Whose your DADDY( The MATUKU War)

Though a small part of Fijian history or one of small significance, it remains the cornerstone of Matukuan debate  and its significance in the LAU group only recently through Ratu Sukunas administration but was part of the Lomaiviti Group.As a young boy, as it would be for other Fijian famillies of their history,  I would sometimes be reminded of this past. The elders found it necessary as it defines our existence to this very day. The Valu ni Lotu as it was being refered to was nothing more then a pretext of  the Tongan warlord( Maafu) to expand his territory. Conquering the Yasayasa Moala has been on his mind although he was cautious of being reprimanded by the missionaries for they would eventually find out  his intentions and methods of spreading the gospel. My grandfather would sometimes admit with a bit of guilt that we were one of the last to accept Christianity he would sometimes defend it by stressing the method that Maafu was using didn't augur well with our ancestors then. In those times clubbing people for any reason meant war. Then the war was at Matuku's doorstep. After pacifying Moala who fought but lost, credits to them, Totoya was their next target, Totoya being the passive(sometimes refered to as pet of the other two islands) of the two accepted Christianity in exchange that they won't meet the same fate as Moala. Maafu collected warriors from the two subdued islands and headed for Matuku. By then the warriors of Yaroi, Natokalau Lomati, Ravi2 and the rest of Matuku led by Ratu Meli Saronicava as their General, the youngest son of the then Tui Matuku Roko Yaroi were prepped for battle. On their arrival there was slaughter on the beach. A big contingent of Tongan soldiers were slaughtered there as were some of their allies. That beach is named after the slaughter as Moor of Blood or Disembarkment of Blood, in Fijian "Udu Dra" and is a testament to that. It was told that it took six months for the standoff and finally a tactic by the Tongan warlord to bring one of Tui Matuku's (king of Matuku) daughters to plead with his father to come to Lakeba and accept Christianity like the rest of the Lau group finally led to his acceptance of the faith and he sent for his son to recede the protection of Matukus walls. He left for Lakeba and on his arrival was surprised that the same Tongans whom he was travelling with shouted cries of victory which meant Matuku has been subdued. To his embarrasement he was furious with his daughter, had he known of such treachery he would have stayed and continued with the fight. He asked the Tongans to be taken back but who in his right sense of mind would go through that nightmare again. Matuku finally accepted Christianity in the manner it was supposed to have been. This history survives with us and our next generation of Matukuans so we be reminded of the sacrifices of our ancestors and  with the realization of defending your livelihoods means the survival of the future generation and you protect it with your life. We are the envy of the Lau Group in that we do not wear the tawala or gafi2 as they say it in functions as a sign of a conquered people, the rest of Lau wear them signifying this and they sometimes wear it with pride without knowing the meaning of it. The Tongans regard this as an embarrassing chapter of their history in Fiji and leaves reasonable doubts on their side of the story which has become widely accepted since most early writers and local historians were from the North of Lau. Our true acceptance of the faith led one of Matuku's sons( from Natokalau) to be the first  Fijian President of the Methodist Church and led the independence of the methodist church from it's governing body in Australia in the 60's. I only pray that the Tongans or anybody for that matter had realized that using force or treachery will not end up well for them.......remember nothing can be hidden for long. Eventually there's a breaking point.