Kava Chief says "Bula!"I'll have to snap some shots of his weapons: on the left is a Fijian "Neck Breaker" and on the right is a "Skull Crusher" or "Splitter" used to kill and then split open the skull to prepare human brains for consumption. I didn't bring back any of the traditional forks they used to scoop out the brains. It was not that long ago that these parts were known as the "cannibal isles" and were feared by all sailors who ventured too close. You'd never guess judging by Fijians extremly courteous and generous demeanor. These people are now famous for being some of the kindest folks you could ever wish to meet.
I was invited for lunch by a local and he explained to me: "the reason Fijians ate the white man was not because we disliked him or felt threatened-we saw them as divine, and thus wanted to obtain a part of that divinity by consuming the flesh within our own bodies."
Yes, that was an interesting afternoon. Kind of a split between feeling extremely vulnerable/terrified and yet fortunate to have been personally invited into their home to hear such an account from a native Fijian with generations of blood lines tied to this history.
music, kava, music, kava, then some more music, and kava...
Sunday kava with the villiage minister.Things are a bit more laid back down there in Fiji-
...until a soccer or rugby match breaks out.
