Lovoni
Encyclopedia
The Tikina of Lovoni is made up of the villages of Lovoni, Nasaumatua, Vuni-ivi-savu, Visoto, Nukutocia and Nacobo. The latter three village
s are located on the coast of Ovalau
.
s of the island
having migrated
from mainland Vitilevu to settle Ovalau
. Popular beliefs link them to the High Chiefdom of Verata and inevitably to the Nakauvadra epic. The founding ancestor of the Lovoni is popularly referred to as Rakavono, nephew to the mythical founder of the Bureta
people, Bui Savulu, daughter of Lutunasobasoba.
At the time of Europe
an contact, written sources refer to this group of people as the predominant rulers of Ovalau. They were responsible for torching the settlement of Levuka
, at least twice, causing a dispersal of its early European settlers to Savusavu
. They were an independent Fiji
an Kingdom with kinship ties to the Roko Tui Bau, the people of Verata, Wainibuka and Naitasiri
. Their allies within the Lomaiviti
group lay with the Tora ni Bau of Batiki
. They also had strong ties with the people of Bua
and Cakaudrove
. To the east, they had extensive ties and allies with the Yasayasa Moala and Ono-i-Lau
. Their ties to the west of Fiji were direct kinship ties with the noblehouse of the Tui Nadi
.
The Lovoni people, being an independent kingdom
with several strategic tributaries, ensured their role as mercenaries of war
in the central Fijian province of Lomaiviti
, which at the time of European contact, was undergoing a major power struggle between the Noble Houses of Verata and their ally and kin the House of the Roko Tui Bau and the rising power of the Vunivalu of Bau
. This period also saw the growing power of the Tongan
s influx to the east of Fiji, the rise of Rewa
and its tributaries and the presence of the Europeans and their efficient firearm
s. The Lovoni people found themselves in the center of this major conflict and power struggle and often played the determining role of supporting whichever side suited them best, based on kinship ties. Their unfailing support of the ailing and declining house of the Roko Tui Bau and his descendants would mark the fate of this fiercely independent and proud people.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
s are located on the coast of Ovalau
Ovalau
Ovalau is the sixth largest island in Fiji's Lomaiviti Archipelago. Situated at 17.70° South and 178.8° East, , the island is about 13 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide...
.
History
Various myths and legends attribute the Lovoni people to different origins. It is believed that they were the first settlerSettler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s of the island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
having migrated
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
from mainland Vitilevu to settle Ovalau
Ovalau
Ovalau is the sixth largest island in Fiji's Lomaiviti Archipelago. Situated at 17.70° South and 178.8° East, , the island is about 13 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide...
. Popular beliefs link them to the High Chiefdom of Verata and inevitably to the Nakauvadra epic. The founding ancestor of the Lovoni is popularly referred to as Rakavono, nephew to the mythical founder of the Bureta
Bureta
Bureta is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 303 inhabitants....
people, Bui Savulu, daughter of Lutunasobasoba.
At the time of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an contact, written sources refer to this group of people as the predominant rulers of Ovalau. They were responsible for torching the settlement of Levuka
Levuka
Levuka is a town on the eastern coast of the Fijian island of Ovalau, in Lomaiviti Province, in the Eastern Division of Fiji. It was formerly the Capital of Fiji. At the census in 2007, the last to date, Levuka town had a population of 1,131 , about half of Ovalau's 8,360 inhabitants...
, at least twice, causing a dispersal of its early European settlers to Savusavu
Savusavu
Savusavu is a town in the Fijian Province of Cakaudrove. The town is located on the south coast of Vanua Levu Island and had a population of 3,372 in the 2007 census.Savusavu is known as "the hidden paradise of Fiji."- Geography :...
. They were an independent Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
an Kingdom with kinship ties to the Roko Tui Bau, the people of Verata, Wainibuka and Naitasiri
Naitasiri
Naitasiri is one of the 14 provinces of Fiji and one of eight based in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island.-Geography and infrastructure:Naitasiri as a province covers 1,666 square kilometers , the Province occupies the area to the north and east of Suva, the capital...
. Their allies within the Lomaiviti
Lomaiviti
The Lomaiviti archipelago of Fiji consists of seven main islands and a number of smaller ones. They cover a total area of 411 square kilometers, and had a population of 16,461 at the most recent census in 2007...
group lay with the Tora ni Bau of Batiki
Batiki
Batiki is an island of Fiji belonging to the Lomaiviti Archipelago. The island is of volcanic origin, with a land area of about 12 square kilometers. Its latitude is 17°47'; its longitude is 179° 9'....
. They also had strong ties with the people of Bua
Bua Province
Bua is one of fourteen provinces of Fiji. Located in the west of the northern island of Vanua Levu, it is one of three northern provinces, and has a land area of 1,379 square kilometers. Its population at the 2007 census, the most recent to date, was 14,176, making it the fourth least-populous...
and Cakaudrove
Cakaudrove
Cakaudrove is one of fourteen provinces of Fiji, and one of three based principally on the northern island of Vanua Levu, occupying the south-eastern third of the island and including the nearby islands of Taveuni, Rabi, Kioa, and numerous other islands in the Vanua Levu Group...
. To the east, they had extensive ties and allies with the Yasayasa Moala and Ono-i-Lau
Ono-i-Lau
Ono-i-Lau is a volcanic and coral island in Fiji's Lau archipelago.One of the southernmost of the Lau Islands, it is located at 20.80° South and 178.75° East, and occupies an area of 7.9 square kilometers. It has a maximum elevation of 113 meters. It is 90 kilometers southsouthwest of Vatoa, the...
. Their ties to the west of Fiji were direct kinship ties with the noblehouse of the Tui Nadi
Tui Nadi
Tui Nadi is the title of the Paramount Chief of Nadi, in Fiji. The Tui Nadi hails from the village of Narewa, and exercises chiefly authority over the subdistricts of Nadi and Sikituru .The title has been in...
.
The Lovoni people, being an independent kingdom
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
with several strategic tributaries, ensured their role as mercenaries of war
Mercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
in the central Fijian province of Lomaiviti
Lomaiviti
The Lomaiviti archipelago of Fiji consists of seven main islands and a number of smaller ones. They cover a total area of 411 square kilometers, and had a population of 16,461 at the most recent census in 2007...
, which at the time of European contact, was undergoing a major power struggle between the Noble Houses of Verata and their ally and kin the House of the Roko Tui Bau and the rising power of the Vunivalu of Bau
Vunivalu of Bau
Turaga na Vunivalu ni Bau is the Paramount Chief of the Kubuna Confederacy, loosely translated the title means Warlord of Bau or Root of War. The succession to the title does not follow primogeniture, but the candidate must be a high ranking member of the Tui Kaba clan.-A brief history:The...
. This period also saw the growing power of the Tongan
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
s influx to the east of Fiji, the rise of Rewa
Rewa (princely state)
Rewa was a princely state of India, surrounding its eponymous capital, the town of Rewa.-Description:With an area of about 13,000 mi², Rewa was the largest princely state in the Bagelkhand Agency and the second largest in Central India Agency. The British political agent for Bagelkhand resided...
and its tributaries and the presence of the Europeans and their efficient firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s. The Lovoni people found themselves in the center of this major conflict and power struggle and often played the determining role of supporting whichever side suited them best, based on kinship ties. Their unfailing support of the ailing and declining house of the Roko Tui Bau and his descendants would mark the fate of this fiercely independent and proud people.