Descendants of a man called Savase

Listen to this article:

The people of Bouwaqa are all smiles after receiving their new solar-powered freezer from Minister for Fisheries Semi Koroilavesau (4th from right). Picture: LUKE RAWALAI

Picturesque Teci Village is located on Yasawai- Rara, the northernmost island of the Yasawa Group.

The picture-postcard and tranquil setting today is a far cry from the turbulent history of Teci. In fact, the people who are native to the village now are not from Yasawa at all.

The people who call Teci Village home today are descendants of a man called Savase from Nakauvadra, Ra.

Native Land Commission records show that Savase journeyed to Yasawa-i-Rara and initially settled at Korokoro, Vivau, near the present location of Teci Village and from there he moved to Bouwaqa.

Savase had three sons, the two eldest remained at Bouwaqa and the youngest went to establish a new settlement at Dalomo.

The ancestors of the presentday Teci people then installed Savase’s great-grandson as a leader with the title of Tui Teci and this still exists in the village to this day.

He was independent and did not heed the authority of anyone else on Yasawa-i-Rara. As the Teci people increased in number at Bouwaqa, they began linking up with people of neighbouring Dalomo Village.

Even strangers from other parts of Fiji who arrived later at the village were given land by the Bouwaqa people and included in the yavusa.

Two of the leading chiefs of Bouwaqa married women from Bila, Tavua, and suggested establishing a connection with Tavua.

This was further encouraged with the arrival of some Tavua people who settled at Teci.

Interestingly, a division of one of the mataqali was called Nadua, and this suggested origins from either Yaqeta or Votua, Ba.

Oral history says there was a time when the people of Macuata, Vanua Levu, journeyed to Yasawa to help the people at Teci during a war with the people of Yasawa-i-Rara where they were defeated.

The people of Viwa also came to assist Ratu Joni Cakautavatava, the Tui Yasawa at the time of the NLC enquiry.

Following the war, the Bouwaqa people remained at Teci and Dalomo. Apart from the spirit of Savase, the Bouwaqa people had a nitu or guardian spirit called Mateanitani whose sacred space was at Nakorodamu, on a peak overlooking Bukama and Teci, this was also the place of the nitu of the Bukama people.

Their kai or tree was the balawa, either the screwpine or the wild pineapple and their ika or fi sh was the galau or kawakawa, the grouper.

Over the years, the people of Bouwaqa had a lot of interrelationships with outside infl uences. One of the more prominent ones was their relations with the people of Vanua Levu, specifically Macuata, who had aided them in war during a quarrel between the people of Teci and Yasawa-i- Rara.

Interestingly, their foes from Yasawa-i-Rara sought the assistance of Tui Bua. The Macuata party led by Gigi of Galoa, while on their way to Teci, were passing the Naivaka peninsula just west of the island of Galoa in Lekutu, Bua, towards the west end of Vanua Levu, when they met and drove away from the Tui Bua’s party on its way to Yasawa.

However, both parties reached their destinations and Tui Bua was able to warn the Yasawa people that the Macuata party was approaching and they should put up their defences.

The Teci and Macuata people advanced on Yasawa-i Rara and laid siege to the village. Meanwhile, Tui Bua, who was in the village, sent a party of five to Bua to say that in the event of his death his wives were not to be strangled.

On their return, the messengers were caught at sea by the besiegers and killed. The siege lasted for six months, but miraculously the Tui Bua and the people of Yasawa- i-Rara finally won the war.

However, the people of Yasawai- Rara used to visit the people of Bua and became connected with them through intermarriage, but they never had a qali or tributary relationship with Bua.

Three months later, Tui Bua returned to Yasawa-i-Rara for the magiti ni valu or feast of thanksgiving for his military assistance right in the eve of waging war between the people of Matacawalevu and Nacula.

There are other records of wars and quarrels that the Bouwaqa people of Teci were involved in because of the never-ending disputes between them and their neighbours of Yasawa-i-Rara, this was evident of their active participation in the politics of Yasawa-i-Rara.

Apart from the rich history of the people of Teci, the island of Yasawa-i-Rara has interesting historical sites steeped in legend.

One such site is the Sawa-i-lau Caves owned by the people of Nabukeru.

Array
(
    [post_type] => post
    [post_status] => publish
    [orderby] => date
    [order] => DESC
    [update_post_term_cache] => 
    [update_post_meta_cache] => 
    [cache_results] => 
    [category__in] => 1
    [posts_per_page] => 4
    [offset] => 0
    [no_found_rows] => 1
    [date_query] => Array
        (
            [0] => Array
                (
                    [after] => Array
                        (
                            [year] => 2023
                            [month] => 12
                            [day] => 29
                        )

                    [inclusive] => 1
                )

        )

)

No Posts found for specific category