Young men from the Naivisouira Clan on Bau have been formally taught the clan’s sacred burial rites during the recent interment of the late Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, marking a first traditional burial experience for many of the trainees and a deliberate push to safeguard customs for future generations.
Clan spokesman Vuaniriti Ramanumanu said the initiative saw younger members of the Nakoroivau community working side-by-side with senior na ligatabu — the traditional gravediggers — throughout the week at the sautabu, the clan’s sacred burial site. “We’ve included the young in our preparations so that they know how it is rightfully done,” Ramanumanu told reporters, stressing that passing on precise ritual knowledge is now “a matter of cultural survival.”
The involvement of the youth in the rites for the former president was intentional and hands-on, Ramanumanu said, with elders demonstrating step-by-step the exact customs and standards used by previous generations. For most of the young men, the burial of Ratu Nailatikau was the first time they had been formally tasked with roles in a chiefly burial, and the mentorship covered both practical duties and the strict protocols that must be observed in the execution of the task.
Elders guided the trainees through the work at the sautabu until the clan concluded its obligations, maintaining the emphasis on mirroring the ways of their forefathers. “We want to do it right as how our forefathers carried out their traditional task,” Ramanumanu said, underlining that precision and respect for historical practice were the chief objectives of the instruction.
The training reflects broader concerns among chiefly households and clan custodians across Fiji about sustaining intangible cultural heritage as older custodians age. The Naivisouira Clan’s approach combined demonstration, participation and oversight, ensuring the young not only observed but performed the rites under supervision. Ramanumanu framed that hands-on model as essential so the “vital knowledge of the clan survives the passage of time.”
While the burial of a high-profile figure such as Ratu Epeli Nailatikau naturally focuses attention on ceremony, the Naivisouira Clan’s decision to integrate youth training into the event positions the interment as a transmission exercise as much as a farewell. The clan’s spokesman said the exercise was intended to leave the young with the confidence and competence to uphold traditional standards in future chiefly burials.
This development marks a concrete example of how customary communities on Bau and across Tailevu are responding to the challenge of cultural continuity, ensuring that the specialised roles and rituals associated with chiefly burials — from the na ligatabu’s work to the observance of protocols at the sautabu — are not lost as elder custodians pass on.
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