About 6:00 the sun started to set...
The same night at 6:15 a completely new colour scheme in the sky!
Every Tuesday morning our Elders have a district meeting headed by Elder Noble.
These are Sea Urchins, a delicacy with the Chinese workers on Taveuni..
They have a very strong fish smell.
They are slit open then squeezed to remove the inside parts.
The members are arriving for day one of a member funeral. Gifts of food, mats, and tappa cloth are presented to the widow and her family. Her 49 year old husband has passed away.
This beautiful Tappa cloth will decorate the coffin of the deceased.
The body will be wrapped in the hand woven mats.
The sisters have worked hard to complete the mats and tap cloth. The branches together have donated about 6 hand woven mats and enough staple food to feed the family for about a month.
The mats will be displayed the night before the actual funeral.
After the gifts are presented a meal is served.
Several women who are relatives, prepare and serve the food.
A special ceremony is held to receive the gifts. This is a whale's tooth on a cord. It is twisted as the gift is given and presented to the male representative.
The next day many people arrive from around the Island.
They are dressed in their Sunday best . A temporary shelter seats about 50-75 people other sit on the grass close by.
Many hand made floral arrangements are brought.
Close family sit in a viewing room with the coffin , people come through to pay their respects, until the funeral service begins.
President Maiwiriwiri is one of the speakers.
There are several groups of people on the grass. About 150 people came.
After the service,everyone walked to the back of the village, where they bury their dead near there homes.
After the casket is wrapped in several mats. covered with dirt, then a rock base is build up.
This is covered with the painted tappa cloth.
Floral tributes are placed on the tappa cloth.
A rack is placed around the build up rocks then cloth streamers hung from the poles.
Chains of flowers decorate the outside of the poles.
It is a very beautiful tribute. This is left like this for 100 nights before a final headstone is placed.
This is the choir.
After a ceremonial closing of the funeral more food is prepared .
Elder Vermeeren has an admirer.
The women sing and visit after the meal.
A Lovo is prepared. Hot rocks with a pork meal wrapped in palm leaves.
This cooks in the ground,becoming a tender delicious meal.
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