The 1926 Commission that visited Gau established that the mataqali Lasea was extinct and their land became part of Crown land. “In truth what happened is that our tikina representative who gave information to the Commission knew that we were still alive and he also knew that we had settled in Tailevu,” Nadaku said. His grandfather, father and now Nadaku have been trying throughout their lives to reclaim their ancestral birthright.

Through a lawyer, Nadaku’s father, in 1993, managed to get the NLTB to agree to return the land to them. This NLTB board decision was however overturned after a letter was written and signed by village elders from Vadravadra and Yadua villages stating that they did not recognise Nadaku’s family as heirs to the mataqali Lasea land.“They also claimed that we did not do a ‘carasala’ (traditional ceremony of a family’s return to ancestral land) or a ‘reguregu’ (traditional ceremony to honour relatives who have died),” says Nadaku.

“But my father had already gone to both the villages and did our ‘carasala’ and ‘reguregu’ and they even held a church service to mark the occasion.” “The NLTB ignored this, that is why I say they keep changing the goal posts.” The carasala and reguregu are two traditional ceremonies required by the Commission for a person, family or clan to carry out with their relatives living on the land before any land issue can be settled.

“We have done both of these,” says Nadaku. “I have photographic proof because my dad went and did it and some of those who signed the NLTB letter, had previously, in a declaration made in the 1970s stated that we are the rightful owners of the land.” Nadaku says the NLTB agreed to settle the case out of court in 1995 but to date, no progress has been made on the matter.

The NLC could not change their decision, says Nadaku due to the ‘ultimus haeres’ law which directs that land whose owners are deemed extinct, should be reverted back to the state and that the decision cannot be challenged. “But the point we are trying to make is that they did not exhaust their search nor did they research the ownership issue properly and as with Fijian tradition, our history is passed verbally so I think we were never considered or purposely left out.” Because of this ultimus haeres law, Nadaku was waiting for the establishment of the Lands Claims Tribunal to present his case, but that has been derailed since the 2006 takeover of government.

Landowners but landless
Timoci Waqalevu spoke to Mai Life just weeks after visiting the island his ancestors once called their home. He spent Christmas and New Year on a nearby island his kin have relocated to, as the island their forefathers once lived in does not belong to them anymore. Mago Island now belongs to Hollywood actor Mel Gibson who bought the 5500 acre island in 2004. For Timoci however, Mago is still his ancestral home and he wants the island returned to his clan.

“We never sold the island, it was taken by force from us,” Timoci says of events that took place over a hundred years ago. “We are currently fundraising to pay for a lawyer to fight our case but for now we are setting out to raise awareness about our land claim.” Timoci’s clan is one of the four clans that are disputing Gibson’s legal right to the island. According to Timoci, certain chiefs sold Mago Island and removed the islanders after they were converted to Christianity in the mid-1800s.

Life for them today, he says, is different from what it used to be. “In the past we used to have five villages on the island but now we are all cramped into just one village,” says Timoci. Another claim brought to Mai Life’s attention is that of the people of Nasinu Village on the island of Ovalau in the Lomaiviti Group.
The people of Nasinu are claiming to be the rightful owners of Wakaya Island, now owned by Canadian millionaire David Gilmour.

However Wakaya spokesman Doug Carlson told Mai Life that they are the 14th owner of the island since 1840. “The island had been sold and re-sold to various people for over 160 years until David Gilmour bought it in 1972,” says Carlson.

Records show that Wakaya was bought for 1 shilling in 1838. While this may seem outrageous, it should be noted that Fiji and Wakaya in 1838 was far from the tourism paradise it is today

One version of oral history reveals that the Tui Levuka conquered Wakaya and later sold it. Records show that Wakaya was bought for 1 shilling in 1838. While this may seem outrageous, it should be noted that Fiji and Wakaya in 1838 was far from the tourism paradise it is today. It was a group of islands where war and violence was constant, and lawlessness and cannibalism rife. Only the bravest of settlers would have considered coming to settle in what would have then been considered an isolated and inhospitable island.