Do you miss your island home? Do you want your kids to see the beauty? Or maybe your not Rotuman but just curious what all the fuss is about this Island paradise 500 Nautical miles North of Fiji!
See the winding white sand roads lined by 100 year old coconut trees. Marvel at the stunning Gothic Cathedrals, local road side cemeteries and mind bogglingly pristine beaches.
Rotuma is a very special place. You wont find a hotel here and its because Rotuman's have chosen to preserve the local integrity of the islands cultural sovereignty by voting down hotel development. With this being said, non-Rotuman's like my self still have hope of visiting the island first hand by invitation from a family on the island.
Hosts families are responsible in teaching visitors the cultural does and don'ts of the island preparing you to explore without disrupting the natural reverence of the island maintained by the Rotuman People. If you are a first time visitor to Rotuma, Your host family will prepare your "Mamasa," a Feast to both honour the guest as well as anoint him with a blessing that is meant to protect you as your travel freely around the island. This ritual of receiving and blessing visitors to rotuma is a per-european contact event and will always have a Pig fresh out of the earth oven. Don't bother telling them your are a vegetarian, the pig will die either way!
There is lots of great literature and media on Rotuma and I would invite you to check out the links found on Rotuma on Wikipedia.
The movie the land has eyes is a must have in every island loving home. Check out how to get a copy at Thelandhaseyes.org
Hope you enjoyed the movie La' Kol' ak. Please share with your Rotuman friends and families.
Special thanks to the Fara crew from Itu'muta for the music. Its not a perfect studio recording and the guitar can be out of tune, but the natural spontaneity is what we love about fara!
Enjoy,
Hanisiof,
Stu and Malia Johnson
Stuandmalia.com
21 окт 2024
