Ratu Alifereti Finau (1869 – 3 April 1934)Ratu Finau
'' Pacific Islands Monthly'', May 1934, p7 was the eleventh Sau ni Vanua of

Lau Lau or LAU may refer to: People * Lau (surname) * Liu (劉/刘), a common Chinese family name transliterated Lau in Cantonese and Hokkien * Lau clan, one of the Saraswat Brahmin clans of Punjab * LAU (musician): Laura Fares Places * Lebane ...

and the fifth

Tui Nayau ''Tu’i Nayau'' is the title held by the paramount chief of the Lau Islands in Fiji and is synonymous with the title holders over lordship of these islands. When translated, ''Tu’i Nayau'' means "Lord of Nayau", an island north of Lakeba, the la ...

. He was a member of the noble household Matailakeba.Genealogy
World of Royalty

Biography

Ratu Finau was born in 1869, the son of Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba II and Adi Asenaca Kakua Vuikaba, daughter of the

Vunivalu of Bau Turaga na Vunivalu na Tui Kaba is the Paramount Chief of the Kubuna Confederacy, loosely translated the title means ''Warlord of Bau'' or Root of War. The succession to the title does not follow primogeniture, but the candidate must be a high-r ...

and self-styled

King of Fiji The monarchy of Fiji arose in the nineteenth century, when native ruler Seru Epenisa Cakobau consolidated control of the Fijian Islands in 1871 and declared himself King or paramount chief of Fiji ( fj, Tui Viti). In 1874, he voluntarily ced ...

, Ratu

Seru Epenisa Cakobau Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau (; occasionally spelled ''Cacobau'' or phonetically ''Thakombau'') (c.1815 – 1 February 1883) was a Fijian Ratu and warlord ('' Vunivalu'') who united part of Fiji's warring tribes under his leadership, establishing ...

. He married Adi Ateca Moceiwaqa, the daughter of Ratu

Epeli Nailatikau I Ratu Epeli Nailatikau I (1842 - 1901) was a Fijian Paramount Chief, who was posthumously made the Vunivalu of Bau. He was the eldest son of the first Tui Viti, Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau and his first wife, Adi Litia Samanunu, daughter of the ...

, the

in 1896, and eldest son of Ratu

. His father was in line to become the next

, but died before the title was passed on. As Ratu Finau was still a minor when the title was passed, it instead passed to his granduncle Ratu Eroni Loganimoce, Roko Taliai Tupou's son. In 1898 with the death of Ratu Eroni Loganimoce, Ratu Penaia Kadavulevu,

, went to

and made Ratu Finau as Sau ni Vanua and

ahead of Ratu Salesi Kinikinilau (Ratu Eroni's nephew and Ratu Finau's rival for the title). It is assumed that a possible reason for Ratu Kadavulevu's eventual selection was due to the notion of dynastic extensions of power, as Ratu Finau was not only a first cousin but also married to his sister, Adi Ateca Moceiwaqa. Adi Moce as she is commonly referred to, is recorded to have been influential in introducing Bauan standards, manners and protocols in Lakeba which in time became dominant. This marriage between first cousins was not uncommon in Fijian families at the time. ( Adi Moce & Ratu Kadavulevu's father was Ratu

, eldest son of Ratu Cakobau; Ratu Finau's mother was another of Cakobau's daughters Adi Asenaca Kakua). Ratu Finau was responsible and instrumental in promoting his nephew's Ratu Lala Sukuna's education overseas. It is recorded that he levied one ton of copra from every adult male in Lau in order to fund Ratu Sukuna's education. His intention for this was that he saw the need to groom a powerful and articulate indigenous spokesman in government and in the councils of the nation to combat the increasing aggressive promotion of their own interests by

Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

and

Europeans Europeans are the focus of European ethnology, the field of anthropology related to the various ethnic groups that reside in the states of Europe. Groups may be defined by common genetic ancestry, common language, or both. Pan and Pfeil (2004) ...

. In time his nephew Ratu Sukuna would realise his intentions by becoming one of the most respected leaders of modern Fiji. He founded the first school Lau Provincial School in Tubou, Lakeba in 1908, which recruited staff from the United Kingdom. Some early pioneering teachers at this school included the ethnographer and anthropologist

Arthur Maurice Hocart Arthur Maurice Hocart (26 April 1883, in Etterbeek, Belgium – 9 March 1939, in Cairo, Egypt) was an anthropologist best known for his eccentric and often far-seeing works on Polynesia, Melanesia, and Sri Lanka. Early life Hocart's family had ...

. Ratu Finau died in Tubou on 3 April 1934 at the age of 65 and was succeeded by his son, Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba III

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alifereti Finau 1869 births Fijian chiefs People from Lakeba Tui Nayau Vuanirewa 1934 deaths