The i-taukei are the natives of Fiji. Many live in villages. This book presents young readers to understand what the inside of a Fijian village looks like. 

A visit to Voua Village

Image from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fijian_chiefs_cottage.jpg">wikimedia.org</a>

Traditional Fijian houses are called bures or bure houses. Parts of plants are used to build these houses. For example, the walls of the bure can be made from split bamboo stems or covered by special grass. The roof is also made with a different type of grass. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this books. For more books, visit the SEE Library (<a href="https://seelibrary.org/">https://seelibrary.org/</a>)

Sometimes when there are too many fruits and vegetables, the villagers sell them by the roadside.  

Image from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fijians,_Raviravi,_Fiji,_Summer_2006.jpg">wikimedia.org</a>

On one end of the rara is the chief's house which is known as valelevu. The church is another essential part of the village. Like all houses, it also faces the rara.

Framed photos can be seen hanging on walls. Some homes also have masi (maa-si)(bark cloth) and tabuas (tum-bu-aa) (whale's tooth) displayed on walls. Masi and tabua are a part of the villagers' culture.

A visit to Voua Village Author: Vinesh Chandra (2022)

Nowadays, almost every home has a kitchen or Vale ni Kuro built next to the villagers' homes.

Image from <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jaygalvin/28215217511">flickr.com</a>

Image from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BureNavala2.jpg">wikimedia.org</a>

Voua Village looked like this in the 1950's.

These days houses are built with more modern materials. But they are still built in a particular way. All houses are built in rows around the rara. The rara is an open grassed area for children to play. It is also a place for the villagers to gather for social events.&nbsp;

Most traditional bures in the early days had one door and no windows. The floor was bare earth, not made of timber or concrete.

Image from <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/picturejourneys/2619860249">flickr.com</a>

The village also has many fruit trees. The villagers pick and eat the fruits when they are ripe. 

The whole house is one open space. It is like one big room. Many homes have furniture and appliances that are found in western homes.

The village does not have a regular supply of water. So, the villagers draw water from wells when the taps run dry.

Fijian people, or itaukei (i-tau-kei), are the natives of Fiji. It is believed that the itaukei have lived in the Fiji Islands for more than 3,200 years. Many itaukei people still live in villages in Fiji.

Vegetable patches surround many houses. The villagers can use the fresh vegetables in their cooking. 

Timber found near villages are used as posts and beams for building the bures. These posts and beams must be solid so they can last for many years.

Many villages covered the floor with either grass or mats. The women in the village weave the mats from the leaves of the Vodra tree. 

Blue polka dot pattern

Unlike traditional bure houses, houses in villages these days are built using materials such as treated timber, corrugated iron, Besser blocks and concrete. They have more than one door, and they also have windows.

Image from <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/82134796@N03/48147388162">flickr.com</a>

Name

Safari may block some audio or video from playing automatically and ‘read to me’ will skip these. You can configure this in Safari’s preferences.