Vuanirewa

The Vuanirewa is the ruling clan (yavusa) of the Lau Islands, a scattered group of more than a hundred islands (16 inhabited) and reefs along the eastern edge of Fiji. The members of this clan all hail from the village of Tubou on the island of Lakeba and claim descent from one of four noble households (mataqali) that make up the clan. These four noble households are Naivi, Vatuwaqa, Koroicumu and Matailakeba and all claim descent from the first High Chief (Sau) of the dynasty, Niumataiwalu.

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Naivi is traditionally the eldest of the households; however due to historic power struggles, Naivi and Koroicumu were subdued in battle by the younger households of Vatuwaqa and Matailakeba. Therefore all claims to the title can only be asserted from members of the latter two noble households.

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The Tui Nayau, or Titular Paramount Chief of the Lau Islands, has always been from one of these four noble houses, the most recent being Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara (1920-2005, installed 1969) who was from the household Matailakeba. Ratu Finau Mara (born 1960), the eldest son of Ratu Mara, is considered to be a likely successor of this title.

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Lau Islands: The Lau Islands (also called the Lau Group, the Eastern Group, the Eastern Archipelago) of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. 30 islands of the chain of about 100 islands and islets are inhabited. The Lau Group covers a land area of 188 square miles (487 sq...

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 (1920-2004) and one of...

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 12 ...