  ratu is a title used by fijians of chiefly rank. an equivalent title, adi (pronounced ), is used by females of chiefly rank. in malay language, the title ratu is also the traditional honorific title to refer to the ruler (king or queen) in javanese culture. thus in java, royal palace is called keraton, constructed from ke- -an circumfix and ratu, to describe the residence of ratu. ==etymology== ra is a prefix in many titles (ramasi, ramalo, rasau, ravunisa, ratu) and tu is simply "chief". the formal use of "ratu" as a title in a name (as in "sir" in british tradition) was introduced after cession of 1874. prior to this a chief would only be known by his birth name and his area specific traditional title. regional variations include ro in rewa and parts of naitasiri and tailevu. roko in parts of naitasiri, rewa and lau (particularly the moala group), ra in parts of vanua levu, particularly the province of bua. it all those places it is used as a title preceding the person's name much like "prince", "duke", "earl", "baron", or "lord". the semantics however are a little different in fijian although the name and title usually reversed, an example: in english, you would say his royal highness (styling) prince (address/title) andrew (name), duke of york (noble title) in fijian, we say, gone turgaga na (styling) roko tui bau (noble title), ratu (address/title) joni madraiwiwi (name). ==fijian nobility== the fijian nobility consists of about seventy chiefs, each of whom descends from a family that has traditionally ruled a certain area. the chiefs are of differing rank, with some chiefs traditionally subordinate to other chiefs. the tui kaba clan is regarded as the highest chiefly clan only by people with ties to bau. they are the heirs of seru epenisa cakobau, the vunivalu of bau or tui levuka (paramount chief of bau, on the eastern side of viti levu, fiji's most populous island), who was the first chief to unite the entire country under his authority in 1871, when he was proclaimed tui viti (king of fiji). he subsequently ceded the islands to the united kingdom in 1874. other prominent chiefly clans include the vuanirewa (the traditional rulers of the lau islands), and the ai sokula (the traditional rulers of vanua levu). in its near-century of colonial rule (1874â1970), the british upheld fiji's traditional chiefly structure and worked through it. they established what was to become the great council of chiefs, originally an
Fijian_culture Noble_titles Titles_of_national_or_ethnic_leadership