“He had decided then that my job was to bring back his Fijian collection home, and Fiji is home. He wanted me to bring back his collection to a nation that has given him so much,” chief executive of the Wakaya Group, David Roth, said.
Roth, a close friend and business partner of the late David Gilmour paid tribute to the late founder of Fiji Water and owner of Wakaya in a solemn celebration at the Fiji Museum in Suva, a week ago.
“Nearing the end of his life, the late David Gilmour asked me to make sure all of the beautiful things he had collected or given to him by Fijians in Wakaya and Rakiraki were brought back home.
“We began this process a while ago of bringing these artifacts first from his home at Palm Beach (Florida) to New York and then to Fiji.
“Then to the Fiji Museum and these artifacts have a little bit of David Gilmour, and it is a great honour for me to be able to close the loop and know that we have honoured David Gilmour’s wishes,” Roth said.
The Fiji Museum received 130 artifacts from the late David Gilmour’s collection.
Chief executive officer, Armando Lowe and the museum matanivanua, Ratu Jone Balenaivalu received the donation from the Wakaya Perfection Trustees in a modest handover ceremony.
“The 130 donated artifacts of 108 photographs, 16 traditional war clubs and six tabua form a collection of unequalled significance, adding to the existing objects we have on display and in storage that tells a story. Each artifact tells a unique story and the Fiji Museum brings these stories to life,” Lowe said.
“A rare collection of five scrimshaw tabua gives us an insight into the whaling trade of the 19th century and we are excited to dig deep into the stories engraved on the tabua.
“Fiji has an extraordinary history with so much to discover and preserve, and the Fiji Museum is home to conservation and the protection of such artifacts.
“These remarkable artifacts donated today offer a unique window into the past and will also allow our visitors to know more about Fiji’s rich history and we acknowledge the Wakaya Perfection Trustees and the late David Gilmour for this noble gesture.
“Your generosity will empower a new generation of learners, offering new and exciting ways to connect with history – to experience it up close,” he said.
Lowe said that the donation marked a monumental step forward — it signified the beginning of an era of growth for the Fiji Museum in our efforts to recover, restore, and preserve history through our current digitisation project.
“It is the goal of the Fiji Museum to continue being a vibrant and accessible part of the community and we appreciate all your support.”
The Fiji Museum is Fiji’s national museum, collecting cultural artifacts and research materials that tell the story of Fiji’s history.
It is a valuable cultural resource that can sustain the nation by providing a sense of place and historical context while collecting and preserving objects of cultural value and meaning for posterity.
The curated David Gilmour display area possesses a few war clubs, books, photographs and a scrimshaw tabua collection.
The Fiji Museum holds a remarkable collection that includes archaeological material dating back over 3,500 years and cultural artifacts representing indigenous, Indo-Fijian and other minority communities over the past 200 years.
One of the popular signposts at the museum is the double-hulled canoe (Drua) that occupies the prehistory gallery.
The “drua” or Ratu Finau was carved in Fulaga (Vulaga) in 1913 and has visitors marvelling at the craftsmanship of the traditional carvers from Fulaga.
Engaging Visitor Experience
Fiji Museum staff, Aralai Gavidi, is one of the museum ambassadors who leads school students and visitors around the museum galleries and has a deep knowledge of the museum’s exhibitions and its significance.
Gavidi is a Fijian (language) and Land Management graduate from the University of the South Pacific and has a passion for cultural totems, history and heritage.
The 24-year-old from Natalecake Village in Ra, with maternal links to Avea in Vanuabalavu, has created her own niche in tackling museum fatigue with a more engaging experience for visitors.
She is part of a team that provides a welcoming, hospitable environment and a rewarding learning experience to museum visitors.
“We are storytellers, providing our visitors an alternative way to learn about our collection here at the museum and also adding extra information that is not found in the exhibition texts.
“We also manage big crowds, and as we head towards the school holidays, we are also anticipating a number of schools to arrive before the school term ends, and our role is to facilitate and give students an overview of what we do at the museum,” Gavidi mentioned.
Gavidi said there are a couple of artifacts that stick out because they have individual stories attached to them.
“These stories make our work interesting because we’re also building our knowledge of our very own heritage and cultural artifacts we have here at the museum!
“The objects represent real events, people and occasions and are important stories for us to tell our visitors and the artifacts also help give me an entry point to their stories.
“Our visitors are from different regions and have different back stories and when we make that connection and attachment, we engage with the visitors from the beginning of their tour right through and it’s so encouraging when the visitors also share their stories,” she said.
Guided tours are also tailor-made according to group requests and preferences, Gavidi adds.
“The Drua we have in the museum are flashbulb moments for younger students because of the movie “Moana”, Gavidi said.
Gavidi said cultural heritage storytelling is here to stay, and the Fiji Museum is the home for cultural heritage storytelling!
n Moira Vilsoni is the manager visitor experience at the Fiji Museum. This article does not necessarily represent the view of this newspaper.
