Hatana Island is considered the most sacred or "
haa" islet of the
Rotuma Group
Rotuma is a Fijian dependency, consisting of Rotuma Island and nearby islets. The island group is home to a large and unique Polynesian indigenous ethnic group which constitutes a recognisable minority within the population of Fiji, known as " ...
,
Fiji, commonly featuring in various
Rotuman Creation myths.
Rotuman mythology
The island's potency is connected to the supposed founder of Rotuma, Raho. Legend maintains that Raho, a
Samoan chief, after fleeing his home island, "planted" the island of Rotuma with two baskets of sand, and was subsequently tricked out of his newfound paradise by a
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
n chief named Tokaniua. In a fit of pique, Raho climbed up Rotuma's old volcano, Mamfiri, and dug a stick into its peak, the dirt flying off becoming the surrounding islets of
Hafliua, Hatana,
Hafhaveiaglolo,
Solkope
Solkope is a small and densely wooded island off the southern coast of Rotuma in the Fiji Islands, at the edge of the fringing coral reef. It is separated from the main island of Rotuma by a channel that is between 50 and 200 m wide, and lies imm ...
and the
Haua
Haua () or Haua tuꞌu taketake, also known as the 'Chief of the eggs', was the companion of the creator god Makemake of Easter Island. Little is known of him, or of any aspects of indigenous religion on the island, but prayers said before eating ...
islands. Thus, Raho left the main island of Rotuma and made his home on the island of Hatana, with a bevy of maidens. He is presumed to have died there, given that there is a site on the island referred to as his burial place. There remain two small boulders, said to resemble two crouching figures, marking the burial places of the ''sau he rua'', Tuimanuka and Famafu. Around these stand 27 smaller rocks in a circle, supposedly symbolising the 27 ''sasina'' (maidens) whose deaths were mandated upon the death of the King, presumably to attend to him in the after world. There is a small ''umefe'' (eating table) upon which people have left gifts of garlands, coins, alcohol and any other offering deemed precious enough to appease the God-King and warrant safe passage on the return voyage.
Geography
Accessing the island of Hatana is a complicated process. Its landowners are the people of the village of Losa, district
Itutiu, on the west coast of the main island, and hence no one is allowed to land on the island without the permission of the Losa people, and must travel with a Losa villager in their party. Groups generally go to collect seabirds or their eggs, delicacies made all the more remarkable by the difficulty in process to procure them. However, groups do also go on day trips to visit the burial place of Raho, and picnic on the island.
The island is surrounded by a perimeter of high reef that boats cannot breach, meaning that to reach the island, travellers must disembark from their vessels at the edge of the
reef
A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock o ...
and either swim or run along the coral to the land at a distance of around 50 metres. This requires careful timing: should one embark on the run or swim at the wrong moment, they can find themselves struck against the reef or a rock by the large waves that pound against the sides of the island.
Once on the island, given its sacred, taboo or ''haa'' status, there are various prohibitions which people cannot contravene. For example, visitors must not defile the island by relieving themselves on the land, and must do so into the sea. Also, any physical or even verbal act of insult, directed to the burial site, the ancestors associated with it or the people of Losa can cause the seas to become quite rough, and groups have been recorded as being stranded on the island for up to several days, until actions were taken to pacify the angry spirits.
See also
*
Desert island
A desert island, deserted island, or uninhabited island, is an island, islet or atoll that is not permanently populated by humans. Uninhabited islands are often depicted in films or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereot ...
*
List of islands
This is a list of the lists of islands in the world grouped by country, by continent, by body of water
A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another plan ...
References
*Inia, Elisapeti, 2002, ''Katoaga: Rotuman Ceremonies'', IPS, Fiji Islands
*Parke, A. (ed.), 2002, ''Seksek E Hatana / Strolling on Hatana: Traditions of Rotuma and its Dependencies'', IPS, Fiji
{{Authority control
Rotuma Group
Uninhabited islands of Fiji