Moala Island

About

Moala is a volcanic island in the Moala subgroup of Fiji's Lau archipelago. It has an area of 62.5 square kilometers (24.1 sq mi), making it the ninth largest island of Fiji. The highest point on the island of Moala, at a maximum elevation of 468 meters (1,535 ft), is called Delaimoala which has rich vegetation and consists of dark thick forest. The population of around 3000 live in eight villages. The chiefly village of Naroi, whose population is over 500, was formalised during the colonial era to entertain those that would not be entertained elsewhere, and act as government representation to the vanua. Economic activities include coconut farming, cocoa, kava, dalo, and other self sufficiency production, including fishing.

Oral history of the Island depicted by the genealogical records which is funded by the British through Ratu Sukuna, whose mother is from Naocovonu, a clan within the larger Nasau group. The genealogical records or Vola-ni-Kawa Bula kei Viti abbreviated as VKB, dictates that all Moalans are to be registered under two great sons of pre-Colonial Fiji, and these are: Kubuavanua (now claimant to the title Tui Moala) and Rovarovaivalu. This separates the Island into two sub-regions: Moala Levu (as the claimant want to call themselves) and Moala Lailai. Moala Levu includes the clan that called themselves Nasau a.k.a Yavusa Ratu, Turagalevu or Turaga Ulu, whose influence is mainly felt on the West-north-west of the island from Naroi to Vadra. Moala Lailai, whose village include: Keteria (annocdatal Uciwai), Vunuku (formerly Manukui), Nasoki and Cakova (formerly Votua), with keenly influence from Wainikelei (post-Colonially referred to as Keteira), the first inhabitants of the island via Totoya via the eldest of the Ratu, who legends have it as lost at sea from his maiden voyage, as part of the graduation to becoming an adult. These group of Moalans are on the East-south-eastern end of the Island from Vunuku, Keteira, Cakova and to Nasoki. It was once a centre of inter-island trading network between western and eastern Fijian islands witnessing the exchange of sails, tapa mats (masi) and cinnamon (macou) from the Lomaivitis and sennit and canoes from the Laus.

Post-Colonial Fiji resulted in the relocation of Nasau to Naroi today and the resettlement of Manukui to Vunuku, Cakova and Nasoki. Nasoki was the branch off of the Manukui Clan after the Manukui war that saw the people of Nasoki part of the greater Davetalevu people, once Dau ki Manukui, left stranded on the beach collecting sea food for the clan after they burned their village, only to be saved by the Wainikelei Clan resulting in shifting their allegiance, to set up a stronghold at the old Wainikelei Fort up of the hills of Nasoki and Keteira today. Other settlers came in the form of Vadra, Nuku and Maloku from other parts of Fiji as a formalization of their effort in the last tribal war that occurred on the Island, that politicised the establishment through the effort to registration of native Fijians by Sukuna (Rt).

Flok stories have depicted 7 separate inflow of clan, though they were part of the earlier settlement. The first that is depicted to have settled at Moala are the Wainikelei clan, first occupying Qaliqali their old settlement on the east-south-east of the island facing Totoya and Matuku, before settling in Wainikelei mound. Today, part of the progeny from the group through maternal lineage settles in current Keteira village. The second settlers were the returning Nasau people, after winning the game of chiefs at the Nuku katudrau, who were sent to represent the lost eldest son of the Ratu. The third were the Votua and Keteiloma people arriving to present the token of appreciation from Tanoavisawaqa of Bau for his recue from the highlands. Followed are the Butoni people who arrived via Taveuni. Then the Keteicake of Turagalevu group, resulting is skirmishes of war, that lead to the arrival of the Lasakau clan now occupying Nuku. The Vadra people arrived supposedly from Beqa after the Nakorowaiwai War, claimed the spot where a group from Natumua in Kadavu once settled to show support to the Nasau clan during the Manukui war, intentions now clear bearing a whales tooth for the capture of the last known decendent of the Ratu from the first migration.

Development pressure result in undue activity on the islands fragile natural resource forcing the islanders to withdraw excessively. Pollution at sea is an increasing concern, especially in the Uciwai Bay via its narrow channel that restrict the expulsion of pollutants once deposited inside the bay due largely to strong wind and current pattern at the mouth of the channel as well as reef structure.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.