Potpourri of Information

How about a little “Potpourri” today.

TEMPLE:
First; for those of you that go to the temple, pay close attention next time. The “garden of Eden” in the new film, had to be filmed in the South Pacific! You will see the several varieties of palm trees that we see every day. Many of the variety of plants are here in abundance, like the red plant that grows 4 or 5 feet tall. When Adam and Eve are leaving the garden, they walk under a tree (Flame tree) with the red flowers. Go back to letter number 1 or 2, in the blog and you will see the pictures Joyce took of these trees! Chad, does the film remind you of the Cook Islands?

PEOPLE:
I haven’t said much about the people yet – I haven’t been able to find out enough until this week. The people have so many varying features. Some have hair like Africans, but don’t look like Africans. Others have straight hair. And there are a few that have blondish red hair! Their facial features vary considerably.
So I’ve been reading. It is said that Fiji is the melting pot of the South Pacific. A true Fijian is actually a composite of at least three groups. Primarily they are Polynesians and Melanesians, with Micronesians thrown into the pot. The map shows where these three groups come from. From the Melanesians, we get the curly hair, they are also the only dark skinned people outside of Australia, to occasionally have blond hair! At the student devotional last Tuesday, we set up on the stage, I counted no less than six with the reddish hair.

The other group is the India, Indians. They are referred to as “Indo-Fijians”. They came as indentured servants, in about 1890. They make up about 37%, and the Fijians about 57% of the population. Around the middle of the 1900’s, the Indians outnumbered the Fijians. Therefore the Fijians drafted a constitution that disfavored the Indians. In 1970, it was written that the Visitor (Indians) must leave the country, and many did! As a result of the political actions, there have been 4 or 5 coups, the latest in 2006. I understand an election is scheduled this next year – it might get interesting.
When the temple was scheduled to be dedicated in 2000, President Hinckley flew in during a coup. The dedication was a very private ceremony, with only a few allowed to attend. A member of the church was a high ranking officer in the military. He assured the church that President Hinckley would not be interfered with. As he was transported from the airport to the temple, about 20 mile, the guards at each of the posts would stand at attention and salute him as he pasted. The Lord places the right people in the right places at the right time!
The Fijians come in various shades of brown, up to very dark. Those that are primarily Melanesians tend to be a little darker than the others. The Indians range from light tan to black! The Fijians are basically a large people. I was talking to a brother Thursday night at the church. He has a son that he said was pretty big – 6’-4” and 270#. The boy wants to go to BYU to play Rugby – the national sport in this region of the world! The Indians tend to be small boned and of slight build. Many of the Indian men will be about 5‘– 8” and weigh about 140#, if they’ve been standing in the rain! The women, with their small and refined features, and fine jet black hair, are frequently very beautiful.
The Fijians are a very modest people. The women dress very modestly, even on the beach. The Fijian men wear a skirt, called “sulu”. The Fijians wear either sandals or flip flops, men and women. The Indians have adopted the western styles, much less modest, and the men don’t wear the skirts, and they wear shoes. Many of our Elders, even some of the Senior Elders, wear the sulu. They say, they are very comfortable and cool. Someday soon, with summer coming on, I too will wear the sulu!

WEATHER: We are approaching the wetter season. If it gets much wetter we’ll drown! It has rained now, every day for the past two weeks. At one time it rained for about 36 hours straight! Sunday morning, the sun was shining, with only a few little clouds in the distance. In the afternoon when we left to go to the Seminary graduation, it came on in a down pour. It changes fast!

SEMINARY GRADUATION: We took some pictures at the Graduation. Took a picture of these three; the blond attends the Church College; nicest guy! Bishop Manueli and his family are here with their son (and Sister Whitehead) Another picture of a group of families and their graduates—notice the lei on this one young sister! Graduates received all sorts of leis.

Some more pictures at Seminary Graduation; Sister Fratangelo (our choir director) and Kaylela (young lady in our ward and goes to the Church School). Next is the picture of the baptismal font at the Stake Center where the graduation was held.