Kubuna
| Nobility ofFiji |
|---|
| Titles |
| Institutions |
| Confederacies |
| RotumanTraditional Leadership |
Kubunais one of the threeconfederaciesthat make upFiji'sHouse of Chiefs,to which all of Fiji'schiefsbelong.
Details of Kubuna
[edit]It consists of the provinces ofTailevu,Naitasiri,Lomaiviti,Ra,Rotuma, and parts of the western province ofBa.Most of Kubuna is located in the northern part of Fiji'sCentral Division.
The capital of the confederacy is the chiefly island ofBauin Tailevu. While Kubuna is foremost thei-cavutiof Bau, the name is also shared by certain provinces orvanuathat were her allies or influenced by her in the past, which are now part of the confederacy.
Paramount Titles of Kubuna
[edit]The Paramount Chief of Kubuna, who is generally considered to be the highest-ranked chief in Fiji, is the 'Turaga Bale Na Tui Kaba',Vunivalu of Bau.A position that has been vacant since the death ofRatu SirGeorge Cakobau,a formerGovernor General,in 1989. Succession is not necessarily from father to son, although there is a hereditary element. Currently, there are three eligible contenders, namelyRatu George Cakobau, Jr.,his brotherRatu Epenisa Cakobauand their cousinRatu George Kadavulevu Naulivou.It is thought that clan politics is part of the reason why none of these candidates has, of yet, been installed. It is said that the nomination of Ratu George Kadavulevu Naulivou has been disqualified based on the basis that his father was born out of wedlock. Also listed as a possible candidate is Fiji's formerPresident,Ratu Epeli Nailatikau;however he too is considered by some to be disqualified as he is only connected through maternal links being a descendant of Ratu Edward Tuivanuavou Tugi Cakobau, a product of an extra-marital liaison by Cakobau's granddaughter Adi Litia Cakobau with (the then married) King George Tupou II of Tonga.
Another high chief from Kubuna is theRoko Tui Bau,most recentlyRatuJoni Madraiwiwi,the former Vice-President of Fiji who died in 2016. According to sources within theGreat Council of Chiefs(a traditional body which, among other things, used to function as anelectoral collegeto choose thePresidentand Vice-President), he was chosen for the Vice-Presidency because it was thought that as PresidentRatuJosefa Iloilowas from theBurebasagaand his predecessor,Ratu SirKamisese MarafromTovata,the new Vice-President should be from Kubuna. On 6 December 2006 he was ousted from office by coup leaderVoreqe Bainimaramaand the office ofVice-Presidenthas been suspended ever since.
References
[edit]- Planets Around the Sun:dynamics and contradictions of the Fijian Matanitu - Page 13, By Nicholas P. G. Thomas - 1986,Reference to Kubuna and its origins
- 'Apologies to Thucydides:Understanding History as Culture and Vice Versa - Page 64, by Marshall David Sahlins,reference to Kubuna and its origins
- Yalo i Viti: Shades of Viti: a Fiji Museum Catalogue- Page 173 by Fergus Clunie, Fiji Museum, Julia Brooke-White - 1986; following is a snippet: Leha died trying to save Niumataiwalu, the father of the first Tui Nayau to rule Lakeba. Ironically, Niumataiwalu, who was assassinated at Ono in a plot...
- Folk-Lore: A Quarterly Review of Myth, Tradition, Institution, and Custom,Page 119 by Sidgwick; By Folklore Society, (Great Britain), Parish Register Society, (Great Britain), Published 1977, Northern Micrographics for Brookhaven Press, Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized Jul 14, 2006. Following a snippet: In the island of Lakemba, Fiji, the nobility is all descended from Niumataiwalu. It is divided into four clans, which I will call A, B, C, and D...
External links
[edit]- Maori News (Fiji supplement)
- Vunivalu of Bau
- Nakorotubu DistrictOrigin of the 1st Vunivalu of Bau - Nailatikau 1Vunivalu Genealogy presented on page 31 by the late Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, Roko Tui Bau & 2005-2007 Vice President of Fiji in 'The Life and Times of Cakobau: The Bauan State to 1855'- A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Otago, New Zealand By Hurray P. Heasley, B.A. (Hons.), Otago. August, 2010. Genealogy presented on page 31 by the late Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, Roko Tui Bau & 2005-2007 Vice President of Fiji in 'The Life and Times of Cakobau: The Bauan State to 1855'- A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of Otago, New Zealand By Hurray P. Heasley, B.A. (Hons.), Otago. August, 2010.[1]