Evidence of the Rogovoka ship in Mabuco
WHEN the Rogovoka ship anchored by the shores of Dakuniba in Cakaudrove, history says that voyagers had to anchor the ship by tying ropes to a rock that sits on the mountain top of Mabuco — about 500 metres away from the shoreline.
According to Dakuniba traditional leader Jone Cagilaba, this was done to steady the ship as it berthed between Taveuni and Cakaudrove shores of Dakuniba.
The rock, known as ‘nai kelekele’ sits in a stream, towards the upper end of the mountain, about 30 minutes walk from the ‘Vatu Vola’ spot.
“Our forefathers told us the ship was so huge that when those on board tried to anchor it using rocks along the village shores, the ship was not stable and kept drifting from side to side,” Mr Cagilaba said.
“So they decided to take the ropes up towards the mountain and they found this big rock known as ‘nai kelekele’ and tied the ropes to it.
“When they did this, the ship was secured and people and the cargo they brought with them were able to be off-loaded.”
That rock, ‘nai kelekele’, today holds a significant presence for the people of Mabuco.
For the villagers of Mabuco — Dakuniba, Nawi, Vunikura and surrounding settlements — this rock is known to have changed the taste of drinking water.
Mr Cagilaba said, the taste of drinking water in the vanua of Mabuco was unique.
This taste of water is known as ‘tuvutuvula’ in the vanua of Mabuco and they say it has been caused by the rock that was used as an anchor for the Rogovoka ship.
“It’s a mixture of salt water and river water so when the ropes of the Rogovoka ship was stretched to the stream where the ‘nai kelekele’ sits, the salt water also settled in the stream water,” Mr Cagilaba said.
“This is one evidence we have that the Rogovoka ship anchored along our shores and sunk in this Cakaudrove sea as well.
“The reason our elders sunk the ship was to protect the ‘Vatu Vola’ from enemies who were looking for the rocks so they didn’t want the enemies to find the ship.
“But the taste of this water is just different. It has a mild taste and very different from the water we drink in other villages of Cakaudrove.
“You can taste a bit of salt water and fresh water and that is why our water is known as ‘tuvutuvula’.”
Riches of Mabuco
The vanua of Mabuco, Mr Cagilaba said, contains hidden riches that have yet to be discovered.
“It’s full of riches and a few years ago, kerosene surfaced along our village shore and everyone collected their kerosene and used it in their kitchens,” he said.
“It didn’t happen just once but has happened about three times already from the time of our father and our generation now.
“There are many other treasures that sit here in Mabuco and we know that these hidden treasures will be exposed once the Tui Mabuco chiefly position is filled.”
Another treasure known to exist in the vanua of Mabuco is gold.
Mr Cagilaba said there had been past explorations in the area where companies had drilled plots in search of gold materials.
“But they come and go and just like the kerosene that surfaced along our shores, the treasures appear and just disappear after a short period of exposure,” he said.
“Our forefathers have always told us that when the chiefly position of the Tui Mabuco is filled, then all these treasures will be discovered.”
The second evidence of the Rogovoka
THE range of mountains overlooking Dakuniba Village is known as ‘Rogovoka’.
Mr Cagilaba said, every now and then, elders would hear echoes of conch shells being blown from the mountain top.
“When we hear the echoes of conch shells, all the pigs in the village boundary would run towards the village lawn,” he said.
“We have witnessed it and even the wild pigs in the forest make their way to the village lawn.
“Sometimes, if we don’t hear the sound of the conch shells but see the pigs making their way towards the village lawn, we know that they have heard the conch shells being blown from the Rogovoka mountain.
“Until today, we still see the pigs make their way on to the lawn.”
Mr Cagilaba also recalls stories of how the elders of Dakinuba spoke a different language in their days.
“We still know some words of Mabuco and it’s different from the common Cakaudrove dialect we speak today,” he said.
“When we were kids, we used to hear our elders speak a very different language and it sounded so strange to us.
“Sometimes, in the early hours of the morning or middle of the night, a few of us have encountered and seen our elders inside our houses and having a chat with someone that we can’t see.
“But they are speaking to someone and their language is so different. It sounds like the languages spoken in the Middle East.”
The Tui Mabuco
Mr Cagilaba said the position of the Tui Mabuco had been vacant for about 60 years.
“The last one I think was in the 1950 when we were still kids and we haven’t had any other Tui Mabuco since then,” he said.
“But our forefathers always told us that when this position is filled, then hidden treasures will be exposed.
“And we believe, there is another rock hidden in the vanua of Mabuco that also contains mysterious carvings.
“This rock, our forefathers told us, will also be exposed when the chiefly position is filled.
“When this happens, the vanua of Mabuco will be rich with resources that God has blessed us with.”
And discussion about the chiefly position, Mr Cagilaba said, had started.
“Very soon, the people of Mabuco will have their chief and we have started discussing with our paramount leaders.”
