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Introduction
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Introduction
  
 

 
 
Jack For every thousand people in the world, only one will come from the South Pacific. Nevertheless, about a quarter of the world's languages are spoken here, and each island has its own culture and traditions.
The photo shows a Samoan boy's tattoos, one tradition that began in the South Pacific.
Click hereto find out more.		 Harry
 
 

 
 
Tattooed boy
©Eye Ubiquitous/James Davis Worldwide
  
 

 
 
Some South Pacific countries are more crowded than others. Use the table to work out how many people there are for every square kilometre. This way, you can see which countries are the most crowded.
Click hereif you need some help.

Country American Samoa Fiji Kiribati Tonga Tuvalu Western Samoa Vanuatu
Land size in
square kilometres		 199 18,270 717 748 26 2,860 12,200
Number of people 67,084 844,330 94,149 104,227 10,991 179,058 192,910
Click herefor the answers.
 
 

 
 

©Eye Ubiquitous/James Davis Worldwide
  
 
 
 
Cecile
In Fiji, many traditions have been passed from one generation to another. Some Fijians still make houses called burés. These are made from local materials like reeds, bamboo and palm fronds that are woven together to make a thatched house. Inside the buré, families eat, sleep and even work together in one big room.
 
 


 
 
 
In the evening, many people chat and share stories together over a drink of kava. Kava is a drink made of a root of a plant that you can see in the photo. The root is smashed into a pulp and mixed with water. Sitting in a circle, the kava is passed round in a coconut shell bowl. People in many South Pacific islands have been drinking kava for 3,000 years. After several cups of kava, your tongue tingles a little and it helps you relax at the end of the day.
 
 
 
 
©Heldur Netocny/Panos Pictures
  
 

 
 
The person who hands round the kava is often the village chief. He is an important person in every village. In the more remote villages, the chief is the advisor, policeman, judge all rolled into one!
The chief is not the only important person. Every grandmother has an important role to play. While the parents are out working, granny is in charge of the children until they reach 16 years old. She prepares their lunch and sees them off to school.
 
 

 
 
Grandmother ©Simon Scoones/Worldaware
  
 

 
 
Harry What do the children eat for lunch? Do they have sandwiches or chips for lunch like me?
Some do, but they might eat a Fijian favourite like corned beef and coconut milk wrapped in steamed taro leaves instead. Taro leaves are a bit like spinach and they grow easily in Fiji. Corned beef comes from overseas. In the past, ships used to stop in Fiji's ports and exchange corned beef for some local fruit and vegetables. Some tins of corned beef used to be washed up on the islands' beaches after a shipwreck. Jack
After school, Granny might tell her grandchildren one of the old Fijian legends. Thanks to the legend of Dakuwaqa, none of the children on Kadavu island are scared of sharks when they go swimming.
to read the story and find out why.
Once you have read the story, you can write your own storyboard about Dakuwaqa. Think how you could divide the story up into six parts, each with its own picture and short description.
to print out a storyboard for you to draw your pictures and write your descriptions.
You will need Macromedia Flash player to view this interractive diary click on the icon to download it.

Download Time Estimate: 30 secs @ 56K modem 		Cecile

for more pictures that show life in fiji, visit
www.bulafiji.com

 
 
 
 
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