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Send responses to this essay to Rotuman Forum for posting. Please include your full name and current home city.

Bruce Tizard -Varcoe (15 December 1999) Email: BVarcoe1@aol.com I'm amazed at how few Pacific Islanders have heard of Rotuma, but thrilled when someone has and has Rotuman friends etc. It is perhaps not surprising, as on any list of Pacific Island nations, you won't see the word Rotuma. "I've heard of Niue, I've heard of Tuvalu...never heard of Rotuma though...did you say Rotorua?" may be a common statement. Should the name 'Rotuma' be officially included with the word 'Fiji', as in 'Fiji & Rotuma' (e.g. 'Trinidad & Tobago' in the Caribbean) and not just for e.g. weather reports, Fiji Constitution. I would be interested to hear of other views on this subject.... Yes I totally agree. As far as I am concerned Rotumans as well as Fijians have the right to be recognised as the indigenous people of our lands. I am currently working on a cultural directorate for Fiji that gives an overview of our arts, culture, people, etc and was quite amazed to see that that Rotuma was only mentioned as 'a small island somewhere in the Fiji group who are Polynesians'. I was also disappointed to see that it had been stated in the previous directorates that Rotumans were not even included under the indigenous cultural organisations but only the Fijian associations and Indian associations were listed,.not to offend our Fiji-indian brother and sisters. Anyway I thought I would just voice a bit of my encounters with the ignorance of many on the fact that Rotuma is its own nation in a sense with its own culture, language and has enough of a population to be addressed rather than constantly being classed as others,.especially seeing how many Rotumans are leaders in positions of responsibility and an exceptional group of achievers in relation to how small we supposedly are.... Ms Letila Semantafa Mitchell-Atalifo (10 May 2000) After I discovered that Rotuma was a country combined with Fiji, I was also surprised that it was kept almost as a secret from myself. I only discovered this when I was told that my cousin, Ms Mitchell-Atalifo, was of Rotuman blood. I think that the government of Fiji should, in some way, address this issue and include Rotuma as a joint nation (as in Trinidad & Tobago) or help Rotuma make a name for itself and an independant country Asaeli Williams, Sydney, Australia (4 January 2001) The 531 PI radio station here in Auckland New Zealand have weekly programmes in Fijian to it's Fijian listeners. Being a regular listener to this station I would be glad if the phrase "Viti kei Rotuma" were used as it is in Fiji--even if it has little or no signifigance to other listeners. At least other Pacific Islanders will know that there is a place called Rotuma which is sharing this vast Pacific Ocean with them! Or does it only apply in Fiji? T.F. Katafono, Auckland (5 January 2003) I'm a Fijian woman, now living in Australia. I read your views and opinions with great sadness, but I'm glad to have read them. I did not realize it, but now that I think of it yes, if the Fiji Government or any organization states "Fiji and Rotuma," they should always include Rotumans in every aspect of decision making that affects these two races. Rotumans are closer to Fijians than Tongans, or Indians for that matter! The inter-marriages between the two races are phenomenenal. So, it is only fair that the Fiji Government should put the Rotuman people as its equal. Rotuma should have its own state government etc., while having the federal government in Fiji. (I hope that works). What I'm trying to express here is that it's a bad idea for Rotuma to become independent. Yes, I agree with your grievances that Rotumans are much ignored. That's why you have freedom of speech and all. Draw up a petition for all to sign stating your grievances to the Fiji Government. I know a lot of my Fijian brothers and sisters will go hand in hand with you, because of the close kinship we have with each other from the intermarriages, etc. Stop your wingding and voice out your frustrations! We hear the Indian community complaining(no one is surprised, of course; they do it all the time. If it's not one it's another. wailei!) Anyway, the Rotuman community is always quiet. You have as much right to voice your opinions as others. Rotumans, make a stand and be heard in the political arena! Stop being quiet! Thank you for reading my thoughts! Happy New Year and all the best in your endeavors! Mereia Rabici Wedhorn, Australia (17 January, 2003) Ni sa bula vinaka na wekaqu mai Rotuma!   I am a journalist who sometimes contributes to Mere Lomaloma's Fijian programme on NIUFM in Auckland, New Zealand on topical issues from Fiji. After reading the Rotuma Forum and seeing a concern that no one mentions Viti Kei Rotuma, I felt sad. I promise that I will endeavour to mention that in the future and will soon e-mail Mere that she gives me some space on her programme soon to air some news from Rotuma for the Rotuman community in Auckland. Or can anyone ask Mere for a five-minute slot, no matter how short, just to say Noa'ia! Her e-mail address is elliottm@akcity.gov.nz   My yavusa, Vatukaloko, in North-Western Viti Levu, has direct links with Rotumans through Mosese Dukumoi or Ratu Navosavakadua as he was commonly known, and to speak of Rotumans is to speak of a people closely related with the Vatukaloko people. In fact, I come from Nananu village, an hour's drive away from Drauniivi, Ratu Navosavakadua's village, and Nananu is closely related to the Drauniivi people in terms of lineage.I am proud of having a link with Rotumans as Ratu Navosavakadua's mother originated from our part of Ra Province   As for concerns about the Fiji Government's sometimes-slack attitude towards our relatives, the Rotumans' plight, I can only ask for the patience we are known for. I am proud of what Assistant Minister Mrs Marieta Rigamoto and other Rotuman leaders are doing for Rotumans and I had raised a concern in our newsroom after Cyclone Ami that Prime Minister Qarase forgot about Rotuma and went to Vanua Levu and Lau instead, but I was assured Rotuma received its share of cyclone relief supplies also.   As far as having Rotuma having its own administration and doing things on its own, I fully believe there are mechanisms in place already to cater for that and with the Rotuma Island Council making major decisions for Rotumans and the current government adopting a blueprint for Fijians and Rotumans for the next 20 years, I honestly believe we should not jump and say, Sa! We Rotumans are an unknown race - let's look at things in a larger perspective, how many Rotumans or those with a few or large squirts of Rotuman blood flowing through their veins have achieved great things for the island, for Fiji, for themselves, their families?   How about Mr Konrote (UN), Mr Fatiaki (CJ), Dr Mitchell, the Rotumans in the British Army who will tell their comrades about Rotuma and all its pride while they are surrounded by war, how about the lady who runs the Fiji/Rotuma shop in New Mexico, how about the late Captain Kava Konrote (he crossed international datelines) and he didn't have to tell anyone he was from the island, how about the quiet achievers, etc. How about Gagaj Poar and Fanifau, who became first managers of Yaqara Pastoral Company Ltd in North-western Viti Levu and hosted American anthropologists and archaeologists who have surveyed, mapped and written three books on that part of Fiji, which might become subject of major films in the proposed studio city in Yaqara? How about the numerous Rotuman women who have inter-married in Fiji and the world and have given birth to many wonderful children who have achieved much in the face of increasing opportunities in the global arena? How about Mr Pene, the teacher and Mrs Sikivou, married to Fiji's permanent secretary for Regional Development in Suva. How about everybody else I cannot mention!   I believe we come from a part of the world which do not sing their achievements and quietly go about doing and achieving things while we pray and thank God the Creator for who we are. We will let the Indians fight us and sing about their achievements and who they want to marry or rent in their places in the newspapers.   We Fijians and Rotumans will quietly give thanks for who we are and go about our tasks knowing we will get what we want in due course. Vinaka vakalevu, ni sa moce.   Ms Vasiti Ritova, Journalist, Pacific Islands Broadcasting Association, 68 Knollys Street, Suva - editor@pacnews.org or badidi12@hotmail.com Send responses to this essay to Rotuman Forum for posting. Please include your full name and current home city.

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