Walk Like a Fijian

8/14/2019 Walk Like a Fijian

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Tribewanted:

Walk like a Fijian

Nienke Krook


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Tribewanted:WalklikeaFijian

Walk like a Fijian

Beore I let the island, we had an interesting discussion in the sustainability orum

about what Tribewanted means to us. The project has been running or two and

a hal years now, but what have we achieved? Do we eel its been successul so

ar? How can we explain to people that have never been here how lie is in Fiji, on

Vorovoro? In short: what do we think Tribewanted is really about?

Yes. Try and write a blog about that. As the on-island blogaddict, I promised to give

it a go, but it turned out to be harder than I thought. The blog never made it online.

In the meanwhile I have been to New Zealand, Australia, and back to New Zealand,

but the things that were said in the orum stayed on my mind

So here is the blog that never was and never really will be nished. Because there

is no way to explain what Tribewanted is in just a couple o words. Its so very

personal what you get out o your experience, but I tried to bring everything that

was said together. To make a little bottle o Vorovoro or you to take home and lookat. To think about and maybe to help you share your thoughts with other people.

Tribewanted really needs the word o mouth, so i youve been on the island, tell the

world! Comments on this blog are very much appreciated

Vinaa Vaa Levu!

What it is that we do

Each person that visits Vorovoro arrives with a dierent view on the project. About

how they want to get involved, how much they want to get into the Fijian culture

and what kind o projects they want to help out with. Some people arrive withoutknowing much - or even anything at all about Tribewanted and develop their

Written by Nienke Krook


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views during their on-island time. Most people end up extending or make plans

or coming back some day. But what is it exactly that were trying do here? In short,

we are a sustainable project and a cultural exchange in both ways. We are trying to

keep (and pass on) the knowledge that has been kept in tribes or years and years.

Were bringing Fiji back to Fiji. But there is so much more to that. In our discussion,

we came to the ollowing summarisation o what we elt the project is all about (and

I added some more). TribeWanted can be seen as:

a way o showing the outside world that

you can live (mostly) o local resources

and you dont need very much to get

around;

a place to realize that we have so much

technology in the West, but are nowhere

near as happy as the people living here

with almost nothing;

a chance to share knowledge with thelocal community and help out with projects like building houses, water storage

solutions and the latest hype: wind turbines! (although or that last one, you do

need someone special like Alan Kelly to drop by), but also by bringing materials

or the local school and giving small donations at village visits or estivals;

a cultural exchange in both ways and a portal or tribemembers to share their

knowledge with each other;

a place to learn how to respect the environment again;

a place to talk about sustainability and the changes we can make in this world;

a dierent way o travelling, with reduced carbon ootprint;

a place to learn more about alternative / herbal medicine, homeopathy;

a place to get creative in every way possible;

an opportunity or better understanding o each other, learning how to really

care or others by living together with so many dierent people in the same

community;

a chance to experience shared responsibility or the land you live on, the shelter

you sleep under, the water you drink and the ood you eat;

a time to relax (live lie by the day and enjoy every moment);

a personal journey, a good time to reect and a chance to get to know yoursel a

little better;

And this list can go on and on and on. What message do you care about the most???

Why things go the way they go

We all agreed on the act that Vorovoro may hardens the eet, but sotens the heart

and that there are not enough places like this let in the world. But what do we want

this project to really be? Is it enough to just be a happy place? Where do we want to



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go and how ast do we need to get there?

As a reaction on one o the previous Forum meetings, someone rom the online

community wrote that with changing the date to 2007, all the things we discussed

could have already been done by now.

We agreed with that on some points. The project has been running two and a hal

years now, and we are or example still working on a good way to store water or thedry season.

As Ben (the sustainability manager) said: We have enough signs now, but we still

dont have water. So are we really that successul?. Another point raised was the act

that still most o our ood comes rom outside the island, we still arent 100% sel-

sufcient at the moment.

Shouldnt we be that by now?

The conversation turned to the issue o working on projects on Vorovoro. We eel

that one o the reasons that a lot o the projects take such a lot o time to nish, is

the act that most tribe members are here only or one/two weeks. In the little time

they have, they want to get the most out o their stay (and they should!). They go on

school visits, ree trips, take part in culture classes, go snorkelling, etc. etc. There is so

much going on, that they cannot stick with a project rom start to nish. Every big

project is pretty much carried by the Team and Team Fiji.

One example o how even simple projects take a much longer time to nish than

planned, is the rewood shed one o the Tribe members has been working over the

last weeks.

Back home, that would have taken him probably a day, maybe two. Here it took twoweeks to complete the job. How come? He needed help rom Team Fiji or some

chainsaw action; help rom the tribemembers or bamboo bashing and weaving the



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walls; nobody really wants to take over somebody elses personal project, so when

he was gone, the working stopped; there were a number o other projects going on

that needed many hands, there were trips, a lot o meke practise or a perormance

we did, and most o all: the weather is becoming an absolute killer. It seems to get

hotter and hotter every day now, which really drains you rom energy, it wipes you

out. All these things together make work slow, or nicely put: make you work on Fiji

Time.

The shed is there now, the wood is dry and it looks great, so in the end we got what

we wanted, it just took a little longer than we consider normal. Working here cant

be compared to home. There is no ofce, no schedules, no airco, no coee machine

There is burning sun, mosquitos, lots o naps in between and a little more sand. The

Fijians just work dierent than in the UK, or anywhere else in Europe. Working isnt

something you do rom 9 to 5 and ater which you go home. Working happens at

(or very close to) home, with riends and amily, all day, every day, and not always in

the speed we are used to.

Take the time youre used to back home and multiply it by 3, then you have an idea

what Fiji Time is, Id say. But my question is then: Does time really matter?. Beingin harmony with nature, ourselves and each other is - or me - so much more worth

than having a building nished in a week rather than a month. I really believe that

being successul in happiness is the key to being successul in your work and that

we cannot nish great projects unless we are truly happy about where and who we

are at this moment. The inside comes rst, then you can make a change.

Someone mentioned in the on-island

discussion that i you look into the past,

youd see that excessive growth only leads

to destruction. That complete ancientcivilizations have disappeared due to

growth. We can live quite comortable now

on Vorovoro, still have things to improve or

the uture, but it comes as it comes. And or

me, I think that is ast enough.

How do you strengthen the relationship between happiness,sustainability and growth?

Why we do what we do

One o the tribe members took us back to the real world or a bit, to bring up the

issue o money. Being romantic about this place is very easy, but we all know that

everything has a prize, even in Fiji. That money has to come rom somewhere.

At the moment o the orum, we had 9 tribe members on the island. To not lose

money, we need 20. The people that work within Tribewanted need to be paid, the

land needs to be paid. The materials we use, the ood we eat and the boats we drive

cost money. I we dont make enough money out o people coming here, what will

be the next step? He thought that maybe the prize o staying on the island would

raise. Not saying that it would, but he asked the rest o the tribe: how much are you

willing to pay to stay on Vorovoro?, or even more important: What is paying (more)money to stay here worth to people that have never been here beore?. In short:

how do we explain to people what the project is really about?



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We had a talk about ways to promote the island more. It seems that the word o

mouth is the best way to give people a good inside about the project. Personal

stories make Vorovoro go around. It seems that the blogs on the website are well

read and that the Tribewanted Live Events and Tribewanted On Tour are little big

successes on their own.

What else can we do?

Someone suggested that wed make a CD with - lets say - a PowerPointpresentation with photos and videos or people to take o the island. They could

be Tribewanted representatives and use the material to inorm riends, relatives or

local communities in a workshop/seminar. I anyone has any ideas on how to make

this happen, were all ears!

Our brainstorm session wasnt nished, but at this point we had to stop and

welcome the new arrivals that just came in. But how much more could we have

talked about it? I still believe that the true Voro-eeling isnt something you can ever

explain ully. But the experience itsel is something you can share a great deal with

others in pictures, videos and a lot o wonderul stories.Ill leave you with a little story that or me personally is the example o my lie on

Vorovoro. I think everyone has a moment when they truly enjoyed being on the

island. A moment that doesnt seem like much, but every time you think o it, you

start smiling. I guess thats when you know that Vorovoro is in your heart.

Here is mine:

One day, I was strolling with Jenni (Dec. Chie ) to the Fijian village. We were in

sulus, bareoot and during our walk we just talked and laughed, not much on our

mind. It was a really hot day and we walked in a slow pace, loosely kicking the sand

rom under our eet. We didnt have the energy to go any aster. It was eleven in

the morning. At one point we stopped, looked at each other and just laughed out

loud. Why are we so slow?, Jenni asked. Because weve been here a long time, I

answered. Its not slow, were just in no hurry, how great is that? We walk like Fijians

now

Whats your avourite Vorovoro moment? ??

Thanks or reading,

x Nienke

About Tribewanted:

Tribewanted is a unique community tourism project based on Vorovoro Island, Fiji. Tribe

members join online beore spending upwards o one week on Vorovoro living as part

o a Fijian and global community. You can do as much as you like on Vorovoro rom

collecting frewood to spearfshing to learning the local dance. I theres one thing you

do in lie, make sure its Tribewanted Lisa Niari


Walk Like a Fijian

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