Tu'i Pulotu

The Tu'i Pulotu is believed to be the head of an ancient group of people that settled in Pulotu (Fiji) during the Lapita period (3500 BC to 2500 BC.). It was said that the Tui Pulotu originally came from the Fiji Islands and led the Pacific Islands from the early BC era to the first 800 years AD. Many people tried to associate Pulotu with Burotu because of the different pronunciations within Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. And we all know that Burotu in Fiji was the Burotukula (Spiritual island) which used to be seen near Matuku in Lau.

However, that Burotu in Lau no longer existed physically within the first 800 yrs AD when the Tui Pulotu Empire was at its height of supremacy in the Pacific. If we see the meaning of the word Pulotu in its breakdown form, "pulo" in Austronesian language means "island" or "to land" and "tu" means "sacred" or "high rank". Same meaning in the Polynesian region goes for the word Motu which means island or to land, and riki means a word of respect for the Fijian westerners used to address kings, chiefs (momo) or people with high rank. Also the word Ariki in the Polynesian region meaning chief or king.

Moreover if we dig deep into the history of Tongans ,there's a story, written by a Tongan scholar,which mentioned that the constellation pleiades in the heavens,was named "Motuliki" by ancient Tongans seafarers.Now the modern Tongans have changed it into Mataliki,the same constellation is called Matariki in NZ..Maorians also named a peninsula on Tauranga beach known as Moturiki.Maui even established his family in Tongatapu nd named it Motuliki. Two of his descendants were the ones that later made a visit back on Moturiki,Lomaiviti,Fiji in the 10th century AD, nd fought that big wild dog by the cave below Delanikoro(above Nasauvuki village) which resulted in their deaths with the dog.And the sons skeleton was walked over by Adi Loanacama of Delanikoro, which miraculously resulted in her pregnancy.Whose child was Sui,the mighty warrior that killed the members of 9 double hulled canoes,at Naivataqanisaisai(spears shelf,on that case coconut tree log spears,means he was a giant) rock by Naqiqiobau(fell of Bauans).Sui,Who later ordered the 10th canoe that came from Butoni(Bau)to sail him far away to Tonga.So the Pulotu origin known by Maui, Tagaloa,their dad Taufulifonua nd early Tongans was clearly associated with Moturiki.

The first Tui Tonga was said to be the son of Ahoeitu the son of their so called last Tagaloa. Since the first Tagaloa and their first Maui left Pulotu in Fiji. None of them Tagaloas or Mauis had been known in their verbal history as Tui Tagaloa, or Tui Maui, Tui Ahoeitu or even Tui Taufulifonua (their dad).The Tui title in Tonga only started with Ahoeitus son.

Compared to us in Fiji, we had our verbal history the name and title called Tui Waicalanavanua l. And his eldest son was known as Ratu Levu or Koya Na Sau or Lewanavanua l, which means he who was the next in line, was also known as the big chief, Sau (or Hau-one who had genetic spiritual powers from his dad) and 1st Owner of the Land. His eldest son was Tui Pulotu l/Tui Vanuakula l or Tui Davetalevu l the Tabutabu l (1st most sacred grandson).From him came the rest of other kings of Pulotu/Vanuakula or Davetalevu, the dissolved landmass (Waicalanavanua) or Nubu (Lalofonua).

Pulotu was also known to ancient Tongans nd Samoans as the Fijian underworld. No other inhabited island in Fiji today got a name that linked to the underworld in the Polynesian region where the name Pulotu is known.Like Moturikis breakdown name in the Paumotu(Tuamotu)islands.Which had Turikiriki as part of their underworld. That shows that the Pulotuans we are looking for is the name of the Moturiki inhabitants..Because both Burotakukula nd Davetalevu seafield have one common name before nd that is Vanuakula..And Enuakura(Vanuakula) known by old Papua New Guineans is located somewhere between Viti Levu nd Samoa.Thats clearly talks about Davetalevu,which is Moturiki seafield.Plus the name Vanuayalewa(female land) was known for Davetalevu..Ladies,nd their laughters used to be seen nd heard physically on Leleuvia beach nd Davetalevu seafield,south of Moturiki. Also the name Nawaqa-vanua(land that moved like a boat) nd Nakoronawa(floating village)still existed on Moturiki island today.All these are facts known for Burotukula in the southern Fiji waters.Theres a white linguist specialist try to associate Burotukula near Matuku with the huge supplied of Kula birds used to be taken from Matuku by old Tongans nd Samoans nd he said that the Burotuans of Matuku were 2nd settlers of Fiji.Thats only about Kula birds,but that island Burotukula was said by old Fijians that everything about it were reddish gold,not only the Kula birds.Like in Moturiki we had names still exists today like Vusonitoakula(reddish gold feather of roosters),Waikula(reddish golden water because of the stones in the water of Gods garden,in that case Vuniivilevu, which also has its Spiritual guardian with his flaming sword),Laqerekula(reddish golden gravel stones),Mocemocenikula(sleeping place of the kula birds).So thats some names which best describes a real Burotukula paradise nearby the island..Since the Tongan mythology said that Pulotu,Vahanoa(ocean) nd Lagi(heavens)all existed from the beginning,it best describes Vuniivilevu(Moturiki seafield) in the Fijian mythology which said that it was settled by Tamanaivi(Atama and Ivi/Adam n Eve)who used to caretake Vuvu na Ratu mai Bula(Jealous the chief of Life--God Himself)in Vuniivilevu(big Ivi tree/big Eve tree)..

So Motuariki in Polynesia would possibly means the island of chiefs or kings. As the original Tui Pulotu kings originally came from Moturiki. Or their main headquarter or stronghold when they first established their dynasty in the earliest BC era was Moturiki island. Because their source of spiritual powers derived from Davetalevu sacred realm.

If we look around the Fiji islands during the BC Lapita era, as the first paragraph said. The only island which matches the meaning of the word Pulotu, and where most archaeological discoveries for the so called Lapita civilisations, with the reconstructed woman's face, plus the 200-600 billion yrs petroglyphed stone encrypted with concentric circles were found, was in Moturiki, Lomaiviti. That dinosaur age Moturiki petroglyphed stone was taken from the Eye of Sahara concentric circles in Mauritania NW Africa, because they have the same symbol.

There are also numerous small islands in the Pacific, named Motu. And a clear breakdown of the name Moturiki is in Tuamotu group of Islands and NZ's north island still having a Peninsula called Moturiki. According to the Polynesian dictionary, a part of Tuamotus underworld is called Turikiriki. Again in Mamanuca, Malolo Fiji, they breakdown the word Moturiki by these names. Ra koi Motu, ra koi riki, Monuriki, Modriki, Tokoriki, and names which have links to Moturiki like Navadra and Vanuayalewa (female land-facts about Burotu in Lau). However Vanuayalewa is also known for the seafield outside Verata to the east which is Vuniivilevu or Davetalevu itself.

Even Professor Patrick Nunn and his team of archaeologists from USP who excavated Mana Ladys skeleton from Uluibau Moturiki. Basically identified Mana Lady to be a noble woman or a lady with chiefly or royal title. Since they found her head sat on an upright position not like her other skeleton which lay flat in that grave. And a headdress or crown on her side. Thats a Lapita lady, the Tui Pulotu was the ruler of Lapita people.

Moreover,the Namuka people of Fiji and the Nomuka islands inhabitants of Tonga were known to be the Warlords (Vunivalu) of the Tui Pulotus.And their ancient abode called Namuka is in Nawaqa ancient settlement(Wawa),Moturiki island.The Nawaqa people were descendants of Nawaqavanua who was known as the warlord of the Tui Davetalevu of Uluibau village, Moturiki.

That is just to clarify the origin of the Tui Pulotu on Moturiki island. Since Professor Patrick Nunn also said in his latest interview with Dr Tarisi Sorovi was that, the main mistake which the Kiyoto university reconstruction team had done on recreated her face, was when they made the lady's hair straight. Because when every reconstruction made, they only go as far as following the shape of her face on the skull, the hair is what they always makes up, as they can;t leave him or her bald. He said that if they made her hair curly or buiniga like modern Fijian women's hair, then it would make sense. So, that's from the early BC era, Moturiki had provided a solid fact of a royal dynasty on the island with those findings. Something the Tui Pulotu was known for, the head of the Lapita people or proto-Fijian snd Pacific people.

The island of Pulotu is an island located in Fiji, north-west of Tongatapu. It is referred to in Tongan oral traditions as "the motherland" or "place of origin". It is there that some believed that Tongan culture and its people developed and evolved out of the ancient Austronesian/Lapita culture (c. 1600 BCE - c. 500 BCE) that migrated from the South East Asian islands through Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Micronesia and Fiji about 8000 BC.

References

• Robert D. Craig (1 January 1989). Dictionary of Polynesian Mythology. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-25890-9.