The inaugural prison in Fiji was established in the latter half of the 19th century in the historical port town of Levuka, Ovalau. It initially functioned as a temporary facility for individuals who defied authority in a largely lawless environment characterized by heavy rum consumption and beachcombers. The first officially recognized prison was founded in 1874, coinciding with the signing of the Deed of Cession.
Records from The Fiji Times indicate that the first prison was enclosed by an 8-foot wooden fence located in an open area across from Totoga, the earliest police station. In addition to the primary prisons across various administrative hubs in Fiji, the British established smaller lockup units in areas where magistrates were present. These lockups, known locally as “lokamu,” began as simple detention spaces but gradually evolved into stone and limestone structures built by inmates as a mode of punishment. Remnants of one such rudimentary detention facility are still present in Naburenivalu (previously Namena Village), where stone walls and a stone jetty endure. Although the exact date of the Namena lockup’s construction remains uncertain, historical details confirm its closure in 1888. Recently, The Sunday Times team ventured to the Namena district to explore the remnants of this 19th-century prison and its jetty. The derelict structure is located in Nasese, about a kilometer from the shoreline and on the outskirts of Namena.
The visit occurred on a cloudy day, but as the team neared the quiet township of Korovou, the sun broke through. The village was still in mourning for its chief, Tui Nawainovo Ratu Filimoni Verebalavu, who was buried the previous weekend. Ratu Filimoni had welcomed a team from the newspaper in 2009 during an earlier visit to Naburenivalu to cover the same prison story. The Namena lockup was constructed in a style reminiscent of temporary detention centers seen in England and Wales, typically situated where official prisons or courts were not easily accessible. According to Wikipedia, these facilities were often utilized to detain inebriates, who were typically released the following day, or to hold individuals awaiting a session with a local magistrate, usually consisting of a small room with a single door and narrow windows.
Naburenivalu’s turaga ni koro, Jese Mamanavesi, welcomed the team with a traditional sevusevu before guiding them through the mangrove-laden mudflats of Namena. With the tide receding, they had the rare opportunity to retrace the steps of prisoners who were ferried from Levuka and disembarked at the old Namena jetty over a century ago. Mamanavesi noted that while many locals have seen the lokamu in the village, only a few have ventured to the jetty where prisoners were historically dropped off.
Adi Lusiana Canavanua Verebalavu-Senibulu, the elder sister of Ratu Filimoni and the most senior member of the chiefly household, suggested that Namena was chosen as the lockup location due to various factors. She explained that it served as an administrative center with a magistrate, was aligned with Bau, and had readily available construction materials. Adi Lusiana recalled that the British official stationed in Namena during that period was Magistrate Eastgate, who resided in a small wooden house made of Canadian Oregon timber, featuring a thatched roof.
The jetty, constructed from precisely arranged layers of rocks, stretched outward toward Ovalau and was situated on a mudflat adjacent to the reef. Despite showcasing remarkable craftsmanship of its time, it currently faces deterioration from waves and climate change. The team trekked through a swampy forest, previously lined with mango trees that prisoners and their warders used to traverse from the jetty to the lockup situated outside the abandoned old Namena village. According to the National Archives of Fiji, the earliest record of a gaol in the Suva peninsula dates back to 1887 when the prison service took control of a mental hospital, the precursor to the current St Giles Psychiatric Hospital along Reservoir Road. The Namena prison was referred to as Nasese, an iTaukei term that translates to ‘foolish or wrong,’ indicative of its purpose for those who committed wrongful acts.
In a 1962 paper titled “The Development of the Fiji Prison Service,” B.M. Sellers described the first prisons in Fiji as a collection of huts surrounded by a reed fence. He noted that serious efforts to construct modern accommodations at the Suva gaol only began in 1912-1913. The first official prison, confirmed to be located at Totoga (or Totogo) in Levuka, was set up on October 10, 1874, following Fiji’s cession to Britain. This facility was managed by the police, with designated roles for a gaoler, a warder, and a police sub-inspector.
As part of their punishment, prisoners were involved in planting a line of trees from Namena beach to the prison. The lockup facility was constructed while Magistrate Eastgate oversaw the prisoners from his elevated home using binoculars as they made their way up the path lined with mango trees. Adi Lusiana pointed out that Eastgate, who married a local woman, had no children, but his descendants intermarried with the village residents. Historical accounts suggest that prisoners were often taken to Levuka for labor before returning to Namena by boat. The site of the old Namena village is observable today in the form of stone foundations, known as yavu, scattered throughout the forest bordering the main road. Among these yavu is the foundation of an old church introduced by a Methodist missionary named Frederick Langham, who was also associated with the siege against the Lovoni people on Ovalau.
As villagers relocated from Namena to the present-day Naburenivalu, a frangipani tree was planted to commemorate the new settlement, believed to have been planted by the first prisoners, still standing today. The residents of Naburenivalu actively maintain the surrounding grounds of the old prison, periodically clearing weeds and overgrowth. Although their efforts to clear parts of the forest used by 19th-century prisons have since diminished, Adi Lusiana expresses hope that the old jetty and prison can be preserved as a tourist attraction. She believes the site holds significant historical importance for both Namena and Fiji, advocating for conservation efforts and the sharing of these stories with future generations. Today, Naburenivalu comprises a village with six settlements, home to 425 residents and 83 households.