Eighty-four-year-old Ratu Qica Gade Vuli is looking forward to being part of history today when the new Tui Nayau is installed in a traditional ceremony in Lau.
Fifty-six years after watching Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara ascend as Tui Nayau, Ratu Qica is set to see history repeat itself.
He is the only villager in Narocivo, one of three villages on Nayau, who witnessed the chiefly installation of Ratu Mara.
Now living with his daughter and grandchildren in the village, Ratu Qica vividly remembers the 1969 ceremony. He was assigned a sacred duty.
He was 28 years old then, married with three children, and still recalls the moment when Ratu Mara was carried on a specially built platform.
“That ceremony in July 1969 was a special one because our elders carried our chief on a platform that they built themselves. Ratu Mara was special. He was different and humble and had the time to talanoa with us.”
He described the traditional installation at Maumi, at the foot of Delaiwawa, as “a powerful ceremony”.
“The men carried him up to Maumi where he was installed, then to dip in the sea and then to the river.
“This will be the second time I get to see the chiefly installation of the Tui Nayau and I am blessed.”
But this time, the ceremony is simpler, tailored to modern realities and softened by necessity.
Yet the mana remains! Today, the late Ratu Mara’s son, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba Mara begins his own journey as Tui Nayau.
He will become the sixth chief to hold the title, a living embodiment of Fijian history and identity.
According to Taniela Qarabula Cagilabakomeli, the bete ni vanua (traditional priest) of the Tui Nayau, the lineage of this title carries cultural weight.
Each of the Tui Nayau played a pivotal role in shaping the chiefly legacy of Lau.
“While some protocols have changed,” Mr Cagilabakomeli acknowledges, “our responsibility is to uphold the spirit and essence of tradition”.
He reflected on respect for and the protection of customs and tradition.
We say today’s installation is not just a ceremonial rite. It is a reaffirmation of identity, a connection to ancestors, the vanua, and the values that define the Fijian way of life. In the face of our modern challenges, maintaining tradition becomes an act of resilience and pride.
As Ratu Tevita steps into his father’s footsteps, he carries more than a title. He bears the hopes of a people, the memory of those who came before him, and the future of Lau’s cultural preservation.
The installation of the Tui Nayau is a powerful reminder that while times may change, the essence of who we are, our history, our culture, and tradition, must endure. Today will also be about reflecting on a legacy of leadership and a shared cultural heritage that binds the people of Lau to their past, and to one another!
