lau and Sau ni Vanua o Lau this week was also a powerful moment of reunion for families across the Lau Group and beyond.
For many, it was their first return to the island in years — for others, the first time ever.
Families were hosted across the island’s villages – Tubou, Yadrana, Nasaqalau, and others – in an effort that showcased not just generosity, but deep kinship.
Extended families reunited under one roof, rekindling connections long maintained only through phone calls and social media. One notable reunion is that of the Naivakasali clan of Nabukadra, Nakorotubu, Ra, led by the Turaga na Gonesau Dr Joji Malani.
As he had explained in an interview with the media, the ‘Malani’ name was given by one of the two women of the Matailakeba household, from the chiefly clan of Vunirewa, who came to Nakorotubu in the 1800s.
Following that, another woman from the chiefly clan was also approached and courted by one of their forefathers, cementing the familial connection between the two provinces and chiefly families.
This week, Ratu Joji led a traditional procession to Matailakeba to mark the arrival of his eldest daughter, Adi Lagilagi Kinaboselawa Malani, and youngest son, Roko Wilisoni Tukeitei Malani — their first-ever visit to the island.
Another reunion was that of the Bureorewa family in Yadrana, Tubou village. They have familial links to the Bureorewa family in Rewa and received a visit from the Marama na Roko Tui Dreketi Ro Teimumu Kepa who’s on the island for the installation.
Ms Kepa had also presented a vakamamaca vakaturaga to Ratu Tevita, a first for Roko Tui Dreketi to perform to another reigning chief, rekindling the close family ties the two chiefly family share.
Ratu Mara is the son of the late Marama Bale na Roko Tui Dreketi, Na Radi Lau, the older sister of Ms Kepa.
There are hundreds of other families who are also meeting for the first time after years of being apart.
Unaisi Niumataiwalu left Nayau in 1955 at 12 years old, and 70 years later she finally returned at the ripe age of 70.
As Ratu Tevita takes his place in Lau’s storied history, he did so surrounded by generations of his people, bound by blood, custom, and an island they still call home.
