Meli Bolobolo

Meli Bolobolo
Tu Navitilevu (Paramount Chief of Rakiraki)
Tenure	30 September 2005 to present
Predecessor	Ratu Tevita Bolobolo
	incumbent

Ratu Meli Bolobolo is a Fijian chief^[1] and academic, who lectures at the Fiji Institute of Technology.

Career

Bolobolo was installed on 30 September 2005 as the third Tu Navitilevu, or Paramount Chief of Rakiraki, in Ra Province. He succeeded his late father, Ratu Tevita Bolobolo, who died in 2003.

Bolobolo's installation as Tu Navitilevu was not without controversy. Ratu Esira Nawaqalevu, a spokesman for rival claimant Osea Carawu Naitura, said that two of the three families making up the mataqali, or tribe, had not endorsed Bolobolo, and threatened to challenge his appointment by appealing to the Native Land Commission (NLC) and, failing that, to the courts. Bolobolo maintained, however, that he had been endorsed by the 42 yavusa under the jurisdiction of the Tu Navitilevu. The chief was for the people, he said, and saw no grounds for the NLC or the courts to overturn a decision made by the people.

On 15 December 2005, the NLC ruled in Bolobolo's favour, and on 19 December, Nawaqalevu announced Naitura's intention to appeal the decision in Fiji's High Court. The NLC had based its decision on inaccurate information, the spokesman said. Naitura's line of descent was senior to Bolobolo's, he insisted. He insinuated that political interference had played a role in the NLC's decision to recognize Bolobolo, with Cabinet Minister Jioji Banuve (also of Rakiraki) supporting a pro-Bolobolo faction led by Late Rasekaiya Tanoa.

Nawaqalevu said that Bolobolo's grandfather and father had held the Tui Navitilevu title improperly. "How the title came to be in the hands of the younger branch of the family is a question that the NLC admits it cannot answer," he told the Fiji Sun on 19 December. In that it meant, how the Title came to be with the "Bolobolo" and not the descendants of Isikeli Sabua who was registered as the head of the Tokatoka Vaividi during the Registration of Native Land Owners when Ratu Luke Vutiqica of the Tokatoka Dakuivakadreketi held the Title of TU Navitilevu. Bolobolo is a direct descendant of Naduva the older brother of Banuve; they were both sons of Natadra. The claim by Banuve's descendants that he gave the title to Naduva when he went to Vunitivi and later navolau in one of his adventures is an age old story conjured up by his descendants to ultimately stake claim on the Title of Tu Navitilevu; in fact according to the "Tukutuku Raraba of the Tikina of Rakiraki, the link to Banuve was only mentioned once by Baleikanacea, his version of history was never substantiated by the rest of those who gave oral presentations when evidences were being recorded at the time. [See Tukutuku Raraba-Tikina Rakiraki]Banuve and Naduva are offsprings of Ratu[Natadra] and their grand father Degei of Kauvadra.One of the direct descendants of Banuve i.e. Ratu Luke Natavuto(Lei Matarua) from the Matarua clan of Navolau upon returning to Rakiraki went to SPSM and brought Meli Bolobolos grandfather to be installed as the first Tu Navitilevu. This is a wrong information because it is clearly recorded in the Archives regarding Fijian Landownership that Ratu Luke Vutiqica was the first officially recognised Tu Navitilevu. Ratu Luke Vutiqica was a direct descendant of Naudreudre the last Cannibal Chief of Rakiraki. According to Records held at the Fiji Archives, when Ratu Luke Vutiqica of the i Tokatoka Dakuivakadreketi was Chief and head of the Mataqali Tuinavitilevu, Ratu Isikeli Sabua was the head of the Tokatoka Vaividi. Tokatoka Matarua the third Chiefly Tokatoka of the Tuinavitilevu Clan was headed by Ratu Luke Natavuto. Both Tokatoka dakuivakadreketi and Matarua were regarded non-existent since there were no males to continue the lineage. Tokatoka Vaividi was the only one that survived and its descendants are the rightful holder of the Title Tui Navitilevu. The Dispute amongst members of the Tokatoka Vaividi inthis regard can be seen as an old age effort by descendants of Banuve to claim what was not theirs in the first instance. Ratu Meli Bolobolo is a member of Vaividi Clan and that alone makes him entitled to be bestowed the Title. Ratu Osea Naitura also has an equal claim and so does any other male in the Tokatoka. The records in the NLC and Archives including studies by American Anthroplogist Martha Kaplan - author of "Neither Cargo Nor Cult" would substantiate this; Historically and traditionally Fijians continue to use names of their descendants throughout the generation; that in itself is an indication. The Naitura family are descendants of Ravunakana the son of Waqalevu, Tu Navitilevu the warrior chief of the Kai Namotutu. The descendants of Sabua are still patiently waiting for the truth to surface, time heals and also kills. The Vanua of Rakiraki is at the moment in a limbo. The death of Rasekaiya Tanoa and former Minister of Housing-Banuve should pave the way for a clean up campaign in the Vanua. God bless the Vanua of Rakiraki.

References

1. ^ "Ratu Sakiusa to stay away". Fiji Times. December 13, 2008. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=108783. Retrieved 4 August 2011. 

Persondata
Name	Bolobolo, Ratu Meli
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