Kaunitoni
Encyclopedia
Kaunitoni, according to Fijian mythology, was a canoe which sailed from a mystical ancient homeland in the West, carrying the ancestor gods Lutunasobasoba and Degei
, who are variously considered the ancestral founders of the Fijian race.
The myth tells that the canoe landed in the western reef of Viti Levu, just north of the village of Viseisei
, between Nadi
and Lautoka
. Here the crew split, with one faction making a home on the island with Lutunasobasoba as chief. The Kaunitoni then sailed eastwards along the coast of Viti Levu under the leadership of Degei, landing at Rakiraki and going up to the Nakauvadra Mountains.
This particular myth story has come under much criticism and scrutiny from anthropologists and linguists who suggest that the story is in fact of “missionary parentage” owing to one telling of the story which tells that Degei and Lutunasobasoba were from Lake Tanganyika
(The accepted theory is that Fiji’s first inhabitants were Proto-Polynesians of the Lapita
culture, whose ancestors were from South East Asia).
Degei
In Fijian mythology, Degei , enshrined as a serpent, is the supreme god of Fiji. He is the creator of the world, of fruits, and of men. He judges newly-dead souls after they pass through one of two caves: Cibaciba or Drakulu. A few he sends to paradise, Burotu...
, who are variously considered the ancestral founders of the Fijian race.
The myth tells that the canoe landed in the western reef of Viti Levu, just north of the village of Viseisei
Viseisei
Viseisei is a village in Fiji's Ba Province. According to tradition, it is the oldest settlement in Fiji, established by Lutunasobasoba when the first Melanesian canoes beached at nearby Vuda Point....
, between Nadi
Nadi
Nadi is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007. Nadi is multiracial with many of its inhabitants Indian or Fijian, along with a large transient population of foreign...
and Lautoka
Lautoka
Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji and the second largest in the South Pacific. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi, and is the second port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar...
. Here the crew split, with one faction making a home on the island with Lutunasobasoba as chief. The Kaunitoni then sailed eastwards along the coast of Viti Levu under the leadership of Degei, landing at Rakiraki and going up to the Nakauvadra Mountains.
This particular myth story has come under much criticism and scrutiny from anthropologists and linguists who suggest that the story is in fact of “missionary parentage” owing to one telling of the story which tells that Degei and Lutunasobasoba were from Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Tanganyika is an African Great Lake. It is estimated to be the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume, and the second deepest, after Lake Baikal in Siberia; it is also the world's longest freshwater lake...
(The accepted theory is that Fiji’s first inhabitants were Proto-Polynesians of the Lapita
Lapita
Lapita is a term applied to an ancient Pacific Ocean archaeological culture which is believed by many archaeologists to be the common ancestor of several cultures in Polynesia, Micronesia, and some coastal areas of Melanesia...
culture, whose ancestors were from South East Asia).