A few months back one of my colleague, Sereima contributed to a book chapter - it was a result of her doctoral research. The research was based on her home land Wainika. Below is the cover of their book:
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| The book launch in Suva |
Last weekend was one of the most interesting and amazing one as we had each
of the three days full of excitement and cultural experience when the characters from Sereima's book came alive. Day 2 of this trip (Atul's solar energy project), we wake up at 4a.m. and get ready to drive up to 'Wainigadru' to reach in time to take the 45 minutes boat ride to get to our destination Wainika, the south of Udu. Wainika must have one of the most pristine waters and beaches as it is one of those places where very few 'outsiders' let alone tourists have stepped in. We counted ourselves as the lucky few as did the people of Wainika since Atul was going their with the French funded solar project. Everyone was happy!
When we reached Wainigadru, we were trying to explain to the people of Wainigadru where we were headed to - they did not understand who was this Sereima we were talking about but after a series of references we all hit the jackpot 'Di Volivoli' , precisely what Seriema had mentioned during the book-launch (she is known to her people as di volivoli and not her Christian/ English name and degrees). As we waded the water the scenic Wainika from her presentation at the book launch came alive. Finally it was such a pleasure to meet the 94- year old Aunt Tupou - the name in the the book who Sereima owes her research to along with her people in the village. My understanding is quite limited in ethnography and its epistemology but the whole experience was humbling and added yet another drop to the cultural ocean that I am to discover...
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| "That is my tugalala home Cu'u" - Bula Sia (Hello) Cu'u! |
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| Beautiful Cu'u: Ima's tugalala home (settlement) away from the main village of Wainika |
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| A variety of fish from Wainika waters with love |
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| Leaving Wainika |
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| The Epic Journey back from Wainika |
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| Ni sa Moce (Goodbye) Wainika |
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I had to leave a bit of my culture behind, here is a hint of that from my lovely little friends in Wainika.
