IT is a rock that stands out like a mountain.
For nearby villagers, it is a sacred place as it was once occupied by their forefathers.
They believe it is shaped like a man if seen from the top. Some distance away or directly opposite it is an island, which villagers say, is shaped like a woman.
But they say there is nothing known to link their rock to the island.
The rock is known as Uluinavatu, which translated literally means head of the stone or stone head.
It is near Vitawa Village in Rakiraki, a district that is filled with stories related to the iTaukei and their ancestors.
People travelling on the Kings Rd cannot miss seeing the rock unless they are asleep, as it is metres away on the right side if going from Rakiraki to Tavua.
A place on the rock is also said to have healing powers and the spirit of the villagers’ ancestors is believed to be still up there.
There is also evidence on the rock that cannibalism was rife on the rock hundreds of years ago.
Villagers say that if someone looks properly, then they will be able to figure out what looks like giant human faces at different places on the rock.
Pottery dating back to about 1000BC has also been found on the rock, which probably makes it one of the first human settlements in Fiji.
From the rock comes the clan name Navatu and also the name of a school that caters for children from the four villages which make up the clan.
The Navatu clan consists of Vitawa, Narewa, Vunitogoloa and Naivuvuni villages.
With the approval of the Tu Navatu, Ratu Akuila Kubou, a villager related the story about the rock.
Inia Waqa, 57, said the rock was sacred to Vitawa villagers because it was a place where their ancestors once dwelled.
Mr Waqa said archeologists’ reports suggest people lived on Uluinavatu long before the birth of Jesus Christ. He said archeologists had collected pottery dating back 1000BC from the base of the rock and some human bones were also found there.
“Recently, villagers started cleaning the place to make a path to the top of the rock,” he said.”While clearing the bushes, the youths found human remains on the rock and further up at one place is a well.
“The well is known to have been there for ages and it is believed to have been the source of water supply for our ancestors who lived there once.
“As far as the well is concerned, we don’t know how it was made up in the rock.”
Mr Waqa said human bones could be found at different places on the rock. He said some of the bones were quite big, which proves that their ancestors who lived on the rock were big people.
“There are also seashells on the top of the rock and one can only wonder how they reached there from the sea.
“Some caves are also up on the rock and these would have probably been used by our ancestors to take shelter.
“There is also a place on the rock where our ancestors sharpened their tools, as marks seen on a stone indicate this.”
Mr Waqa also revealed that the former turaga ni koro (village headman) of Vitawa Village, Josefa Kasami once took pictures on top of the rock.
He said when the photographs were uploaded on a computer, some bure could be seen in the background.
“There is no bure on the rock. But the Uluinavatu itself is a sacred place for villagers and we believe that the spirits of our ancestors still live there.
“Some human bones are still at different places on the rock and pottery pieces are also on the top of the Uluinavatu.
“If you dig around on the rock, then there’s a possibility of you finding either some human remains or pottery pieces.”
Mr Waqa also said Uluinavatu, to them, was known as the man and an the island named Cubu was the woman. Cubu is directly opposite Uluinavatu, facing each other, so to speak.
“If you see the Uluinavatu from somewhere on top, then you’ll see that it’s shaped like a man,” said Mr Waqa.
“And if you have an aerial view of Cubu, then it is shaped like a woman facing the sky.
When asked if there was a connection between the Uluinavatu and Cubu, Mr Waqa said there were no stories passed down the generations to suggest there was a link.
However, Mr Waqa said if someone looked properly, then he/she would be able to figure out some giant human faces on the Uluinavatu.
“The faces can be seen at different places on the rock, even if one views it from the Kings Rd.
“Apart from our belief that our ancestors spirits still live there, the rock also has healing powers as experienced by villagers,” Mr Waqa said. “Everything is there. You talk to them and they will respond to you. I believe in it.”
