Tui Lau is a
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consis ...
an chiefly title of recent history which was created during the time of
Ma'afu and his conquests.
A Brief History
Ma'afu was disclaimed as a Tongan Prince by his cousin
King George Tupou I. Since the
Vuanirewa
The Vuanirewa is the ruling tribe (yavusa) of the Lau Islands, a scattered group of more than a hundred islands (16 inhabited) and reefs along the eastern edge of Fiji.
Origins
The members of this clan all hail from the village of Tubou on th ...
Clan of the Lau Islands considered
Ma'afu as their own, they therefore installed him as the first Tui Lau.
The title was later revived in 1938 by the Yavusa Tonga Clan and installed
Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna upon the approval and support of the
Tui Nayau,
Ratu Tevita Uluiilakeba.
Ratu Kamisese Mara, the son of
Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba, was the last to be installed to the title of Tui Lau.
The Installation
The title of Tui Lau is decided by the Yavusa Tonga of
Sawana.
[Alexander Phillip Lessin, Village of the Conquerors]
Recent history
There has been no installation since Ratu Sir
Kamisese Mara
Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, (6 May 1920 – 18 April 2004) was a Fijian politician, who served as Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the f ...
's time. The current candidates for the title include his eldest living son, Ratu
Finau Mara.
Tui Lau Chart of title holders
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, td width="5%" style="border-bottom:3px solid; background:#efefef;", Order, , td width="40%" style="border-bottom:3px solid; background:#efefef;", Tui Lau, , td width="20%" style="border-bottom:3px solid; background:#efefef;", Reigned, , td width="35%" style="border-bottom:3px solid; background:#efefef;", Lived
, -
, 1., ,
Enele Ma'afu, , 1869–1881, , 1816–1881
, -
, 2., ,
Ratu Sir Josefa Lalabalavu Vana'ali'ali Sukuna, , 1938–1958, , 1888–1958
, -
, 3., ,
Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, , 1963–2004, , 1920–2004
See also
*
Enele Ma'afu
*
Kamisese Mara
Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, (6 May 1920 – 18 April 2004) was a Fijian politician, who served as Chief Minister from 1967 to 1970, when Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom, and, apart from one brief interruption in 1987, the f ...
*
Lala Sukuna
Ratu Sir Josefa Lalabalavu Vanayaliyali Sukuna (22 April 1888 – 30 May 1958) was a Fijian chief, scholar, soldier, and statesman. He is regarded as the forerunner of the post-independence leadership of Fiji. He did more than anybody to la ...
Notes
Tui Lau