Cakobau, Rex!

Remarkable Story of a Strong King and How Fiji Became British

By Erle Wilson

THE name of Cakobau is familiar to all who have lived in Na Viti Levu, Fiji.

The history of the remarkable man who bore that name, or rather title, is not so well known.

The nineteenth century was but two or three years old when, at Nairai, Adi

Savusavu, wife of Ratu Tanoa, a chief of Bau, gave birth to a son. At the birth.

Adi Savusavu was very ill and emaciated, and the chiefs and ladies of Bau proposed that in order to save her life, the child should be killed. Thus, early, danger, which was never to be far from his path, threatened the embryo monarch. But Destiny decreed that, in spite of numerous attempts on his life and the hazards of innumerable wars, he was to die full of years and honour, more than four score years later.

According to the native legend, in which one can, perhaps, trace the influence of missionary teachings, Ratu Tanoa received warning from a god on Gau that the child of Adi Savusavu should not be killed; that he would become a great chief and populate Bau. It may have been that the infant was particularly lusty or the fact that Tanoa had eight other wives but, whatever the reason, he refused to kill the child.

When the mother died, four months later, it was named Ratu Seru and given into the care of his mother’s sister, Radi Dreketi, who took him to live in Rewa.

When Ratu Seru had reached early youth, a quarrel arose in Rewa and his aunt fled with him to Bau, where he re mained. He was a young man when Ratu Radomodomo, Vunivalu of Bau, died and Ratu Tanoa became Vunivalu. Provisions for the customary hundred-day feast being short, Ratu Seru was sent with a war party against Naigani, and the taking of that town being his first war party, brought him the title of “Tabakaucoro.”

From that time on, Ratu Seru took full part as a gentleman of the clan in the almost incessant forays. The warriors of Bau fared far afield. At an attack on Na weni in Na Vanua Levu, he was speared in the groin and came near dying. Soon afterwards, he married Adi Samanunu, daughter of the Roko Tui Bau, thus in creasing his prestige in the tribal councils.

He was a valiant fighter, both on sea and on land, and spent much of his time in the great war-canoes on Laucala Bay.

TDATU TANOA, as Vunivalu, became rich 11 and powerful, and his brothers, Ratu Navuaka and Ratu Caucau, became envi ous and conspired with other Bau chiefs to kill him Tanoa was at Koro when he heard that his enemies were coming in a large war

canoe, crowded with their own men. Taken at a disadvantage, with only a few fol lowers, Tanoa fled under cover of dark ness to Somosomo, on Cakaudrove, where he remained in a state of exile while his brothers of Bau took and shared his wives and property.

Ratu Tubuanakoro—Tanoa’s second son and Ratu Seru were sent for by their father’s enemies. Tubuanakoro obeyed the summons and was promptly clubbed; Seru ignored it completely and continued living as if nothing had happened, sailing in the bay and playing games with the other young men, not even troubling to set a guard over his house at night.

Curiously enough, this pose—for pose it was—completely deceived his enemies, and

Cakobau, Tui Viti.

Seru was left unmolested, to plan for his father’s re-instatement. It was a long process. Secretly he presented whales’ teeth, food and property to prospective allies, and particularly to people of Lasa kau, close neighbours of Bau.

The Bauan chiefs were buying guns, preparing for an attack on Rewa, where Ratu Tanoa had gone to live, when Seru, having gained the firm allegiance of the Lasakau people, directed the building of a war-fence between their town and that of Bau.

So well and secretly had Seru planned that the enemies of Ratu Tanoa were com pletely surprised w T hen, with only three Bauan elders in his train, he led the Lasa kau in a sudden attack on Bau. There was no effective resistance. The Bauans fled; the town was soon in flames, and the sea between the island and the mainland was crowded with the heads of the chiefs and ladies in full flight (if swimming can be so described!) to Tailevu.

Elated by their victory, the Lasakau would have massacred the swimming Bauans. But Ratu Seru, showing unusual forbearance, held them back and allowed his erstwhile clansmen to escape.

SERU’S victory ended Ratu Tanoa’s exile.

The old Vunivalu returned to Bau, which was now crowded with his allies of Rewa and Cakaudrove.

A great feast was held in Ratu Seru’s honour and he was given the honorific title of Cakobau (Bau is destroyed).

While, nominally, old Ratu Tanoa was again Vunivalu, Ratu Cakobau was the real power in the land, and it soon became evident from his lenient treatment of his enemies that this new chief had an unusu ally broad outlook and remarkable for bearance. Those of his old enemies who were willing to submit to his rule, were allowed to return and rebuild their vales and re-possess their property in peace.

When, eventually, old Ratu Tanoa died, Cakobau was firmly established as Chief-

Paramount of Bau. Vigor ous, clear sighted, inde fatigable, he led his ever growing forces in one vic torious campaign after an other. Admiral and Gen eral by turns, he routed his foes on sea and land, until the Bauan war-cry had become known and feared throughout the group.

By now, his one ambition was to reign alone in Fiji.

All his great energy and indomitable will were di rected to that end. So that when, in 1853, King Maafu, of Tonga, called at Viwa in the mission ship John Williams, Ratu Cako bau sought an alliance with him in the subduing of the tribes still outside his rule.

Maafu, a convert to Christianity and zealous in the new faith, declared that he could not be the

ally of a heathen; but that, if Ratu Cako bau would profess Christianity, he would be prepared to help his warriors.

Cakobau was a practical man. Only a small number of his countrymen so far had listened to the missionaries. The pro fession of Christianity evidently did not prevent one from fighting—in fact, his rule might be spread even more quickly and effectively in the form of a crusade!

Very well, then, one must move with the times; he would become a Christian and so should his subjects!

Murmurs arose. The Betes (Priests) of the old gods were powerful, but — Sa! — Cakobau knew how to deal with them!

The Royai Village of Bau,

The edict went forth: “Recant or be flogged.” They recanted.

Ratu Cakobau discarded three of his wives, retaining only Adi Samanunu. After baptism under the names of Ratu Epenisa and Adi Litia, they were remarried accord ing to Christian rites.

Then this Ratu Seru —Epenisa—Cakobau called on Maafu to keep his promise: and Maafu, who already had a footing in the eastern islands of the group, and who was fully as ambitious as Cakobau, came with a great fleet of double canoes and joined in the decimation and sacking of Viwa.

FROM that time on, Bauan and Tongan forces campaigned together, but gradu ally it was seen that most of the actual fighting was being done by the Tongans.

The consequent decline in Cakobau’s prestige fanned the fires of Maafu’s ambi tion, until he decided to challenge his ally’s supremacy. He was dissuaded from this intention by the arrival in the group of a British consul, who warned him that in attacking Cakobau’s land he would be at tacking territory which was virtually British. Maafu retired with his warriors from Fiji.

Meanwhile, Cakobau, now called “Tui Viti” (loosely: King of Fiji), was finding the ruling of his enlarged domain no easy matter. White traders had begun to settle among the Christianised coast tribes and as complaints and bickerings, consequent on their trading methods grew, he found his time and resources heavily taxed.

A number of Americans were persistent in their claims for compensation for alleg ed theft and vandalism on the part of the natives. At length, the burning down of

the American consul’s house on Nukulau— during July 4 celebrations—was followed by a heavy claim on Cakobau and the ap pearance of an American warship at Levuka.

Cakobau, as Tui Viti, was “invited” to a conference on board to reach some under standing about the mounting claims. He was in a quandary. He had little money and he knew that the Americans were eager to gain possession of certain islands in central Fiji. But he had always op posed the selling of land to white men.

Besides, their claims were trumped up, un just and extortionate! Sobo! What to do?

The Americans were clever, but Cakobau. also, was no fool. The playing of one state against another was not new to him.

He boarded the American warship accom panied by a white advisor: the British con sul !

In that way he effectually prevented the arbitrary seizure of his lands. But the alternative was almost as disastrous: he found himself faced with a claim for £9OOO damages. It might just as well have been £90,000 he could not pay.

In his extremity, he proposed to the Brit ish consul that he should cede the sover eignty of the Group to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, on condition that Britain should settle the American claim and that he should retain the rank and title of Tui Viti.

Colonel Smythe, R.E., after investigation, reported unfavourably on the proposal, and the conditional offer was refused.

TN 1871, Tui Cakobau, with the help of * certain white residents, formed a Go vernment, drew up a Constitution for the

Kingdom of Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti ), and signed the following oath: “I swear positively, in the presence of our God, that I will wholly hold to, and will not be false towards, the Constitu tion of the Kingdom of Fiji; and I will govern the land and the people according as written herein.

Written on the 30 th of September,

1871. Cakobau, R

From the start, the Native Government met with difficulties. It was cumbersome and expensive and, in the opinions of the native chiefs, gave the white population and their representatives too much power.

The affairs of the kingdom went from bad to worse.

Tui Cakobau had lived a life of remark able activity and had survived many attempted assassinations and innumerable native campaigns. He had proven him self a great warrior and something of a statesman.

Now, advanced in years, he found him self unable to cope with the unforeseen complexities of his position. He had learned many things since his first intrigue and campaign to restore his exiled father.

Mixed with his personal ambition, there had always been evident a wish for the good of his people as a whole.

TPHE crowning act of his career, before -*• he retired as a pensioner of the British Government, was that of a patriot and a far-sighted man. Left to themselves, he saw the Fijians must inevitably become the victims of exploiting whites. There was one remedy but—it entailed the un conditional surrender of his rank and power! He did not shrink.

On October 10, 1874, Sir Hercules Robin son. representing Her Majesty Queen Vic toria, was handed the following letter: “To Her Majesty the Queen of Britain: “We, the king of Fiji, together with the high chiefs of Fiji, cede Fiji without reservation to the great and gracious lady, Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland; and we have com plete trust that she will rule Fiji righte ously in love, that well-being may re sult thereby.

“And we request the Governor, Sir Hercules Robinson, messenger of the Queen, that he will hear our helpers in certain matters which they will tell to him, as we have confidence in them, and seek that this discussion may end well.

Signed: CAKOBAU, R.”