December 3

Spent the day on the Navua River.  The Navua River Trip is a right of passage for every senior missionary.  We waited for Suzanne to do it and I am glad.

The river is about thirty minutes out of Suva.  The trip starts in Navua village.  The company that runs the river is owned by an LDS family.  Basically one rides up the river in a motor boat which stops at ?? village.

Scott on the River 

Me, Our Guide, Scott
on the Navua River

Suzanne on the River

At the village one is greeted by a members of the village and ushered into the village bure (burr ay).

Village Greeter in a
Tapa Cloth Sulu
with a Shell Horn

A very formal Kava ceremony (which is traditional) is held.  One man from the village welcomed us, and one man from the tour who is chosen to lead our clan/tribe accepts the welcome and thanks the village for hosting us.  In the middle each man, and a Ratu (village royal family member) takes a drink of the Kava.  The tour guide told us over and over that the Kava is not alcoholic and therefore fine to drink.  He even state that they give Kava to babies.  After the original three drink, the kava, in the same coconut shell, is delivered to each person.  It used to be absolutely forbidden to refuse to drink, but between the Mormons, Seventh-Day Adventists, and modern thinking one can safely refuse to drink.  I have heard stories that early missionaries-not LDS-were eaten because they refused to drink.  Nice to be born now!

Pouring Water our of a Bamboo Pole
Into the Kava Bowl over dried Kava.

Passing the Kava
Notice that only men are sitting on
front row on the floor.
Women in the back only

I have been told that Kava is not alcoholic; it is a stimulant.  It makes your tongue and lips go numb.  It is against the Word of Wisdom and its use has created major problem for some church members especially ones that are still in villages, or who are tied closely to their village of origin.  Every leader who has come to Fiji in the past four or five years has preached against Kava.

After the ceremony we toured the village, saw woman making tapa cloth, weaving rugs, and men making hats out of leaves.  We also visited the village preschool.

Suzanne with the village preschoolers
in their one room preschool.

We were then fed lunch which was delicious, and watch a short program of traditional men-only dances.  Women sing in the background.  We had a chance to purchase Fijian crafts.  Suzanne bought a Fijian drum, a necklace and earrings made out of cococut shells, and we bought a woven mat.

Dancers.
Notice the ceiling.

More dancing.

Dancing with the villagers.

We then proceeded up the river another 45 minutes.

On the way to the big waterfall

Another waterfall on the way up
the Navua River

Bamboo Trees

We actually went over some small rapids on our way to the waterfall where we would be able to swim.

On the way to the big waterfall.

Still on the way to the waterfall.

Swimming to the other side of the pool.
Scott and Suzanne were hoping to
swim under the falls, but there was
way too much water coming over the falls.

Resting on the other side.

Then we rode a bamboo raft down the river, but not very far as the wind was coming up the river, and blowing us in the wrong direction.  It was funny to see on of our guides jump into the river, grab a line attached to our raft and literally swim down stream pulling our boat.  So after a few minutes of that, we changed to the motor boat and made our way back to the beginning.

Fun day!