THE people of Namotomoto in Nadi have been traditional healers of drimi (a type of skin disease) for thousands of years.
Villagers have healed people from around Fiji through these traditional healing powers which were passed down to them from their forefathers.
I witnessed these powers a few years back when a friend took her nine-year-old daughter to this village which is only five minutes- walk to Nadi Town and it so happened that after four days and four nights of observing the respective rituals, the girl was completely cured of the sickness.
A visit to Namotomoto a week ago helped me uncover the story behind this amazing practice which has cured thousands other Fijians from across the country who mostly suffered from this rare skin disease which occurred during the dry and cold season of the year.
It was the headman of the Mataqali Naobeka, Iliaseri Varo, who gave me an account of these healing powers which Namotomoto has been known for, for many years.
The opening of the Malamala Beach Club last month gave an interesting insight as the owners of the exclusive club; the South Sea Cruises have decided to keep the name Malamala alive.
Mr Varo explained at his home in Namotomoto Village home that they are the traditional owners of Malamala Island, which was their qoliqoli (traditional fishing ground).
And so it is that the name itself, Malamala in the Nadi dialect means itchiness or milamila in the Bauan dialect.
The history of this island, which boasts its white sandy beaches, stems right back to the history of the people of the Mataqali Naobeka who knew the island as place of healing where they would take sick people to after four nights of undergoing traditional medications to wash off the skin sickness (drimi) during a dip in the sea.
These healing powers, the landowners believe, are still alive and well today and despite the island being a valuable tourist attraction now. Steadfast is their belief that anyone visiting Malamala Island will return healed or with blessings after setting foot on this beautiful island which is only a 25-minute boat ride from Denarau.
As per the normal practice for many years, those seeking traditional healing will approach villagers with their sevusevu in the form of yaqona.
They will then be given traditional medicine to consume for four days before returning to the village for the final ritual.
As time moved on, Tai Varo explained they no longer accept the sevusevu from the sick people but preferred they prayed for them because that will not just heal them physically but spiritually as well.
The 67-year-old clan leader, a senior pastor with the New Methodist Christian Fellowship, highlighted it was always important to note that times had changed and despite their traditional healing powers, they also would love to assist those who were sick spiritually. This has been the practise at Namotomoto for a couple of years now.
This is piece of history recorded in itself and is known to many villagers, particularly those who belong to the Mataqali Naobeka.
However, another interesting piece of information, the birth of their mataqali name — Naobeka, was shared by Tai Varo in the course of our our conversation.
While this is not be consistent with other oral and even wriiten accounts of how Fiji was first settled by the iTaukei, what must be stressed is that it is the account of the kai Naobeka. It is not our intention to cause disquet, disputes or divisions among those who have a diffrent account of histroy, but merely to inform.
Tai Varo continued and said when Fijian ancestral gods Degei and Lutunasobasoba were sailing around the country on board the Kaunitoni they came across a nice expanse of water and thought they could settle on the coast.
According to Tai Varo’s version of history, that pleasant body of water was just off Nadi. When the gods arrived, their (Naobeka) forefathers who were already on land, decided to light a fire when they saw the Kaunitoni approaching.
Smoke from a fire has been used by people to alert others of their presence in a certain locality. It is also said to be a practice by those who have been shipwrecked people when wanting to get the attention of those on a passing boat or even an aeroplane.
Those on board large sailing canoe then asked each other what was it they had just seen in the distance, “Na o beka ya?” (Is that the cloud?)
Hence was the birth of their mataqali’s name — Naobeka.
“They discovered it was the smoke from a fire when they were came nearer to land and this was when they found out that there were people already ashore,” Tai Varo explained.
“These were our forefathers, they were the first settlers on this place, they were the reason we are here today.
“This piece of history in itself has been passed down from generation to generation and it is very important that we keep it alive for the sake of the future generation of Naobeka.”
When Degei and Lutunasobasoba found out the place was already inhabited, they decided to continue with their journey looking for another place to settle.
The blessings bestowed upon members of the Mataqali Naobeka, according to Tai Varo, have been through the hard work of their forefathers and their willingness to find and secure for them a good spot where they could live.
And so it happened that Namotomoto is a five minutes walk to Nadi Town, near one of Fiji’s most popular tourist destination- Denarau and is also near the Nadi International Airport and other local tourist destinations.
Members of the Mataqali Naobeka are not just traditional landowners of some of Fiji’s most popular tourist spots, they have even been able to establish their own business arm, the Naobeka Investment Ltd which helps generate income for the mataqali’s needs.
Tai Varo, in one of our conversations, also noted the importance of setting up their mataqali’s business arm which would of course assist members to be hardworking and business-minded given the challenging world we are live in today.
Mataqali Naobeka can be said to have set an example of handling their own business succesfully signalling it is time others, particularly those of the iTaukei community, follow suit as we have a wealth of resources around us.
? Next week: The journey continues for Degei and
Lutunasobasoba
