Viseisei and Vuda Point

After the Sabeto Hot Springs we took a jaunt down to Viseisei - the first inhabited village of Fiji. As we were driving, we saw all the fields of sugar cane being harvested. Our driver told us that very few people in Fiji had machinery so it was all done by hand with a machete. While we were driving past one field, we heard the workers shouting. Our driver slowed down and rolled down the window to hear what they were saying. If I had been driving on the other hand and heard some men with machetes shouting at me, I would have locked all the doors and drove faster, but they do thinks differently over there. Turns out they noticed tourists in the car and they were yelling, "Take our picture! Take our picture!" So we did.



The first village was pretty interesting. We had a guide from the villag tour us around and we were able to ask her all kinds of questions about life in Fiji. Some things I remember:

- In the early days chiefs used to have multiple wives. When the chief died, his favorite wife was buried alive with him. Eesh. Apparently this was a great honor. But if I were part of a chief's harem, I would do my best to put myself as least favorite.
-The chief is the only one who still lives in a traditional "bure." Everyone else has switched over to concrete buildings.



- Family members all live together. In one house there are approximately 20 people living there.



- Parents have to pay for their children to attend school. If a family is to poor to pay, the village raises money to pay for that child. I know free education is great, but I think having to make sarifices in order to get an education really helps students realize what a blessing it is to have the chance to learn.
- If anyone in the village disobeys any of the rules, he or she is brought in front of the whole village to be punished publicly in the village square. Our guide said hardly anyone breaks the rules.



- Fijians used to be canninbals. In fact, in the large Methodist church at the center of the village, there is a frame holding several buttons. We were told that those were the buttons of the last missionary that was ever eaten by the people of the village. They ate everything else but could not figure out how to eat the buttons. So they saved them. And framed them. And hung them in a church.



Next up was the landing spot of the first Fijians called Vuda Point. Not much to it. Basically a beach and a plaque. Hooray.