Over $13,000 was raised at the Lomanikoro Totoka Day celebration at the Naililili grounds in Lomanikoro Village in Rewa last Saturday.

The week-long event ended yesterday with a thanksgiving service at the Ratu Josaia Methodist Church.

During the week, five out of the 13 clans (mataqali) took part in a pageant comprising pricesses and princes (Raluve and Ravouvou).

13-year-old Rusiate Lalai, the prince of the mataqali Navolau said young people should be proud of who they were and their identity.

The Queen Victoria School student won the Question and Answer competition  during the Island Night last Tuesday.

The question for the contestants was: “What is the Rewa Province’s main food and identity”.

Rusi said Fiji had varieties of food and every i-Taukei must be proud of this and that different food delicacy identified ones roots.

“Rewa has its own delicacy and its own identity,” he said.

“Rourou vaka utona is one (cooked taro leaves). Only the women of Rewa know this, it’s a little bit of pieces in creating to become a Rewan identity and crab the mana, a special diet in Rewa especially when dipped in coconut milk or miti.

“Not forgetting the via (species of taro), Rewa is well known for, also called the bavia or uro ni vonu (species of taro), planted in Rewa we call all of the above as food for the brain.”

The Gone Marama Bale na Roko Tui Dreketi, Ro Teimumu Kepa acknowledged those who contributed.

Funds collected will assist in village developments.

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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