The latest in the Moana Oceania series is another photo-packed, informative read. The author of Fiji – Viti is Fijian-New Zealand educator Tarisi Vunidilo, and she does an excellent job writing about the people, culture and identity of Fiji in this attractive book.
The book is bilingual in English and Fijian and is broken down into the following sections:
Fijian Identity examines family and traditional values, religion, schooling, food, housing and clothing.
The Discovery of Fiji – as you would expect, this covers the history dating back 3,000 years.
The Language section is a very useful guide to the Fijian alphabet and the pronunciation, as well as useful words and phrases.
The Environment has wonderful information about the geography, weather, plants and animals.
Arts and Culture covers weaving, carving, tattoos and traditional dance and much more.
The overall design of this guide is colourful and makes it easy to navigate the book with its information boxes, illustrations, photos and maps.
I’ve recently returned from a trip to Fiji, and I wish I’d had this excellent book before my trip. Fiji – Viti is an invaluable and accessible guide for anyone travelling there or interested in our Pacific neighbours.
Reviewer: Karen McMillan
Oratia Books