IN the olden days many natives moved across the country from one place to another in search of land they could settle in and call home.
Such was the case for the mataqali (clan) Naisorowaca, who now, make up Dranikula Village in Serua Province.
During the early 1900s, their forefathers moved from their original village at Nasautale, in the upper reaches of Serua, in search of a new home.
Their movement was also forced by an outbreak of diarrhoea and the arrival of Christianity.
Since then, the villagers of Dranikula have never looked back.
According to a village elder, Alusio Naicoko, the journey was started by his great-great-grandparents who were originally from the Navosa highlands.
Mr Naicoko said when his forefathers began their journey, they slept in villages along the way before they settled at Nasautale.
“We came from the highlands, right inside before we found home at Nasautale, also upstream from here,” he said.
One special thing that stands out for this village is the love for their faith.
Mr Naicoko said one of the reasons they decided to move towards the sea while searching for a new home was they wanted to make it accessible for the priest to visit them to conduct mass.
“When the Catholic Church came, the priest usually visited those who had converted to Christianity and it was usually hard for him to come and visit us at Nasautale because it was farther inside.
“To date, the village is made up of only one faith, Catholics.
“So my forefathers thought for us to come down. And it was also because there was a diarrhoea outbreak in the highlands and in our village.”
Mr Naicoko said when his great-great-grandparents moved down, they settled in with the people of the mataqali Kuranitu who were from the end of Galoa Village also in Serua.
“When they met here, the people of Kuranitu had maternal links to our mataqali so they decided for us to settle in this village.
“Dranikula Village and Galoa Village are just beside each other, separated by the Galoa Village hall.
“Before it was only one village and it was only known as Galoa,” said Mr Naicoko.
“When they were all at Galoa Village, they all used to work together and there was only one village headman.”
It reached a time when his great-great-grandfather Matorino Madogo Saqanavere had a disagreement with members of the mataqali Kuranitu.
Mr Naicoko said this was when Mr Saqanavere decided that he would establish a village on his own.
“Dranikula Village is made up of two tribes — yavusa Naisoroiwaca and the yavusa Sawake. After the disagreement he said he was going and he started off this village made up of these two tribes.”
The villagers of Dranikula now share strong ties with the Vunivalu of Serua.
“We have strong ties to the Korolevu o Serua, Korolevu o Vunibau and anywhere else where there is a yavusa Korolevu,” said Mr Naicoko.
The traditional head of the province is titled the ‘Vunivalu of Korolevu’ and is based at Serua Island, just off the coast of the province.
As their traditional role, the villagers of Dranikula are the traditional warriors or the bati of the Vunivalu of Serua.
The village, which was only home to a few of his forefathers, is now made up of more than 200 people comprising more than 50 households.
“Now houses reach up to the highway and the seashore.
“The only change you can see now is the type of houses in the village. Before, we only used to live in Fijian bure but now we have concrete and timber houses,” he said.
With many villagers employed between Suva and Navua and with the changing times, a lot more change is expected to be seen in the village in the near future.
The village recently hosted delegates for the Serua Provincial Counil meeting.
