The Drua

My fourth day in the Fiji was very exciting. Selai, the coordinator of our internship program, set a new role for me as the photographer of the Fiji Arts Council (FAC) for Mataisau Talanoa (Discussion of the hereditary boat builders) event at the University of South Pacific (USP). The event was hosted by Fiji Island Voyaging Society in association with the Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies at the USP. The Mataisau are indigenous boat builder of the pacific, Drua.

Drua model

Drua is a double-hull sailing boat (although also translated as canoe) and known as the fastest boat in Oceania. The Fijians say that it is still the fastest canoe/boat in the world. It has a unique U-shape symmetric hulls and use magimagi (a string made of coconut husk) to keep the parts intact instead of nails. I was very impressed with the technology. Fiji is surrounded by water and has small landmass, thus the geographic characteristic supports the development of maritime technology.

A man drinking Kava served in coconut shell

The relax session

Ana's note

 Mataisau Talanoa is a rare event in Fijian history, I was very excited. A team of researchers from USP and Voyager Society crew conducted a thorough research on indigenous knowledge of the Drua. They gather the elders or descendants of legendary Drua makers from Lau Province. Lau Province is located quite far from Suva and is formed of approximately a hundred of islands and islets. Thus, it was a knowledge transfer session from the Drua makers to the researchers and Voyager Society. The session was in full Fijian, I was thankful Ana was sitting beside me and willing to explain the whole discussion. Only certain people from Lau can make the Drua because of its complicated features. The discussion mainly covers techniques, material, preparation and also some suggestions in building the Drua.

The discussion was relax and flexible; involving lots of Kava, laughs, and music. Every 15-20 minutes of conversation, one of the elder would ask for another bowl of Kava or music. The music was played by a group of Fijians with ukulele and guitar. The knowledge transfer process was in oral form, Nikki told me that it is a common traditional way of knowledge transfer in the pacific. From my point of view, this was not a typical ‘serious and important discussion’. However, the relax atmosphere helped to maintain the convenience of the people so that the transfer of knowledge was smooth. This is a new spectrum for me, as ‘important’ is commonly associated with ‘nervousness’. I also noticed that the indigenous Fijian has a very strong culture embodied in the modern Fijian society.

Colorful Edge

The Screening

The other interesting part of the event was the screening of the recent sail video by the Voyager Society, called Maiden Voyage. Apparently, it was a preview of the sail movie. I am looking forward to watch the whole movie.

My first fijian meal

USP Campus

Sometimes I regret I don’t have sufficient background in pacific studies, but I think I got better insights by learning it on the spot; by directly interacting with the people and environment. After being transferred from one institution to the other for 3 times, I got the idea that this is not Australia and I have been using my Indonesian ‘go with the flow’ way to expect surprises rather than actual things. It is a very flexible and relax way of living, mostly influenced by my religion and beliefs of existence of Supreme Being who controls my life. Just go with the flow and grab every opportunity available, in the same time you have to always be prepared to grab the opportunity. This is how ‘not knowing’ become very interesting.

The keyword is curiosity.