Vanua and its Relevance to the Fijian Way of Life
Vanua is an integral concept for indigenous Fijians in how they relate to one another, their identity, their belonging, ancestral heritage and connection to their land.
We don’t really have a comparative term in English that comes close to what the concept means in Fijian. The literal closest working definition in English of vanua as used in day to day in Fiji is ‘land’ but when alluding to the Fijian concept it can be more related to ‘being’.
Watch this Webinar…
In this webinar, Cam and Lulu explore the breadth and depth of what this term means in Fiji, touching on social structures, historical change and just how all encompassing this term is for indigenous Fijian culture…
“The living soul or human manifestation of the physical environment which the members have since claimed to belong to them and to which they also belong. The land is the physical or geographical entity of the people, upon which their survival… as a group depends. Land is thus an extension of the self. Likewise, the people are an extension of the land. Land becomes lifeless and useless without the people, and likewise the people are helpless and insecure without land to thrive upon.”
(Asesela Ravuvu, 1983, pg. 76)
It is a concept that encapsulates the co-belonging of Fijians to the land and the land to the Fijians. It is a concept that explains the polity of pre-Colonial Fiji and still survives to this day.
A Zoom Call with Laisa
Here’s a brief conversation with Think Pacific’s Operations Manager Laisa Drua. Laisa provides her insights on what is a very alien concept in Western society. Topics covered:
- What vanua means to a Fijian
- Where it comes from
- How it is manifested in day to day life
- The future for the concept of vanua
The Ideological Concept of Vanua
Here’s a great article going into detail about ‘vanua’. It is considered in light of its three senses: spirits, places and people.
Importance for Identity
Origins
Essential to an indigenous Fijian’s understanding of their identity is the understanding of the relationship one has to their family (tokatoka), their mataqali and their yavusa all stemming from the common ancestor spirit of the particular tribe, the kalou vu.
When one familiarises themselves with this map of self-understanding, they become part of a body that is much larger than their own.
This is the reason one of the first questions a Fijian will ask when meeting a stranger is ‘where are you from’, it is considered vital to understand as part of their identity. The answer will often also affect how the stranger is treated afterwards, in terms of dialect spoken and often down to historic tribal relations.
Mana is an essential concept to understand when tackling the larger concept of vanua. Mana can almost be understood as ‘blessing’ or ‘spiritual power’ and comes from the ancestral spirits, the kalou vu themselves. A particular yavusa owes its existence to their unique ancestral gods from the first landing at Kauvadra and mana is the working idea that the greatest concern of the kalou vu is the wellbeing and thriving of their yavusa, mana being the influencing power in the world. It was believed that these spirits guided the wellbeing of the yavusa from afar and the people gave gifts in return for favourable times and when a message needed to be received. They could be pleased with gifts to maintain the natural balance and prosperity of the land and also for victory in battles between tribes. Mana was believed to be received from holy sites and traditional ceremonies.
What we see in this spiritual relationship between people, land and gods is the interconnectedness between everything. The people belonging to a particular yavusa claim ownership of the lands that were historically owned by them, bestowed upon them by their ancestor god and everything in it as the land sustains the people just as the people sustain the land.
Kerekere
The concept of vanua means that land is seen as an extension of the self and that the very self is interconnected with everyone and everything in the same yavusa. On a larger scale, the concept is used nowadays in reference to the whole of Fiji and Fijians. Although sometimes belonging to different yavusa, they are Fijians and exist together in the wider sense of vanua. The accompanying concept of kerekere (trans. request) stems from this collectivist idea really demonstrates the treatment of Fijian to Fijian as family members. Kerekere is unconditional giving based on the concept that time and property is communal.
The article below reveals some fascinating COVID-19 context of Fijians supporting each-other in times of crisis:
But how practical is kerekere?
Concerns have been made in the acedemic circles about how this selfless giving and debtless support may impact social entrepreneurship and even the economy as a whole. It is a prime case study of how Fiji’s traditional concepts and systems of society may interact with historically imported systems.
The article below looks at the implication kerekere may have on social entrepreneurship in Fiji and discusses whether it may have an impact.
Maintenance of Culture
It is not an understatement to claim that vanua is a central component to all facets of indigenous Fijian culture and customs. It is a complicated but fundamental sociocultural, hierarchical and spiritual concept that is unique to the Pacific, being particular prominent in contemporary Fiji; it plays a central role as the epicentre and explanation for indigenous Fijian culture and is arguably the means by which Fijian customs and identity are maintained in Fiji despite a host of new influences.
As the vanua survives, arguably so too will beliefs and customs of old. One example of this can be myths and legends in oral tradition that explain the existence of the vanua. Alongside the belief of Christianity, many Fijians still demonstrate a profound belief in kalou vu and kalou yalo, the spirits of their provinces and villages. Beliefs of black magic also acompany these, and certain stories are passed down through generations in a particular province/village often relating to the origin of the vanua or a profound historic moment of its history. Here’s Lulu sharing the story of Sui from his home island Moturiki: