Today's Weather on Rotuma

Rotuma from Space

Noa‘ia ‘e Mauri

Welcome to a website for the Rotuman people

Rotuma is a volcanic island of approximately 43 sq. kilometers, located at 12 degrees south latitude and 177 degrees east longitude, approximately 465 kilometers north of Fiji. Although the island has been politically part of Fiji since 1881, Rotuman culture more closely resembles that of the Polynesian islands to the east, most noticeably Tonga, Samoa, Futuna and Uvea. Because of their Polynesian appearance and distinctive language, Rotumans now constitute a recognizable minority group within the Republic of Fiji.

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One purpose of this website is to provide information about Rotuman society and culture to those who wish to learn more about the island and its people. It contains information about Rotuman history, archaeology, language, population, culture, economy, religion, land tenure, and political organization, as well as maps. A summary of recent publications concerning Rotuma is also presented.

A second purpose is to provide Rotumans, and those already familiar with the island, with news from Rotuman communities around the world. Far more Rotumans now live abroad (in Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Europe) than live on the home island. This website is intended to give them a place where they can share news and communicate with one another. For these purposes a news page is included, as well as a bulletin board.


 

What's New

If you are a frequent visitor to this site here is a quick way to find out what's been posted recently. This will save you having to surf around trying to find new items.


Sports Central

A section devoted to Rotuman athletes, their accomplishments, and issues concerning their development and well-being.


Life Stories

A section of the website devoted to autobiographical accounts by members of the global Rotuman community, as well as news stories about individual Rotumans that appear in the media.


Life Events

A section of the website for announcing life events, such as births, marriages, graduations, deaths, first communions, promotions to high position and other life-changing events.

Rotuman Youth Corner

This section of the Rotuma Website is for young people, up to the age of 18, to express themselves through writing and artwork. It is a place to post opinions, essays, poems, (in either English or Rotuman), copies of artwork (in digitalized form), and other suitable creative productions that relate to one's Rotuman heritage.


LajeRotuma Initiative

This landmark project, started by Rotumans in Fiji, aims to fund environmental projects on Rotuma, including costal cleanups and school-based environmental education. It is a most timely project and deserving of support from Rotumans everywhere concerned with preserving the island's environment.


The Complete Text of Elizabeth K. Inia's Book, Kato'aga: Rotuman Ceremonies

Kato'aga: Rotuman Ceremonies was published in 2001 by the Institute for Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific, Suva. The book descibes in detail the performance of rituals associated with birth, marriage, death, chieftainship, and much more.


Collected Papers of Alan Howard and Jan Rensel

The full texts of papers published in professional journals and as chapters in books by Alan Howard and Jan Rensel are available here. The papers were published between 1961 and 2006 and cover various aspects of Rotuman culture and history during nearly fifty years of research.


Video Clips from Rotuma in 1990

Video clips taken on Rotuma in 1990 illustrating various aspects of life on the island during that time.


Photo essays from Alan Howard's visit to Fiji and Rotuma from 1959 to 1961

An account of Alan's visit to Fiji and Rotuma during 1959-61 in multiple installments, with accompanying photographs.

Installment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17


Rotuman Albums and Songs

A selection of Contemporary CDs of Rotuman Music, with samples of songs from each in MP3 format, and additional musical clips.


Minutes of the Rotuma Council

Downloadable pdf files of the Minutes of Rotuma Council meetings (in Rotuman): December 2003, January 2004, March 2004, June 2004, July 2004, September 2004, November 2004.


Contemporary Rotuman Artists

A section featuring artists who draw on Rotuman culture for inspiration.


Poetry and Short Stories

Prize-winning entries in Rotuman and English in response to the Alan ma Jan Literary Competitions for 2004 and 2005 and other literary contributions.


Rotuman Forum

The Rotuman Forum is a site where viewpoints on Rotuman History, Culture, Language, and Politics can be posted. The purpose of the forum is to give Rotumans, and other interested parties, an opportunity to share their views regarding matters of concern to the Rotuman community.


District Associations

Introducing a new section to the Rotuma Website devoted to sharing information concerning associations within the global Rotuman community that are organized on the basis of afffiliation with a district, or part of a district, in Rotuma. 

Rotuman Recipes

Recipes for Rotuman dishes. Check out the photo essay by Hillary Morris on making fekei ulu (breadfruit dessert).


Rotuman Humour

A collection of jokes and funny stories contributed by Rotumans.


Rotuman Language Lessons

A set of Rotuman language learning lessons prepared by Dr Marit Vamarasi


News Archive

News pages dating back to September 1996 are archived, complete with photos.


Rotuman Archives

A compendium of documents describing various aspects of Rotuman culture during the 19th and early 20th centuries. prm


Linked Sites


Note: Any information obtained from this website that is used for publication should be acknowledged by citing the website address, date of acquisition and information pertinent to original authorship. For general guidelines regarding web citations see The Guide for Citing Electronic Information .

 

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Webmaster: Alan Howard
Last modified: 7 October, 2020
Email: ahoward@hawaii.edu