Backpacking in Fiji, Chapter 5

Fijian Cigarettes and Yet More Kava

Church ended and I was led by the hand by The Chief back to his house, where—much to my surprise—we would be…drinking more kava. I was not excited to be drinking more kava, but I did feel honored to be the only foreigner drinking it with the village elders. I use the term ‘elders’ with complete ignorance, for I don’t know if there are certain things one must do to attain this prestigious position. I figure they were the elders simply because they were old.

The kava was mixed and the chief drank first, followed by one or two other Fijian men, and then myself. I made sure to follow local custom: First, clap, then hold the coconut shell with both hands, say “Bula,” and drink it all in without taking a breath. After the first round, it’s okay to skip the “bula.” I feel I stuck to customs well, the only thing making me stick out being my near complete ignorance of the Fijian language. That and I was the only white person in the room. I didn’t bother me, though. I felt welcomed. Occasionally one of the men would strike up a conversation with me, sincerely wanting to learn about this visitor.

While drinking kava, the old men passed around cigarettes and soon began smoking what my local friends told me later were Fijian cigarettes. Basically, a Fijian cigarette is a long strip of a local tobacco leaf wrapped in a piece of newspaper. Once rolled, it is about nine inches long and smells horrible when smoked.

Once again famished, I was saved by Oro, who sat in the circle and said that lunch was ready for me. I said jelo (pronounced cheelo--meaning excuse me) and joined the rest of my group for lunch. Another meal of peanut butter and jelly with crackers and bread.

Following lunch, we did nothing. We didn’t do a thing until five pm, when we went to look at some farmland owned by Josese and Jone. Rustic Pathways was looking to develop a small business program with the Fijian brothers that western students would take part in. It would include all aspects of farming as well as taking the products to the market on the weekends.
Upon returning to the village, I ate dinner, passed on kava, and was in bed before the Chief even returned home.