Emily Grace: Nikorokula village and our first SevuSevu

"Na Koro" is the Fijian phrase for "Village". Na Koro is made up from people of the same clan.

Na Koro is ruled by a chief, called the "Tui" in Fijian. We were told that the chief of Nikorokula village was currently in Suva attending a funeral. Next to the Chief is the Chief maker or chief-in-training, called "Bete", followed by the chief appointees called the Mata-ni-vanua and then the rest of the clan as cooks, hunters and fisherman, etc. A former part of the clan, called "Bokola", no longer exists. Bokola were prisoners of Fiji's tribal wars and in former times were considered as a part of the village.

In Na Koro, the village spokesman, Turaga-ni-Koro or Mayor of the village, is chosen by a meeting of all the clan. The Turaga-ni-Koro arranges meetings with the villagers and notifies the Tui of the results. He also notifies the villagers of anything that comes from the Tui.

Cruising and travel guides describe proper village etiquette for visitors to Fijian villages. Dress modestly. Women must cover shoulders and the legs to below the knees. No hats or sunglasses. Bring yagona (kava) as a gift for the chief. Don't aim the soles of your feet at the chief or the kava bowl. Don't touch anyone's head (the head is sacred). And so on. Concerns of offending the chief and the village people with some unintentional slip-up weighed heavy on our minds. This "village etiquette" factor adds a bit of stress for those of us that are trying to be "culturally sensitive" visitors.

We were welcomed by Waisake's into the Kava hut where we sat on woven mats for our presentation of sevusevu. The sevusevu offering is a formal presentation of Kava, or Yagona, which is the root of a pepper plant. The islanders grind the root up and make a semi narcotic drink out of it. You do not get drunk from it just sort of a slight numbness in the gums and vague sleepiness.

Drinking Kava is done ceremonially in many of the Pacific islands and it is sort of like American Indians smoking a peace pipe.

We gave him about ½ kilo of the bare roots and told him where we were anchored and that we hoped to enjoy the beach and do some snorkelling and SCUBA. He made a short, serious speech in Fijian before picking it up which signifies his acceptance of us into his village. He then passed the roots to his assistant to grind up for our drink. In traditional times, Yagona was prepared by young, virgin village girls, who chewed the pieces of raw Yagona into a soft pulp before adding water. I made both of them smile as I reached into my backpack and pulled out a small amount of pre-ground kava in a baggy. This saved them 20 minutes of pounding and saved our bare kava root for their later enjoyment.

The assistant mixed the powdered root with water in a large hardwood bowl, called a Tanoa, straining the root through a cloth to keep out the grit. When it was ready, he clapped with cupped hands to make a hollow "pop" sound.

Sitting crossed legged on the floor, we were arranged in a circle. Each of us in turn was offered a bilo, a small bowl made from half of a coconut, containing the liquid. Honored guests are served first, then others according to their status in the group. Tom was served first as captain.

I had to clap once before accepting the bilo. The drink should not be sipped. It should be drunk in one continuous drink. I did so and returned the cup. The clapping of hands and the word "maca" signifies that you have properly emptied your bilo. The cup was passed to Kim and Emily and both solemnly accepted and drained their cup. Mercifully, they gave Emily only a small amount in her bilo. While tasting and looking like dirty dishwater, Kava has a pleasant calming effect on the body, while leaving the mind clear. Unlike alcohol, there are no hangovers.

Relieved after the formalities, we chatted with Waisake about our trip and life aboard our boat and in his village. Since this was Saturday, we asked if we could attend church services in the morning and they were visibly pleased that we asked and we made arrangements to return. We each were offered and drank one more bilo of kava before leaving the village.

We decided it would be safer to leave our dingy in a resort on Sunday rather than the town pier, so we arrived early enough to speak with the resort folks and to enjoy coffee and hot chocolate before the cab arrived. We struck up a conversation with a vacationing couple from Arizona who were intrigued that we were going to a village church and asked if they could join us. Since we were now part of the Nikorokula village, we thought it would be OK.

We all piled into our cab and the 5 of us soon were enjoying the service and wonderful Fijian singing. I was dressed in a traditional Sulu (skirt), Kim in a ankle-length dress and Emily in the dress given to her by Tiara and we really felt native. The woman from Arizona was an artist and she gave the village many art supplies.

After the cab ride back to the resort, we enjoyed a WAY over-priced lunch and enjoyed a swim in the resort swimming pool before returning home. The artist from Arizona surprised us at lunch by giving Kim and Emily gift bracelets of Arizona turquoise that she had made.