Lau Islands
The Lau Islands (also called the Lau Group, the Eastern Group, the Eastern Archipelago) of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. 30 islands of the chain of about 100 islands and islets are inhabited. The Lau Group covers a land area of 188 square miles (487 square km). While most of the northern Lau Group is high and of volcanic origin, those of the south are mostly carbonate.
The provincial headquarters for the Lau Islands is situated at Tubou, at the southern end of the island of Lakeba.
Principal Islands
- Vanua Balavu (Vanuabalavu), in the north, where the copra port of Lomaloma is situated. A few guesthouses are located there as well as an airstrip. Etymologically, vanua means "island", while balavu means "long."
- Lakeba (Lakemba), in the south. A few guesthouses are located there. The first Christian missionaries arrived at Lakeba in 1830, but they were expelled.
Northern Lau Islands
Southern Lau Islands
Culture
Since they lie between Melanesian Fiji and Polynesian Tonga, the Lau Islands are a meeting point of the two cultural spheres. Lauan villages remain very traditional, and the islands' inhabitants are renowned for their wood carving and masi paintings. Lakeba especially was a traditional meeting place between Tongans and Fijians. The south-east trade winds allowed sailors to travel from Tonga to Fiji, but much harder to return. The Lau Island culture became more Fijian rather than Polynesian beginning around 500 BC.[1] However, Tongan influence can still be found in names, language, food, and architecture.
Notable Lauans
The Lau Islands' most famous son is the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara (1920-2004), the Tui Nayau (hereditary Paramount Chief of the Lau Islands) and the founding father of modern Fiji who was Prime Minister for most of the period between 1967 and 1992, and President from 1993 to 2000. Other noted Lauans include Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna (1898-1958), who forged embryonic constitutional institutions for Fiji in the years that preceded independence, the present Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, and Attorney-General Qoriniasi Bale. Given its small population, the Lau Islands' contribution to the leadership of Fiji has been disproportionately large.