Rasolo
Encyclopedia
Rasolo was the second son of Niumataiwalu
, founder of the Vuanirewa
dynasty or noble clan of the Lau Islands in Fiji.
and first installed holder of the title Tui Nayau
. According to oral history, when Rasolo and the rest of his family were exiled to Nayau by Uluilakeba I
, they made their home beside a rewa tree. Hence, it is from this tree that the noble clan took its tribal name, Navuanirewa, or the fruit of the rewa.
, and Vatuwaqa, through his younger son, Taliai Tupou
. Both these sons would in turn succeed to his titles. It was under the rule of Rasolo that the invading Bauan
forces were driven from Lakeba
and the rule of the Vuanirewa
clan re-established.
Niumataiwalu
Niumataiwalu was the founder of the Vuanirewa dynasty, a noble clan of the Lau Islands from which the Tui Nayau is chosen. Niumataiwalu was the son of Delainavugalei, a high ranking noble of the island of Nayau and Lakeba....
, founder of the Vuanirewa
Vuanirewa
The Vuanirewa is the ruling tribe of the Lau Islands, a scattered group of more than a hundred islands and reefs along the eastern edge of Fiji.- Origins :...
dynasty or noble clan of the Lau Islands in Fiji.
Vuanirewa
Rasolo became the third Roko Sau of the Lau IslandsLau Islands
The Lau Islands of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about one hundred islands and islets, about thirty are inhabited...
and first installed holder of the title Tui Nayau
Tui Nayau
Tui Nayau is the title held by the Paramount Chief of the Lau Islands in Fiji and is synonymous with the title holders over lordship of these islands. When translated Tui Nayau means Lord of Nayau, an island north of Lakeba, the latter accepted by many to be the chiefly island in the Lauan...
. According to oral history, when Rasolo and the rest of his family were exiled to Nayau by Uluilakeba I
Uluilakeba I
Uluilakeba I was the second child and eldest son of Niumataiwalu. He succeeded to his fathers title, becoming the second Roko Sau and High Chief of the Lau Islands, upon the latter’s death in Ono-i-Lau. He was the progenitor of the senior and eldest of the four noble households in the Vuanirewa...
, they made their home beside a rewa tree. Hence, it is from this tree that the noble clan took its tribal name, Navuanirewa, or the fruit of the rewa.
Reinstatement
Rasolo is considered the progenitor of both the noble households, Matailakeba through his elder son MalaniMalani
Roko Malani was the eldest son of Rasolo, the first Tui Nayau , and of Laufitu a high-ranking lady of Totoya and Tongan descent. He succeeded to the title Roko Sau, after engineering a successful coup d'état and slaying his uncle, Matawalu, the fourth Roko Sau, in battle...
, and Vatuwaqa, through his younger son, Taliai Tupou
Taliai Tupou
Roko Taliai Tupou was the son of Rasolo the first Tui Nayau and Radravu of Totoya. He is the younger brother of Roko Malani. He was the 3rd person to be installed to the Tui Nayau title. He is considered the progenitor of the noble household, Vatuwaqa in the chiefly Vuanirewa clan and as such, was...
. Both these sons would in turn succeed to his titles. It was under the rule of Rasolo that the invading Bauan
Bau Island
Bau is a small island in Fiji, off the east coast of the main island of Viti Levu.-History:With the aid of Charlie Savage, who brought firearms to Bau Island, the Bauan people quickly established themselves as an undefeatable military force...
forces were driven from Lakeba
Lakeba
Lakeba is an island in Fiji's Southern Lau Archipelago; the provincial capital of Lau is located here. The island is the tenth largest in Fiji, with a land area of nearly 60 square kilometers. It is fertile and well watered, and encircled by a 29-kilometer road. Its closest neighbors are Aiwa...
and the rule of the Vuanirewa
Vuanirewa
The Vuanirewa is the ruling tribe of the Lau Islands, a scattered group of more than a hundred islands and reefs along the eastern edge of Fiji.- Origins :...
clan re-established.
A Family Lineage
The recorded wives and children of this chief in order of seniority were:- By his first wife LaufituLaufituLaufitu was a Tongan-Fijian chieftainess. She was the first wife of Rasolo, who was the third Roko Sau of the Lau Islands and first installed holder of the title Tui Nayau. She was by him the mother of Malani, the seventh Roko Sau and the second to hold the Tui Nayau title of the Vuanirewa dynasty...
- MalaniMalaniRoko Malani was the eldest son of Rasolo, the first Tui Nayau , and of Laufitu a high-ranking lady of Totoya and Tongan descent. He succeeded to the title Roko Sau, after engineering a successful coup d'état and slaying his uncle, Matawalu, the fourth Roko Sau, in battle...
- Malani
- By his second wife unrecorded Lady from Lakeba
- SoroaqaliSoroaqaliToki Soroaqali was a Lauan chief and member of the noble dynasty of Vuanirewa in Fiji.He was the second son of Rasolo, the first Tui Nayau through a lady of rank from the Narewadamu...
- Soroaqali
- By his third wife Radavu of TotoyaTotoyaTotoya is a volcanic island in the Moala subgroup of Fiji's Lau archipelago. It occupies an area of 28 square kilometers, making it the smallest of the Moalas. Its maximum altitude is 366 meters. The main economic activity is coconut farming....
- Taliai TupouTaliai TupouRoko Taliai Tupou was the son of Rasolo the first Tui Nayau and Radravu of Totoya. He is the younger brother of Roko Malani. He was the 3rd person to be installed to the Tui Nayau title. He is considered the progenitor of the noble household, Vatuwaqa in the chiefly Vuanirewa clan and as such, was...
- Taliai Tupou