The Plantation

This weekend was the first day Solo and I went to the plantation together to actually work. I’ve gone with him to pick food, but that’s not really working that’s just getting dinner. 

“Going to the plantation” really means hiking up into the jungled hills behind the village. We followed the old, two-track road part way up through the pine plantation. The first time I saw one of these spindly pine stands in Fiji, I was a little shocked. They take me back to the highland American West and seem out of place in the tropics. A local forester told me that pine is one of the only easy things to replant after a clear cutting. I’ve asked around the village: “What was there before the pine? What was there before the grassy hillsides?” “Only our grandparents knew.” There’s nowhere to go and look it up. But I’ve heard them tell stories of rainbows of birds and read in the history books of how Bua was one of the first places foreigners came to clear the once great stands of sandalwood. 

We veered off on a path sloping down into the valley below. I try to remember to look up every now and again from futilely dodging mud holes to take in the scenery. It’s a beautiful place we live. Solo didn’t spend his life in these hills; he doesn’t know it the way he knows Seaqaqa, but he knows it better than any map could ever explain. Every place has a name, never written down. “There was an old settlement here. This is where so and so used to farm. That big tree is where a spirit lives.”

We made our way down to the valley bottom and followed the creek uphill. Because Solo is starting a new plantation, it doesn’t have a well traveled path from this side. It’s nice walking in the creek anyway. It’s cool and shady.

Solo and I are planning to go to the US next year to visit for the holidays. Although it’s more than a year off, he has to plant now in order to be able to harvest in time. It takes anywhere between 8-12 months to harvest dalo (taro root) depending on the species, weather, etc. There is no bank account from which to withdraw. You plant, you harvest, you sell. That’s where money comes from.

Our relationship flourishes when we each make efforts to understand where the other is coming from. I want to support Solo in what he does and I want him to support me. We come from very different places but our love exists in some mixed up place in the middle that no one can really understand. 

Solo jokes with me and says how he never dreamed he’d be taking a white girl to work on the farm with him. I laugh and tell him he lucked out to get a country girl like me, because there’s plenty of fancy girls out there who don’t like to get dirty. He says that I’m right, and we talk again about how funny it is that the world brought us together.

Another reason I wanted to come and help is because his other plantation was poached. And it’s kind of indirectly my fault. One of his cousins harvested all Solo’s kava plants when we were both away. Some of them were very old. When he sold them we hear he got a few thousand dollars, but we’ll never know the exact amount. Kava grows for at least 3 years before you harvest it. The longer it grows the bigger it gets and the more money you make because it’s sold by the kilo. That was going to be the start of Solo’s money to put towards building a house someday.

A large number of young men in the village are jealous/ angry/who knows what, and it’s no secret that it has something to do with me. Some quietly and some not so quietly disowning or turning against Solo. It breaks my heart, but then again they might not be bad “friends” to lose. Solo’s too much a pacifist to demand justice. He says that when someone takes something from him that it’s very hard for him to ask for it back. In some ways I wish I was more like that, not automatically wanting to seek revenge. In others ways, I wish he’d raise a ruckus. May karma right things in time.

We are each others’ support systems against all the village drama, of which I am no longer immune to. I crossed some superficial sweet spot on the integration scale. It’s good in a way. I guess it makes me able to relate just a little bit more to my colleagues/neighbors/family/friends. (Talk about blurred lines…) 

We are not dwelling on it, but keeping on keeping on!

Each of us armed with a cane knife (machete), we begin our laborious mission of taming the wild. I think of the greed behind “manifest destiny” and those whom tamed the American wilds. I think of the idea of “last frontier”. 

Here, making a small clearing in the forest, we will plant and harvest. We will get our crops, but it will take a fight. It has been cleared before. Solo points to the old yavu, terraced foundations for houses.  It is hard to imagine the land ever being clear as my muscles start to burn from the constant swinging of my machete. It reminds me of swinging an ax. Maybe Solo can read my mind because he asks me to tell a story about the trail work I used to do in America.

We work for two hours. Solo could go all day, but he’s being nice to me. I’m out of shape for manual labor. I have blisters on my hands and a painful bee sting on my face. With the clearing he did the day before, and our work today, he’ll be able to plant 500 dalo. If he’s lucky he can get $1000. Next he’ll have to find dalo tops to plant and then turn the soil by hand.

We’re both drenched in sweat and covered in debris. We grab our empty water bottle and trudge our way back to the creek. It’s at least 20 degrees cooler under the shade of the ancient grove of ivi trees. There is a swimming hole, cold and clean. We jump in and relax on the submerged boulders. I am spent. I am in awe of place and person. 

Sea Cucumbers and More Mangroves

Things have been a little slow in the village as we're waiting on the elders to meet with the chief, however, in the meantime we are continuing with our on-going projects.

Two weeks ago we waded around in the foreshore to collect sea cucumbers to put in our marine protected area. We were only able to collect about 30. It was low tide and the sun made the water very hot. The sea cucumbers were buried in the sand and they were hard to find, even by experienced Fijian eyes. Next time maybe we'll snorkel around at high tide when they're out and about.

Collecting sea cucumbers along the foreshore

 
Sea cucumbers are a high value species because the are a delicacy in certain Asian cuisines. A truck comes around every week to buy dried sea cucumbers from local people to take to the market. Some sea cucumbers can grow very large. The larger the sea cucumber the higher the price.

Large sea cucumber from the outer reef (this one caught by a free diver to sell)

Over-harvesting is the current reality -- as sea cucumbers move slowly, they are an easy target and easy money. One can apply for a special license to use SCUBA to harvest them. Fishermen are going farther and deeper to find them as their numbers decline.

We're hoping to learn more about sustainable harvest of sea cucumber species and to breed them in our marine protected area. It has potential to be a good income generator for the village if done the right way.

For more info, check out this cool fact sheet!
 From http://www.spc.int/DigitalLibrary/Doc/FAME/Brochures/Anon_11_ISFC_09_SeaCucumbers.pdf

We also planted about 100 more mangroves from our mangrove nursery. We tried transplanting some 2 ft high seedlings a month ago, but they all died. It was an experiment. The nursery takes longer but it seems the survival rate is decent, although not great. If we plant a few seedlings together they seem to be able to withstand the tide/waves better. However, they are still susceptible to seaweed weighing them down and pigs digging them up at low tide.

Electrification of the Village

One major project we are working on is to bring electricity to the village. Last year the Department of Energy gave us a quotation for how much we would have to contribute to extend the grid from Nabouwalu to reach us. They only surveyed the main village and didn't include any of our seven settlements. Over half the people in our community live in the surrounding settlements.

We recently submitted a request for a new survey to be done that would include all the settlements as well, arguing for inclusive development. We will only have to raise 5% for the total project and the government will donate the rest. We raised a motion in the District meeting yesterday to get the local government's support for electrification. They said they would support us and ask someone to come to our next village meeting to talk about it.

One the way back from the meeting, a man was stopped on the road and already surveying the village! He was drawing a scheme plan with all the houses and connecting lines.

Hopefully by this time next year all 117-ish houses in our community will have electricity! While it takes some of the romance away from living in a rural coastal village, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one there who looks at it that way. Everyone is looking forward to it as an improvement to the standard of living. It will also hopefully  help bring the settlements and the village together, as often the settlements are left out of big projects.

I guess I wouldn't complain if I could have a small refrigerator! Dreams of yogurt, cheese, and cold beer are filling my head!

Even Further into the Bush

Since we were busy in the village during my birthday, Solo and I decided to take a little excursion the weekend afterward. We traveled northward five hours by bus to Seaqaqa, the place where he grew up, to visit his Mom, step-father, and sisters.

Seaqaqa location on Vanua Levu

I hadn't taken the bus north out of Nabouwalu since May! They have been making a lot of progress on the road. They are paving the 69km from Nabouwalu to Dreketi, building 14 high-standard bridges, and 240 culverts. This is going to be a major highway for the North. I was trying to calculate how many millions of truckloads of dirt are being moved, but it made my brain hurt!

Moving earth for the new road.

It's going to be a real highway. I can't even imagine it.

 When we got off the bus at Seaqaqa we paid for a truck to take us to the settlement where Solo's family  lives. We were dropped off on the side of a small dirt road in the middle of some fields and trekked a mile into the woods, tottered across log stream crossings with our bags, and finally reached their house in a clearing in the coconut trees. Such a solitary setting was quite a change from our village where we are surrounded by dozens of other households.

Seaqaqa hills.

Solo at the front door.

The house was quaint but it was in a beautiful setting at the base of the foothills. There was no bathroom or shower. We bathed in the river and peed in the yard. Luckily years of working on trail crew didn't even make me blink an eye about this. We did a small sevusevu, relaxed, went running with some of Solo's cousin-brothers and met lots of extended family and friends around the grog bowl.

On Sunday we walked the mile to the local Methodist church. We sat on the floor and a nice lady let me share her hymnal so I could join in the singing. The preacher thanked Solo for returning to where he grew up. It was kind of a big deal in the Fijian tradition of taking me to be properly introduced to his family. Solo was born in our village and is part of the landowning clan there, but he was brought up my his grandmother and Mom in Seaqaqa. His Mom just got remarried last year. She comes to visit in the village every so often. 

Walking to church.

Nadogo Methodist church.

Solo's little sis, Sia, at church.

On the way to church Solo's Step-dad, Mo Peipei, entertained me with large insects! If you catch a kakalu (cicada) and trap it in your hands, it will cry and others will come flocking to you.

My new uncle with a swarm of cicadas on his back.

Closeup of the kakalu, or cicada.

Dead cicada "shells".

 Solo tried to explain the cicada life cycle to me in Fijian, but I was uncertain, so I looked it up. So neat that he knew all about it without ever having learned it in a science class at school.

Cicada life cycle. ( http://www.massaudubon.org/Nature_Connection/wildlife/index.php?subject=Insects&id=4 )

They have a resident chicken who just showed up one day out of the bush and decided to make herself at home. She comes inside everyday and lays eggs on the bed. There are no boy chickens around. They just got super lucky and named her "Lady".

Solo and "Lady" :)

The mini-trip was great. It was nice to share something kind of special with Solo. We didn't end up being able to get his birth certificate and the local school has no record of him ever attending, but we didn't let that get us down for more than a few minutes. We got a new birth certificate in town and applied for his passport in Savusavu where I spent a few days working. As for school, we're still working on that...

Proposed Protected Areas Passed by Village Leaders

Village meetings (bose vakoro) are painful and important.

This year my birthday fell on village meeting day, which (most of the time) happens every month. The village meeting is where just about anything that’s happening in the village (and I mean anything!) gets discussed. But it’s also the forum where important decisions are made. For example, if we have an idea for a project to do in the community, it first needs to get passed in the Bose Vakoro. It is supposed to happen the first Monday of the month, but it depends on what is going on in the village. This month that date fell in the middle of building the new dam and water tank.

The Bose Vakoro is different in every village. Ours usually takes 4-6 hours (that's the painful part). It begins with someone from the Bose Vanua (the traditional council) giving a mini-lecture about how the village is falling to pieces because no one respects traditional protocols anymore, etc.  Then the minutes from the last village meeting are read and people can comment/ask questions about things that were brought up last time. This usually takes a lot of time because generally not much has been done about said previous issues, etc. Then each mini-committee in the village gives their report about what they have been doing for the last month or anything they are proposing to do. Followed again by questions/comments. Lastly, the meeting is opened up for anyone to raise miscellaneous issues concerning the community.

Before, I used to be my own special committee and have my own slot in which to talk. Now, most of the things I am involved in are brought up by the Development or Yaubula (Environment) Committees, since we work closely together. This makes me happy that others have taken ownership of projects and activities. I still give a short report sandwiched in there. For the greater part of this year, I’ve been preparing my report ahead of time in Fijian -- whereas before I used to just say it in English. 

This was a special Bose Vakoro because we were able to persuade the traditional council to sit down together the night before and discuss some important matters related to our fishing grounds.This is no easy task to get the village leader and the leaders of each clan to sit down together, but we requested them to let the Yaubula Committee do a presentation to them. Our environment committee has been working on creating environmental bylaws, management rules, and proposed protected areas for the past 6 months. One awesome and eloquent representative from our committee sat down with them to share our propositions and also explain background information on why we are proposing them. This was such a crucial step! Our traditional leaders don't have much scientific background, but they have a lot of traditional knowledge and are the key decision makers for what activities can take place on the land and in the sea. 

Last year they approved one small marine protected area for our village, but there wasn't much planning put into it. They said it was tabu, but we didn't talk about how long it would be protected, etc. But after our participation in the district workshops over the past few months, we were able give some solid suggestions for management guidelines that can protect our environment but also provide benefits to the local people.

Here is brief description of the 5 protected areas that were proposed and approved by our village leaders:

• Mata ni Wai Vuya/ Mata ni Wai Natwea: Two terrestrial protected areas, each extending 100m above our two main drinking water sources (dams) where farming, use of chemicals, cutting trees, and tying animals will be prohibited. This is to protect our drinking water from contamination.

• Natobu Tabu: Our current tabu fishing area, to be a 5 year ban on fishing and harvesting where we will grow and sustainably harvest sea cucumbers for sale to generate income for a village scholarship account. This area extends for the beach, including mangroves, out across the reef flat and After 5 years the tabu area will be reviewed. If the village is in favor of it and feels it is providing benefits, it can be extended or maybe moved to a new location. (Note: 5 years is the recommended minimum time limit in which to protect an area in order to see lasting improvements in habitat health and return of dwindling species.)

 

• Natarani Tabu: This is a small offshore reef that will be protected, but villagers will be allowed to fish there during special village functions such as funerals, weddings, etc with the permission of the Bose Vanua. This is called a periodically harvested protected area, and care can be given to limit the amount of time and/or gear used to fish here so as not to lose the benefits of protection in one quick raping of the reef.

• Kawakawa and Naitaga Tabu: This is the area between Natobu and Natarani and it will be permanently protected. It includes the edge of the reef flat and the deeper channel. Here we are hoping to be able to set up oyster spat collection nets and breed giant clams. It will also serve as a sanctuary for fish to breed. Fish do not stay inside the boundaries, obviously, and the "overflow" can support the local fisherfolk.

These proposed areas were also accepted by the Bose Vakoro. The next step is to get the support of those outside our village. We need the approval of the district chief and support from the other communities who share the same fishing ground. This will again involve traditional protocol and is  very important in order for this work to be sustainable and supported by all.

It might only be a small step forward but I am thankful for each little bit of progress we make. I can't think of anything else I could have wished for on my birthday than that.