The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-04-24
CATHOLIC FIJI CHIEF.

Father Guinard, S. NJ, sends some
interesting facts concerning the late
Ro Matanitobua, the last, but one of.
the great chiefs who gave Fiji to.
England:
Il have just lost my best friend in
Fiji. Ro Matanitobua is dead. God
called him to Himself during our re-
treat
From the time that Fiji was coded
to England until his death this
great chief did all in his power to es-
tablish English rule. At first the gov
eminent had plenty of trouble.
Many of the native chiefs rebelled,
refused to become Christians and
continued to eat human flesh. Ro
Matanitobua waged war against these
men and in the end defeated them.
The cu1prits were punished and can
nibalism was abolished forever
Eleven years ago he became a
Catholic. After his conversion, he
exerted his influence to convert his
people, and as a result, we have
founded with his assistance three
missionary stations. For nine years
was his missionary, and in all that
time never knew him to miss Mass
on Sunday except for very grave
reason. To reach the church he had
to cross bay about mile in width.
In bad weather this was difficult
journey to make in the face of a
strong wind and the waves running
high. Others remained at home, but
Ro Matanitobua always came to his
duty.
"The Sunday he died he had been
to church three times. After the even
ing service he told his wife that he
was not feeling well and asked her
to prepare cigarette for him. While
she was doing this, he fell back, dead.
II was away at the time, having
been sent by Bishop Vidal to attend
the golden jubilee of the mission of
Taveuni Island. Upon my return, ]
found my premises full of fowls,
ducks, etc., which did not belong to
the mission. On the following day all
these and, in fact, all the poultry and
pigs in the country about were killed,
as mark of respect to the dead chief.
You can imagine the feast that fol
lowed.
There are many feasts in honor of
departed chief. The first occurs
four days after his, death; the second
follows on the tenth day, after which
a similar feast takes place every ten
days until the hundredth is reached.
On the anniversary occurs the last and
greatest feast of all, at which one
hundred pigs, sea turtles, fowls, and
bullocks and one thousand taros and
vans are devoured.
LET us hope that when Ro Mata-
nitobua's son dies, Ratu Leone, who
is a fervent Catholic, the people will
see fit to have Mass celebrated for
the departed soul on the occasion of
these numerous feasts
'Ro Matanitobua was the first Ma
most chief to die Catholic; so for
the. first time the old customs have
been done away with.
In the old days 1t was customary
to kill the chiefs wife or wives and
few men, that they might be. buried
with him. Father Guinard overheard
some Christian natives discussing
this, and one of them said:
Ro Matanitobua's wife is very for
tunate that we are Catholics. Does
she not know that, according to the
old Namosi customs, she would have
been killed and buried with her hus-
band, oreelse eaten at the feast? She
is very bold to dare to go about and
speak to us.
"This shows how difficult it is for
Christianity to eradicate from the
minds of it's converts a leaning to-
wards the old pagan beliefs and prac-
tees. We ask our readers to remem-
Der in their prayers the soul of this
good Catholic chief who did so much
for the progress of the Church in
Fiji"