The descendants of the original inhabitants of Munia Island in Vanuabalavu, Lau, face challenges in their quest to reclaim their land, which was sold to an American for $400 over two centuries ago. The island, covering approximately 5.3 kilometers with a 10-kilometer coastline, was initially settled by the ancestors of the current residents of Avea Island.
The forefathers of the Avea villagers were forcibly displaced from Munia due to a transaction involving the Tui Cakau, Ratu Galea, and the American buyer. During a visit to Avea Island, the village headman, Etuate Umu, expressed the ongoing struggle to repay the $450,000 owed to the Government for the island’s ownership. The Government purchased Munia in 1983 for that amount and then resold it to the Munia people under a long-term payment agreement established in 1989.
According to Umu, the agreement required the villagers to repay $450,000 over 30 years at $15,000 per year. However, they managed to pay just $30,000 in two years before requesting a reduction in payments. The Government decreased the annual amount successively from $7,000 to $3,000, yet the villagers still found it difficult to meet these payments, accumulating only $225,000 over three decades.
Umu, who is 69, noted that many villagers had unstable incomes, even from working in the copra industry, impacting their ability to fulfill the payment arrangement. He described how the village elders had to relocate to Mavana for education, stating that this struggle hindered their opportunities for better-paying jobs. He acknowledged the burden of the financial obligation to regain their land, fearing they could lose it again if they could not pay.
Umu hopes that the remaining $225,000 will be collected by December this year, with the four clans on the island contributing $25,000 each. He indicated that financial support from villagers living off the island would be necessary, along with investments from their trust fund. Upon completion of the payments, ownership of Munia will be returned to the clans, but failure to meet payment terms could lead to losing the agreement and forfeiting all payments to the Government.
The Freehold Buyback Scheme, initiated in 1989, aims to restore ancestral lands that were previously alienated as freehold properties. The current 118 residents of Avea Island are descendants of early migrations from Vuna, Taveuni, with Umu recounting how their ancestors settled in various parts of Munia. He described forced migration during the tribal wars and the subsequent sale of the island, which drove the remaining villagers to swim to the mainland in fear of gunfire from the new occupants.
Umu recalled working for the white settlers on Munia Island until the 1970s, noting that upon its return, very little remained. Despite their hardships, the voices of the Munia residents now echo across Fiji’s music scene, represented by local bands from the area.