A Fijian village lost in time. An archaeologist's dream. And me taking on the role of an explorer!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 15 тра 2022
- In a remote part of Ba, about fifteen minutes from town, lies the current village of Nasolo. It is a short walk from its ancient predecessor the abandoned village of Delaikorocula. In the mid-19th century, many Fijian villages were relocated close to a river or the sea to make missionary work easier. The ancient village of Delaikorocula was already close to the Ba river, one of Fiji's more majestic rivers that flows from high up in the highlands out to the sea off northern Viti Levu. But missionaries needed to make a decisive break with the gods and the ancient way of life of Fijians to make the spread of Christianity easier. So the people of Delaikorocula were moved lower down and closer to the river. For over 150 years Delaikorocula has been forgotten except to the villagers of Nasolo and the "yavusa" (landowning unit) known as Namacku. What I discovered in Delaikorocula gave me a jolt and a rare sense of fufilment. It was an enormous thrill for me to discover what may be one of the most complete ancient Fijian villages left in Fiji.
As a Fijian , I really love watching your videos and gaining knowledge of some Fijian history 👐 Good work sir 👏
Vinaka! Thank you very much, Ziggy!
Thank you also to people like Mosese for allowing Azeem to film and document these important historical sites.
Nice words, Namasi. Thank you. Just got back from visiting Udre Udre’s old village of Korolevu on a hill about Vatusekiyasawa in Ra. Vlog coming soon.
Nice words, Namasi. Thank you. Just got back from visiting Udre Udre’s old village of Korolevu on a hill about Vatusekiyasawa in Ra. Vlog coming soon.
My parents are from Naosori in
Fiji . I am born and raised in California . I am a history geek and I find your videos fascinating ! Thank you for sharing . Cheers❤️✌🏽
Thank you! 😃 There’s lots more to come. Just getting a few things together. Stay tuned! 🙏🏽👏🏽👍🏽👌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
Fiji museum should be converted into a cake shop. Make it easy. This is what the public need. Real knowledge and experiences of Fijis past. Gold nugget for anthropologist big time.
Thank you, Carl. I'll be going back to that ancient Fijian village soon. One of the locals, a really nice guy, told me I wasn't shown everything. Part of the problem lies with what happened to me yesterday somewhere else. I went to a village in Ra to get permission to visit a series of ancient Fijian land terraces engineered hundreds of years ago. The head of the mataqali was hostile and wanted to know if I was likely to engage in witchcraft there!
@@ThePaleBlueDot Sad for a head to be thinking like that in this day and age. They all need to be prayed for. Educate them with what you do and say it's not only for educational purposes but for future generations to know its legacy as well or it's gone for good with them. Ridiculous mindset. Says a lot about him.
@@carl0985 It is very sad. The person who re-discovered the "tuatua" (ancient Fijian terraces) that we want to visit next week wrote a book about it where he talked about the great sense of hospitality he received. That was back in the 1930s. It's sad to think things are worse now rather than better. I've emailed a lady at the culture section of the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs about forthcoming iTaukei events. I've re-sent the email to her a number of times. She has simply ignored me. Her counterpart and the head of iTaukei culture is one of the most pompous people I've met. So full of himself. Always speaking in jargon. The Fiji Museum, as you very funnily said, should become a cake shop! They are endlessly having seminars and workshops without really coming to grips with Fiji's ancient history. I've been to the Museum Library where it's a miracle if the photocopy works or if the director has turned up to work. It is such a sorry state of affairs.
@@carl0985 PS. I told that head of the mataqali that my interest is purely from a historical point of view, as a lover of ancient Fijian history, but he didn't seem to care or want to listen. He kept suggesting I was going there to practice witchcraft. Honestly speaking, for the first time, I felt very angry. I'm going back to see him next week hopefully to do the "sevusevu". I hope it passes off without incident.
@@ThePaleBlueDot The educated ones have probably left for greener pastures I guess. Those left behind are probably drop outs from school at an early age. In cases like that, share your you tube channel with them and show them what your been doing so far. Suspicion only comes by those who don't travel outside their comfort zones. In most cases , kids in isolation especially villages like that probably seen their closest town once in at an early age and that's probably it. Very rare but true and you've probably found one. . There's good in it as well because of their isolation from outside world. Kind of gives a rough picture of what it really was back in those ancient times. A bit of sevusevu and a "show of your videos" after that should turn things around.
Its like watching a National Geographic documentary. Quality of your content shows your hard work, not easy to videograph and edit.
Thank you so much, Priya! 😀
Great video. Would be interesting to use the LiDAR technology for the many ancient Fijian village sites.
I agree. Fijian history is more nuanced and layered (literally and metaphorically) than many assume. I’m considering a few options such as borrowing a grand-penetrating radar to delve deeper into village sites. However, something like that can be large and unwieldy. There are also other labourer-intensive options. I’m waiting for a while to get better camera equipment for one thing. Should be done in July. I don’t like the GoPro look.
This is a historical sacred site. Just wondering if the Fiji museum is aware of this or any organization that deal with Fijian history. Good job bro you have so much of enthusiasm and always exciting adventures.
Don't know if the Fiji Museum knows or, honestly speaking, cares, Elizabeth. I have tried engaging with them in the past and I found them to be uninterested. They hold endless conferences where they consume tea and cakes and discuss the "hermeneutics of historiography exegetes" whatever that means!
By the way, Elizabeth, thank you for your kind comments.
@@ThePaleBlueDot Haha, I totally understand your frustrations. Perhaps rather unfortunately my post graduate studies in Anthropology prepared me for such esoteric (and dare I say nonsensical?) academic study titles. I always had this idea that I would do something tangible in regards to cultural understanding and preservation, but what I found is that the discipline had largely descended into the sort of postmodern mess reflected by the Fiji Museum. Still, although I ended up on a different career path, I tried to separate the wheat from the chaff and if nothing else enhance my own personal understanding and appreciation of the myriad ways there is to be human. This is a big part of why I enjoy your channel so much. I find your ethusiasm with culture and history not only rings familiair, but is quite infectious. I watch quite a few travel vloggers, and I think your channel is special in that you've spent so much time doing a 'deep dive' of Fiji, and frankly I love it. You've inspired me to return asap, and as I'm in New Zealand I don't have to hop too far!
@@Lailand01 Bula Matt. I have to share this with you. I got in touch with the head of the Ministry of iTaukei’s culture section some time ago about wanting to visit a Fijian man with the longest name in the world (it isn’t whimsy on his part but a complex and neglected Fijian tradition) who lives on the island of Gau. This ministry boffin wrote this to me: “the poor man is now becoming an undignified guinea pig thru no fault of his. Indigenous wise it is insensitive to objectify him as a 'freak' or 'anomaly' because his name is not a cultural charateristic or gift peculiar to Vadravadra.” All I asked the boffin was how I went about meeting him! The same boffin them sent me this preposterous pdf: “Decolonising Framings in Pacific Research: Indigenous Fijian Vanua Research Framework as an Organic Response”. I managed to get in touch with the Gauan man’s niece who told me her uncle would be only too delighted for me to visit him in Gau and stay with them and, in return, I should take some foodstuffs. Something similar happened when I wanted to visit the famous nose-flute player, Kaveni Tamani, of the Nabati clan. The boffin gave me such a self-serving, arrogant reply about levels of protocol. I got in touch with Tamani’s “turaga-ni-koro” who was delighted I wanted to see Tamani. I did a “sevusevu” and paid Tamani for his nose-flute playing efforts. Everyone was happy.
@@ThePaleBlueDot I wish I could say I'm surprised by your experiences, but unfortunately my academic experience has led me to expect it. I'm not sure if it's still active, but there used to be a hilarious website called the 'postmodernist essay generator' that would randomly cobble together a bunch of postmodernist words and phrases and i can assure the pdf example you were given could have been pulled straight from it. It really is worth a laugh as the results are pretty much indistinguishable from the real thing!
What an incredible place! Thank you so much for taking us along with you. On a side note, your editing skills have really progressed, loved the beautiful intro!
Wow! Thank you, Matt! I’m always trying to improve my video editing. I’m a bit nervous with the drone. I need to be more confident with it. I should also be upping the quality of my videography by buying better cameras and lenses. I’m not a big fan of the GoPro colours or images but it’s ok for the time being.
Azeem you are doing Great! I suggested before there should be a spot for you in Fiji Tourism. Good on you Mate 👏 👍
I’m only just getting warmed up. I’m hoping to really have my vlogging take off this year. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🫶🏽
Beautiful blog love and blessings from Australia 🇦🇺💞💖💕
Thank you so much 😊
Thank you Sir for sharing our Fijian history.
Glad you liked it, Etonia. Lots more stories to come. Stay tuned. 😃🙏🏽👍🏽👌🏽🙌🏽
Awesome video like all your other videos. That wide Yavu would probably be the single men bure who would have been going through initiations or the warriors (Bati Leka) bure closest to the Chief's Bure.
Vinaka Willy. I'll be going back to Delaikorocula soon as a friend wanted to see it plus I've been told by someone connected to Nasolo village there are other features I should have been shown. With the turaga-ni-yavusa's permission, I'll also take a shovel in the search for pottery, clam shells and other remnants of the ancient past.
@@ThePaleBlueDot wonderful Sir. I think you should take someone as your guide who would have a clearer explanations on the Yavus and flora and fauna. Each Yavus close to one another indicates a Tokatoka (Family Sub Clan). Flora and fauna will determine the sacred totems of the Yavusa. The Yavus on the outskirts will be probably be of the Bati Balavu or warrior guardians of the boundaries. As you go into the village the Yavus will represent the different clan from fishermen, craftsmen, Daunivucu (those who create songs and meke to record their history and events) Priest, Sau-Turaga (Also of chiefly blood and kingmaker), Bati Leka (warriors who protect the chiefly household) and Turaga (chiefly clan).There might be a section where prisoners and slaves are kept and also a long wide Yavu where young men are kept for initiations to manhood. If your guide can point that out it would be a much more interesting. Wishing you all the best Sir.
@@willycagibulakamenio8861 Wow! Vinaka, Willy, for that detailed reply. I read a lot on ancient Fijian history but I’m always keen to learn more from people who watch my channel. That piece of advice you’ve given me is invaluable. 😃😃
@@willycagibulakamenio8861 Btw, the turaga-ni-yavusa’s daughter told me when we did the ‘sevusevu’ that there was a rare tree in Delaikorocula which bears a fruit similar to grapefruit. I saw the tree on my expedition but no fruit. I’ll speak to her again soon to get more info and also find out when it bears fruit.
We are the ones who should be thanking you for your videos and effort. The details that you gather and the places you go to is more valuable than the textbooks in school. All the best to you and keep the videos coming.
just incredible 🤘👍
Thanks!
Awesome 🤩
Thanks 🤗
Great job👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Thank you! 😃👍🏼
I seen quite a number of your fabulous videos and rate thus one very highly. I was impressed with the old village. It’s size a rock yavus shows that it was an important location and the people were very strong. I was astounded at the amount of rocks. I wonder if the prisoners were engaged hauling up the rocks. Running the village would have been a full time job. Your videos also show just what a paradise they are living in. Thank you for your efforts.
Thank you! Yes, according to local legends recorded many years ago, prisoners would haul rocks up from a creek nearby to create Udre Udre’s fortified village. He had another one in the foothills of Nakauvadra which we will likely visit next year.
Too good bro
Thank you, Apenisa.
Well done 👍 bro
Thank you!
Your guide went through in flip-flops ❤😂
I know! Hilarious! 😆
Most from Rakiraki to Ba and beyond remembered your Dad😂.. Heard one of them said; Sahu Khan's son❤😂😂
Yes, that’s me! 😃🫶🏽🙌🏽👍🏽🙏🏽🇫🇯
Amen.🙏
😃😎
Hi Mate, another good one.Can these sites be protected?
Sadly, probably not under this current government which is hell bent on making enemies of its own people in order to justify its existence. 😢
@@ThePaleBlueDot i know shameful that it's true.I bet Fiji is littered with these sites.Think you are one of the first to document it..Well done 👍
@@Bdamuni Absolutely. They are all over Fiji. Thank you!
Issa my grandmothers village.
Beautiful village. Lovely people.
Hello bro who long Fiji 🥰🥰🥰
Hello 😊