The Catholic mission in Rewa had found an important ally in Roko Bati Vudi – like we touched on last week, he was the chief whose relationship with Father Mathieu had helped the missionary establish a presence among the people.
Father Mathieu was assigned by Bishop Bataillon to establish a mission in Levuka but his efforts proved unsuccessful so he relocated to Rewa with the assistance of Roko Bati Vudi.
But in 1855, that relationship came to an end.
The death of Roko Bati Vudi on January 10, 1855, marked a difficult period for the Catholic mission.
Without him, the missionaries were left to navigate a changing political environment in which the influence of Bau and the Wesleyan Church was becoming increasingly strong.
The old Catholic records alleged that Bati Vudi had been poisoned and suggested that Reverend Moore, a Wesleyan missionary working in Rewa was suspected of involvement.
What followed his death was another episode that brought Father Mathieu into direct contact with the customs and tensions of the community.
During the mourning period, women were expected to die as part of the traditional rites following the passing of a chief.
Father Mathieu intervened, pleading for their lives and managing to prevent several women from being killed.
One of the chief’s wives, however, reportedly took her own life with a knife.
It is believed that their strong attachment to tradition meant that anything deviated from established practices was difficult to accept.
The mourning period was also followed by an incident involving the Wesleyan establishment in Rewa.
Reverend Moore’s house and college were set on fire by people angered by the circumstances surrounding by Roko Bati Vudi’s death.
Yet the Catholic missionaries were not targeted.
In a letter, Father Michel recorded that those responsible had told them they were safe because their sanctuary was respected.
The account described the sentiment as one in which even the “Gods” and those who punished the wicked respected the Catholic sanctuary.
It was a remarkable detail at a time when the Catholic priests had gained few converts in Rewa.
Their presence had nevertheless earned them a measure of respect among the people.
But the events that followed would bring a much larger force into the affairs of Rewa.
An army arrives from Tonga
The relationship between Bau and Tonga had been growing, particularly as Ratu Cakobau faced challenges to his authority and continued conflict with his enemies.
King George Tupou I of Tonga had visited Fiji in November 1853 with the Wesleyan missionary Reverend Young aboard the mission vessel John Wesley.
After arriving in Lakeba on November 6, he met Ma’afu before travelling to Bau where he met Ratu Cakobau.
The old Catholic records describe how Ratu Cakobau sought assistance from Tonga and how Ma’afu was involved in approaching the Tongan king.
Tongan catechists were subsequently brought to Fiji, with about 30 reportedly sent to Rewa to strengthen the Wesleyan presence.
The military assistance that followed would have a decisive impact on the conflict between Bau and Rewa.
On March 20, 1855, an army of about 3000 Tongan warriors arrived at Bau under King Tupou.
The force was divided into three groups, with one led by King Tupou, another by Wainiqolo who was a chief and military commander and the third by Ma’afu, who commanded the Tongans and their Fijian followers.
Their arrival strengthened Bau’s position against the forces opposing Ratu Cakobau.
One of their first major targets was Kaba, which was allied to Rewa and commanded by Ratu Mara who was Ratu Cakobau’s brother.
The Tongan and Bau forces attacked the settlement, eventually capturing and burning it.
The old Catholic account recorded that about 20 Tongans and 200 Fijians were killed during the fighting.
The forces then turned their attention to Buretu, which was also attacked and burned.
The fall of Kaba was a major blow to those aligned with Rewa.
It demonstrated the military strength now standing behind Ratu Cakobau and left the Rewa chiefs facing an increasingly difficult position.
A demand for submission
By May 10 of that year, the combined Tongan and Bau forces had reached Rewa.
Father Mathieu and Father Michel were living in a small grass hut near the Wesleyan establishment when the leaders of the advancing force delivered their demand to the Rewa chiefs.
Ratu Cakobau, King Tupou and Reverend Calvert presented an ultimatum, the chiefs were to accept the Wesleyan faith and avoid war, or face the same fate that had overtaken Kaba.
The demand placed the Rewa leadership in an impossible position.
Having witnessed the destruction of Kaba and Buretu, the chiefs believed they could not withstand the combined strength of Bau and the Tongan army.
They submitted.
That was a significant moment for the mission.
Now, the political and military strength of Bau and Tonga was reshaping the religious direction of the area.
After receiving the submissions and customary presentations from the chiefs, Ratu Cakobau, King Tupou and Reverend Calvert continued their journey towards Kadavu where they hoped to take over.
For Father Mathieu, however, the journey of the Tongan and Bau forces presented an unexpected opportunity to continue his missionary work beyond Rewa.
A journey to Kadavu
Father Mathieu left Rewa to return to Levuka aboard the small mission boat Ta i Navutu.
But the journey was interrupted when the boat was caught in a storm and wrecked on a reef near Beqa.
Ratu Cakobau who was travelling to Kadavu came across the wreck and somehow offered the priest passage aboard his canoe, which was travelling with the Tongan and Bau forces towards Kadavu.
Father Mathieu accepted the offer.
Ratu Cakobau’s willingness to take the priest aboard was notable given his close association with the Wesleyan Church and the political events that had placed the Catholic mission under pressure.
However, his earlier intervention in the incident involving Brother Augustin and Jean de Manille showed that his dealings with the Catholic missionaries were not always hostile.
He wanted power over the Fijian people, not the Catholic missionaries.
In an earlier incident described by Father Mathieu in a letter written in 1854, two men associated with the Catholic mission were travelling by boat near the mouth of the Rewa River when they were intercepted by a fleet of Bau canoes.
Their vessel was seized and their belongings taken. Jean de Manille was captured and threatened with death before the men were brought before Ratu Cakobau, who was leading the fleet.
When Ratu Cakobau recognised the Catholic mission vessel, he intervened and ordered Jean de Manille’s release.
He also instructed his men to return the stolen belongings, although only about half of the property was eventually restored.
The incident revealed a more complicated relationship between the Bau chief and the Catholic missionaries, despite their different religious allegiances.
Although the reasons behind his offer of passage were not recorded, the assistance allowed Mathieu to continue his journey.
During the voyage, Father Mathieu did not abandon his missionary work.
When the party reached Vabea in Ono, Kadavu, he took the opportunity to introduce the Catholic faith to the local community.
Several days later, when the chief of Bau landed at Vabea, Father Matthieu went to find him and said to him, “There are some people here who have freely joined the Catholic religion if you permit it. Would you agree?”
“Priest”, replied the chief, “all Kadavu is now Wesleyan. If Ono wants to be Catholic, I consent.”
Father Matthieu thanked the chief, and went to carry his response to the chief of Ono and the Catholic religion began freely from that moment at Ono.
The local chief and several people accepted his message, while Ratu Cakobau allowed them to become Catholics, despite the wider Wesleyan influence across Kadavu.
The party remained in Ono for two days before continuing its journey.
Father Mathieu eventually returned to Rewa, where he learnt that Bishop Bataillon was in Levuka.
Father Michel had already left to join the bishop, and Father Mathieu followed the next morning.
The events of 1855 had brought significant changes to the Catholic mission in Fiji.
In Rewa, the death of Roko Bati Vudi had removed a chief who had provided the missionaries with support and protection.
The arrival of the Tongan forces, the destruction of Kaba and Buretu, and the submission of Rewa’s chiefs had further altered the religious and political environment in which the missionaries worked.
Yet the journey to Kadavu showed that the mission had not come to a complete standstill.
Even after the loss of an important ally and the upheaval in Rewa, Father Mathieu continued looking for communities willing to receive him.
The circumstances had changed, but his work of establishing the Catholic faith in Fiji continued beyond the shores of Rewa.
And that is how the presence of the Catholic faith began on the island of Kadavu.
