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Bulou is a title used by Fijian women of chiefly rank, in the Provinces of Nadroga-Navosa and Kadavu, and parts of Serua Province, in Fiji.
It is equivalent to Adi , the title given to female chiefs elsewhere in Fiji.
The equivalent title used by male chiefs is Ratu .
The title of Bulou is one of high significance, importance, and of great honour among Fijian women. It is used by the Kadavu island of Fiji as the title of a chiefly woman. [1] The rank in the ancient Pacific islander tribal nation goes back generations and is viewed with the same respect as the tribes chief. Although the title is still used for Women of great tribal significance, not all the provinces within the nation of Fiji appoint the same title. The title is mostly given to women in the provinces of Nadroga-Navosa and Serua Province. These are both located on Fiji's southern and largest island of Viti Levu, on the southwestern side of the island.
Earliest archeological findings give modern historians a good guess that the first Fijian natives settled on the islands as early as 3500 BC. With the first prehistoric native Pacific population been known as the Lapita. All that is known about the prehistoric race is archeological findings of old pottery or other remanences of the ancient civilization. Archeologists have made the conclusion that the ancient tribes of the Fijian islanders have a stronger connection to the Polynesian cultures than any other ancient Pacific culture. Throughout the centuries the islands that make up the now nation of Fiji had created many dense and complicated languages and different tribes. These ways of life and ideas were able to spread through the invention of the canoe from the trees on the island. It has been said that the native tribes have gone to great extent in tribal battles, even to the point of frequent and common acts of cannibalization. With regards to recent history, the British Empire granted the nation of Fiji its independence in 1970 as the Dominion of Fiji.
The culture in the Nadroga-Navosa and Serua provinces is one that if filled with family and joy. People of these provinces are known as one of the friendliest in Fiji, which has seen growing tourism to that region as a result. The natives to these provinces speak a different language the other parts of the island. The traditions of culture have stuck in these regions with the people and the Bulou still practicing in the art of pottery, as their great Lapita ancestors had done so long ago. The women in these provinces are known for being hard workers and increase their communal role every year. They take part in the creation of pots, carpets, clothes, and other neighborhood appliances. Beside home work, women in the provinces are a crucial part of their community and help throughout many different ways of charity.
When a Fijian Chief or Bulou die, close tribes and clans come together from neighbouring villages to pay their respect. Unlike Western culture, they can have a period of time for grief and sorrow or a celebration of life that can last weeks to even months. This time before the burial ceremony is known as "Reguregu" which has deep ritual meaning. During this time members of the tribe would be partaking in kava ceremonies. The number of days the family decided to wait depends on the family, thought some "night afters", particularly the 4th or in increments of ten have ritual significance. [1] This time is seen as their last moment with the soul of their fallen tribe member or friend. To signify the end of the reguregu, often a Bulou will present the chief with some type of fresh catch. Her offering is small but very significant, representing the end of the time of mourning. [2]
Though, back in the mid and early 20th century most chiefs or people with chiefly tribal significance would "preface their name" with Ratu for men, Bulou and Adi for women. [3]
Nowadays it is not uncommon for a chief or Bulou to not address their title before their name. Between equals in a casual circumstance it is very common to be on a first name basis. However, in relations where the two being are obviously not on equal social levels, either a younger man tribe member or someone who is not affiliated with the tribe, then they would most definitely use their title before their chief's name. [4]
The chief and Bulou of each tribe still have a lot of responsibilities to their tribe, but in these modern times the formalities that were once deeply rooted have partially faded away.
Many of the small island provinces will be practically self-sufficient to their own economy and trade. Though there is a standard currency in Fiji many of the island tribes will barter and use a trading system inside and out of their tribe. The Kadavu island province will partake in shipping trade with the Suva province. Though this island trade system was never the most reliable, often off schedule, and with old boats. This was definitely a way for underdeveloped and very isolated islands to partake in trade. Though this still takes place, it is very unreliable and the Fijians will only trade like this if they truly need resources. Fijian exports are generally seasonally, with their primary export being the yaqona with small crops and seafood. On a national level, Fiji's biggest export is water, refined petroleum, processed fish, and raw sugar. The main imports to Fiji are cars, planes, delivery trucks and a lot of other resources that they don't have on the island. [5]
“Fijian Traditions and Ceremonies.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 July 2017, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fijian_traditions_and_ceremonies&oldid=793074786
This Wikipedia page had a good description on Fijian culture and the social structure within a tribe. The page had a good section on death in the Fijian society and that where I learned about the tradition of Reguregu when a death in a Fijian culture has taken place. This helped me know more about the rituals and common societal norms that take place during a death in a Fijian tribe, and importantly how the Bulou play their role during this time of loss.
Tomlinson, Matt. “Publicity, Privacy, and ‘Happy Deaths’ in Fiji.”, Wiley on Behalf of the American Anthropological Association, Nov. 2007, JSTOR 4496845
In this journal, Tomlinson investigates the death of a Fijian chief and the demonic dreams one of the tribal members has of the chief. Tomlinson goes very deep into religion and the transformation of the natives by the missionaries. While reading this article I found a section in it where the author describes the funeral process of a chief and I thought it was interesting how specific days after the death are seeing to have ritual significance in the tribe.
Tomlinson, Matt. “Everything and Its Opposite: Kava Drinking in Fiji.”, The George Washington University Institute for Ethnographic Research, 2007, JSTOR 30052773
This article goes into deep extent into the kava culture in the Fijian islands. The article focuses on the town of Tavuki, and goes into extent on the process of growing the kava leaves and how to mash it into a drinkable substance. On page 1073 it shows a picture of a kava session where, in the photo, a woman who turns out to be a Bulou is handing the chief a plate of freshly caught fish.
Tuimaleali'ifano, Morgan. From Election to Coup in Fiji. ANU Press., 2007, https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/j.ctt24hbbn.31.pdf
This article was written to explain the indigenous title dispute and how it looks toward the 2006 election. The author explains how to run for office in Fiji you don't necessarily have to be a chief, though it does help tremendously in social rankings. I used this article because on page 264 and 265, it gives a good example of when one is called by their chiefly title and how the tradition has faded along the years.
“Fiji.” OEC - Fiji (FJI) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners, OEC, http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/fji/.
This website is an MIT-made website which informs the viewer on almost all economic moves that a country makes, from imports to exports, to where those goods are going. The article breaks each exported item into a percentage of all the different exports. I thought it this was very helpful while examining Fiji's imports and exports as a nation.
RoLala, Lady Mara, maiden name Litia Cakobau Lalabalavu Katoafutoga Tuisawau was a Fijian chief, who was better known as the widow of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, modern Fiji's founding father who served for many years as Prime Minister and President of his country. As Fiji's First Lady, Adi Lala took on a diplomatic role, frequently representing her country abroad. She was regarded as a formidable and astute woman, whose influence on her husband was said to be considerable.
The House of Chiefs in Fiji consists of the Fijian nobility, composed of about seventy chiefs of various ranks, majority of which are related. It is not a formal political body and is not the same as the former Great Council of Chiefs, which was a political body with a prescribed constitutional role, although the membership of the two bodies did overlap to a great extent.
Kadavu, with an area of 411 square kilometres (159 sq mi), is the fourth largest island in Fiji, and the largest island in the Kadavu Group, a volcanic archipelago consisting of Kadavu, Ono, Galoa and a number of smaller islands in the Great Astrolabe Reef. Its main administrative centre is Vunisea, which has an airport, a high school, a hospital, and a government station, on the Namalata Isthmus where the island is almost cut in two. Suva, Fiji's capital, lies 88 kilometres to the north of Kadavu. The population of the island province was 10,167 at the most recent census in 2007.
Burebasaga is the largest of the three confederacies that make up Fiji's House of Chiefs, to which some of the Fijian chiefs belong.
Naming conventions in Fiji differ greatly, both between and within ethnic groups in Fiji. Indigenous Fijians have a set of cultural practices which today are more loosely followed, and to some extent blended with elements of European culture with regard to names. In the Indian community, traditional Indian naming practices co-exist with influence from the Fijian and European cultures.
The culture of Fiji is a tapestry of native Fijian, Indian, European, Chinese, and other nationalities. Culture polity traditions, language, food costume, belief system, architecture, arts, craft, music, dance, and sports will be discussed in this article to give you an indication of Fiji's indigenous community but also the various communities which make up Fiji as a modern culture and living. The indigenous culture is an active and living part of everyday life for the majority of the population.
The Colonial Cup is a defunct rugby union football competition that was played in Fiji between 2004 and 2008. The Colonial Cup was Fiji's first attempt at a professional rugby competition, but it did not draw sufficient crowds and ceased after five seasons.
Sigatoka is a town in Fiji. It is on the island of Viti Levu at the mouth of the Sigatoka River, for which it is named, some 61 kilometres from Nadi. Its population at the 2017 census was 17,622. It is the principal urban centre for the province of Nadroga-Navosa.
Conway Reef, known since 1976 by its Fijian name Ceva-I-Ra Reef, is a coral reef of the atoll type.
Nadroga-Navosa is one of the fourteen provinces of Fiji and one of eight based in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. It is about 2,385 square kilometers and occupies the South-West and Central areas of Viti Levu, Fiji's principal island. The province includes the Mamanuca Archipelago,Malolo Islands, off the west coast of Viti Levu, Vatulele, as well as the remote Conway Reef in the southwest. The population at the 2017 census was 58,931, being the fifth largest province. The main town in Nadroga-Navosa is Sigatoka, with a population of 9622.
Serua is one of Fiji's fourteen Provinces. Its 830 square kilometers occupy the southernmost areas of Viti Levu, being one of 8 provinces based on Fiji's largest island. It had a population of 15,461 at the 2007 census.
Adi is a title used by Fijian women of chiefly rank, namely female members of chiefly clans. It is the equivalent of the Ratu title used by male chiefs. It is in general use throughout most of Fiji, although on Kadavu Island, Bulou is used instead.
Fijian tradition and ceremony is a living way of life that has evolved as the Fijian nation has modernised over time, with various external influences from Pacific neighbours, and the European and Asian society. This general overview of various aspects of Fijian tradition, social structure and ceremony, much of it from the Bauan Fijian tradition although there are variations from province to province, uses "Fijian" to mean indigenous Fijians or I Taukei rather than all citizens of Fiji, and the Fijian terms are most often of the Bauan dialect. Many social intricacies depend on one's inherited social position and the occasion one is confronted with: each will have a particular social etiquette.
Taukei ni Waluvu is a Fijian phrase for "Owner of the Flood." It is the traditional chiefly title of the warrior hill clan Siko-Natabutale of Nairukuruku village. The history of the clan from the mid- nineteenth century, represent the social structures of the chiefly system, religion and western culture that supported colonialism in Fiji. Tradition, Christianity and British indirect rule were combined to legitimize what was accepted as the right way to govern. Condemned by some modern day critics as exploitative, the Fijian chiefly system was the medium of native social interdependence and a traditional contract shared by the indigenous clans of pre-colonial Fiji, that was utilized for colonial rule. Since Independence the chiefly system has had to adapt to the demands of modernity. Anthropologist Arthur Capell in his study of early tribal migration within Fiji made the point that, "the history of Fiji is the history of chiefly families." The phrase in fact emphasized the hierarchical nature of Fijian traditional society where chiefly power was held sacred. The relationship between Chiefs and Westerners in especially Missionaries thus became a focal point for gathering insight into Fijian culture and tradition in the nineteenth century. James Turner a latter anthropologist found, "The chiefly families of Nairukuruku were the first in the eastern highlands of Viti Levu to declare their allegiance to the central government and as a result of this support their influence expanded throughout the area".
The Lasakau Sea Warriors were a 19th-century warrior sub-culture in the pre-colonial state of Bau, in Fiji. The sea warriors were instrumental in spreading Bau's political power throughout the South Pacific archipelagic islands. The rise of the eminent islet of Bau amongst other embryonic states was due mainly to the projection of sea power through its naval forces. Bauan chief Ratu Loaloadravu Tubuanakoro was praised by French Captain Dumont D'Urville in May 1827 for his geographic knowledge of the Fijian archipelago signifying Bau's naval influence. More far-ranging than Bau's land warriors led by the Vusaradave clan, the Lasakau clan became the leading proponents of war and tribute for the emerging island kingdom. They became known as the Bai kei Bau or 'War fence of Bau'. Sahlins made the crucial observation that," The kings of Bau based their rule not on native cultivators but on native sailors and fishers-which is to say in Fijian categories, as in political strategies, not on the land but on the sea". This was the great political transformation that catapulted Bau to power over other pre-colonial kingdoms.
Kadavu Province is one of fourteen provinces of Fiji, and forms part of the Eastern Division, which also includes the provinces of Lau, Lomaiviti and Rotuma. Kadavu also belongs to the Burebasaga Confederacy, a hierarchy of chiefs from southern and western Fiji with Roko Tui Dreketi of Rewa as the paramount chief.
Nadroga, is a prominent dialect of the West Fijian languages spoken in mostly in the western region of the Fiji Islands. It is often used as the generic standard of West Fijian. It takes its name from the ancient region and modern day province of Nadroga/Navosa, in Viti Levu, an area already unique for its own material culture, language and beautiful landscapes. Known as one of the prestige dialects of Fiji, Nadroga is popularly identified, and sometimes lampooned, by the change of Standard Fijian 's' to 'h' and the turbulent pitch and rapidness in which the language is spoken and can widely be identified by non-speakers within Fiji as a result of those characteristics. It is a dialect that is less understood by native Fijian speakers due to different sounds and spelling of common words.(Becker E. Anne, 1995) For example, the Fijian greeting word "bula" is "cola" in Nadroga/Navosa dialect.
Ratu Jione Atonio Rabici "Tom" Doviverata was a Bau chief and medical doctor and administrator in colonial Fiji.
Ratu Osea Gavidi was a Fijian politician and indigenous chief. He was prominently involved in defending the interests of the indigenous people in the western part of Fiji, seeking to establish their political autonomy, then their independence.
Navatu is a sub district in Cakaudrove; one of 3 provinces situated in Vanua Levu, the second largest island in Fiji. The sub-district, or "tikina" as it is known in the iTaukei language, comprises nine villages mainly occupying the eastern peninsular of the Natewa Bay. While Copra has been the main source of income for villages in the Navatu tikina, kava or yaqona is also becoming a fast growing commodity for villages within the Navatu sub-district.