Ratu

Ratu

Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, Adi is used by females of chiefly rank.-Etymology:Ra is a prefix in many titles and Tu is simply "chief"...

 Wilisoni Tuiketei Malani OBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

, OSTJ, JP

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 (1920 - 14 June 2005) was a 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 chief

Ratu

Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, Adi is used by females of chiefly rank.-Etymology:Ra is a prefix in many titles and Tu is simply "chief"...

, medical doctor, and politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

. He held the chiefly title of Turaga na Gonesau

Turaga na Gonesau

The Turaga na Gonesau is a chiefly title of the Fiji Islands and is viewed as a Paramount Chief of Fiji residing in the Nakorotubu District in the Ra Province on the Main Island of Viti Levu.-In Translation:...

, or Paramount Chief of the Nakorotubu

Nakorotubu

Nakorotubu is a district in Fiji's Ra Province. It is made up seven sub-districts or Tikina makawa, namely,Kavula, Nakorotubu, Navitilevu, Bure-i-wai, Bure-i-vanua, Mataso, and Nakuailava.-Geography:...

 district in the Province of "Ra

Ra

Ra is the ancient Egyptian sun god. By the Fifth Dynasty he had become a major deity in ancient Egyptian religion, identified primarily with the mid-day sun...

" in the western part of Viti Levu. The "Turaga na Gonesau

Turaga na Gonesau

The Turaga na Gonesau is a chiefly title of the Fiji Islands and is viewed as a Paramount Chief of Fiji residing in the Nakorotubu District in the Ra Province on the Main Island of Viti Levu.-In Translation:...

" means the "blessed child" as Ratu Malani's grandancestor was one of Fiji's high chief, Rokomautu from Verata, who gave his blessing "sau"

The surname "Malani

Malani

Roko Malani was the eldest son of Rasolo, the first Tui Nayau , and of Laufitu a high-ranking lady of Totoya and Tongan descent. He succeeded to the title Roko Sau, after engineering a successful coup d'état and slaying his uncle, Matawalu, the fourth Roko Sau, in battle...

" was given to Ratu Malani's father by Lau chief "Roko Malani" as a token of appreciation and in remembrance for the Nakorotubu warriors in sailing to Lau and subduing an uprising in Kedekede, Lakeba

Lakeba

Lakeba is an island in Fiji's Southern Lau Archipelago; the provincial capital of Lau is located here. The island is the tenth largest in Fiji, with a land area of nearly 60 square kilometers. It is fertile and well watered, and encircled by a 29-kilometer road. Its closest neighbors are Aiwa...

, Lau

Lau Islands

The Lau Islands of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about one hundred islands and islets, about thirty are inhabited...

 in the 18th century in what is commonly known as the Vuakaloa Campaign or Blackboar Campaign.

A cousin of the late Prime Minister and President, Kamisese Mara

Kamisese Mara

Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, CF, GCMG, KBE is considered the founding father of the modern nation of Fiji. He was Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the first Prime Minister from 1970 to 1992...

, Ratu Malani after the death of his father Roko Malani in Ra was raised in Tubou

Tubou

Tubou is a village on the Fijian island of Lakeba. One of eight villages on Lakeba, it is considered the capital of the Lau Islands, being the seat of the Vuanirewa clan, a powerful chiefly family from which Fiji's longtime Prime Minister and President, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara and one of Fiji's...

, Lau by his uncle, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba, Ratu Mara's father, who financed his education at Fiji's premier boarding school, Queen Victoria School

Queen Victoria School (Fiji)

Queen Victoria School is a school in Fiji, established in 1906.The school was originally established in Nasinu to provide education to the sons of Fijian Chiefs...

, where he was the head boy

Head boy

Head Boy and Head Girl are terms commonly used in the British education system, and in private schools throughout the Commonwealth.-United Kingdom:...

 in 1940, and the Central Medical School, which is now the Fiji School of Medicine

Fiji School of Medicine

The Fiji School of Medicine is a tertiary institution based in Suva, Fiji. Originally established in 1885 as the Suva Medical School. After merger with leading institutions in 2010, FSM is now called called College of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences under Fiji National University. It striving...

.