Lau Islands

Coordinates: 17°50′S 178°40′E / 17.833°S 178.667°E / -17.833; 178.667
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Lau Islands is located in Pacific Ocean
Lau Islands
Lau Islands
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Location of the Lau Islands in the Pacific Ocean

The Lau Islands (also called the Lau Group, the Eastern Group, the Eastern Archipelago) of

low islands
.

Administratively the islands belong to Lau Province.

History

The Lau Islands

The British explorer James Cook reached Vatoa in 1774. By the time of the discovery of the Ono Group in 1820, the Lau archipelago was the most mapped area of Fiji.

Political unity came late to the Lau Islands. Historically, they comprised three territories: the Northern Lau Islands, the Southern Lau Islands, and the

Tui Nayau
, who had been the nominal overlord of the Lau Islands, became subject to Ma'afu.

The

Tui Nayau and Tui Lau titles came into personal union in 1969, when Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, who had already been installed as Tui Lau in 1963 by the Yavusa Tonga, was also installed as Tui Nayau following the death of his father Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba III in 1966. The title Tui Lau was left vacant from his uncle, Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna
, in 1958 as referenced in Mara, The Pacific Way Paper.

The Northern Lau Islands, which extended as far south as

capital
.

The Southern Lau Islands extended from

Tui Nayau
, but with Ma'afu's conquest in the 1850s, he became subject to Tongan supremacy.

The

Lomaiviti than with Lau, but Ma'afu's conquest united them with the Lau Islands. They have remained administratively a part of the Lau Province
ever since.

Culture and economy

See also: Fiji–Tonga relations § Minerva Reefs and Mara conflicts

Since they lie between

masi paintings. Lakeba especially was a traditional meeting place between Tongans and Fijians. The south-east trade winds allowed sailors to travel from Tonga to Fiji, but much harder to return. The Lau Island culture became more Fijian rather than Polynesian beginning around 500 BC.[1] However, Tongan influence can still be found in names, language, food, and architecture. Unlike the square-shaped ends characterizing most houses elsewhere in Fiji, Lauan houses tend to be rounded, following the Tongan
practice.

In early July 2014, Tonga's Lands Minister,

Enele Ma'afu, the Tongan Prince who originally claimed parts of Lau for Tonga.[4] Historically, the Minerva Reefs have been part of the fishing grounds belonging to the people of Ono-i-Lau, an island in the Lau Group.[5]

Just off the island of Vanua Balavu at Lomaloma was the Yanuyanu Island Resort, built to encourage tourism in what has been a less accessible area of Fiji, but the small resort failed almost immediately and has been abandoned since the year 2000. An airstrip is located off Malaka village and a port is also located on Vanua Balavu, at Lomaloma. There are guest houses on Vanua Balavu and on Lakeba, the other principal island.

The Lau Islands are the centre of the game of

Association Football
are preferred. The national team is invariably dominated by Lauan players.

Notable Lauans

The Lau Islands' most famous son is the late

founding father of modern Fiji who was Prime Minister for most of the period between 1967 and 1992, and President from 1993 to 2000. Other noted Lauans include Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna
(1898-1958), who forged embryonic constitutional institutions for Fiji in the years that preceded independence. Other notable Lauans include:

  • Politicians: Jonati Mavoa held many ministerial portfolios in the early part of Fiji's transition to self-government, Charles Walker who held several portfolios in the Alliance government before becoming a Diplomat, Nelson Delailomaloma who was Permanent Secretary of Education and Minister in the Interim Government, former Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, former Attorney-General Qoriniasi Bale, former Minister of Education Filipe Bole, Ambassador to China Esala Teleni, and former Cabinet Minister Lavenia Padarath. Current First Lady Adi Koila Nailatikau is also Lauan, being the daughter of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara.
  • Bureaucrats: Include former permanent secretaries Marika Tukituku, Solomone Makasiale,
    Joji Kotobalavu
    , Solomone Sila and current permanent secretary Jale Fotofili First Fijian Chief Justice (Sir Timoci Tuivaga), First Fijian President of Methodist church Setareki Tuilovoni, Kacimaiwai, Epeli - former High Commissioner to Australia, former Permanent Secretary for Education and first Fijian Principal appointed to Queen Victoria School.
  • Sports:
    Api Naikatini, Apisai Tauyavuca, Henry Qiodravu
  • Youth leaders: Roko Jonetani (Pita) Waqavonovono, Roko Liwaki Uluilakeba, Tupou Veiogo and Jackie Koroivulaono.

See also

References

  1. ^ Rotuma: Language and History, 1999.
  2. ^ Gopal, Avinesh (3 July 2014). "'Give up Lau'". Fiji Times. Archived from the original on 10 January 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  3. ^ Gopal, Avinesh (4 July 2014). "Lau 'in the dark'". Fiji Times. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  4. Nuku’alofa: Tonga Daily News. Archived from the original
    on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Tonga et Fidji se disputent le Récif de la Minerve", ABC Radio Australia (in French), 9 February 2011 (Archived from the original on 7 July 2011.)

Further reading

  • Lau Islands, Fiji, By
    Bernice Bishop Museum Bulletin
    62, 1929
  • Islands, Islanders and the World: Colonial and Post-colonial Experience of Eastern Fiji. By T.P.Bayliss- Smith, Published by Cambridge University Press.
  • World Atlas of Coral Reefs - Page 344, by Corinna Ravilious, Mark D. Spalding, Edmund Peter Green, World Conservation Monitoring Centre – 2001, Published by University of California Press
  • Tovata I & II, AC Reid. Fiji: Oceania printers Fiji (1990)
  • Cyclopedia of Lau Illustrated, Publisher Pure Blue Fiji Ltd.
  • The Lau Islands (Fiji) and Their Fairy Tales and Folklore. T[homas] R[eginald] St. Johnston, Published 1918 by The Times book co., ltd. Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized Dec 15, 2006.
  • Islands of History - Page 75, by Marshall David Sahlins - 1987 - 200 pages
  • 20th Century Fiji, edited by Stewart Firth & Daryl Tarte - 2001 -
    ISBN 982-01-0421-1
  • Fiji. - Page 237, by Korina Miller, Robyn Jones, Leonardo Pinheiro – 2003, Published by Lonely Planet

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Lau Islands.

17°50′S 178°40′E / 17.833°S 178.667°E / -17.833; 178.667

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