The chiefly island of Bau held the final homecoming for the late Ratu Epeli Nailatikau yesterday, as mourners gathered to witness the former president’s last journey to his ancestral land. The ceremony, which followed a state funeral procession through Nasinu earlier in the day, combined solemn tradition, youthful reverence and regional pageantry as weather cleared from rain into bright sunshine.
Students from Bau District School lined the route, sitting on both sides of the pavement to form a guard of honour for their chief. The sight of schoolchildren in formal respect underscored the depth of local attachment to Ratu Epeli, and photographs from the day showed crowds packed onto the island’s grounds to pay their respects. A separate image from the state funeral procession in Nasinu yesterday captured Rishikul College students sitting in silence as the cortege passed through.
The homecoming drew notable overseas delegates, signalling the late chief’s standing beyond Fiji. Tongan royalty attended the Bau ceremony, including His Majesty King Tupou VI and Princess Salote Pilolevu, who travelled with a Tongan delegation to pay their respects. Their presence highlighted the regional bonds of chiefly families and the diplomatic ties that accompanied Ratu Epeli’s public life.
Attendees described a dramatic shift in the day’s atmosphere as the skies moved from overcast and rainy to clear and sunny. Many interpreted the sudden change in weather as a fitting, even divine, tribute to “Na Turaga Na Taukei Naisogolaca,” the chiefly status invoked by supporters at the event. The transition from rain to sunshine set a reflective tone as elders, family and members of the wider community took part in customary rites.
Yesterday’s gatherings on Bau marked the latest stage in a week of official farewells for Ratu Epeli, whose death prompted a series of ceremonies in the capital and around the islands. The state funeral procession through Nasinu earlier in the day formed part of that formal observance, drawing students, civic groups and officials who paid final respects before the transfer of his remains to Bau.
The combination of local school participation and international royal attendance illustrated the personal and political bonds that characterised Ratu Epeli’s life: a chiefly leader rooted in Bau custom, and a statesman known throughout the Pacific. As the ceremony closed and the island settled under clear skies, many present said the day’s events felt like a communal affirmation of his legacy and a dignified return to his vatanitawake.
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