Uluilakeba I was the second child and eldest son of Niumataiwalu

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....

. He succeeded to his fathers title, becoming the second Roko Sau

Roko Sau

Sau Mai Kedekede is a title held, NOT in tandem with the title tui nayau, by the paramount chief of the Lau Islands in Fiji.-A brief history:...

 and High Chief of the Lau Islands

Lau 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...

, upon the latter’s death in Ono-i-Lau

Ono-i-Lau

Ono-i-Lau is a volcanic and coral island in Fiji's Lau archipelago.One of the southernmost of the Lau Islands, it is located at 20.80° South and 178.75° East, and occupies an area of 7.9 square kilometers. It has a maximum elevation of 113 meters. It is 90 kilometers southsouthwest of Vatoa, the...

. He was the progenitor of the senior and eldest of the four noble households in 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 called Naivi. His rule was marked with instability, due to internal conflict within 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 and expanding ambitions of Bau. His younger brothers, Rasolo

Rasolo

Rasolo was the second son of Niumataiwalu, founder of the Vuanirewa dynasty or noble clan of the Lau Islands in Fiji.-Vuanirewa:Rasolo became the third Roko Sau of the Lau Islands and first installed holder of the title Tui Nayau. According to oral history, when Rasolo and the rest of his family...

, Matawalu

Matawalu

Matawalu was the son of Niumataiwalu, first Roko Sau of Lau and Uma of Nukunuku. He became the fourth Roko Sau, ruler of the Lau Islands, after the death of his brother Rasolo, but never succeeded to the title Tui Nayau. He had been similarly exiled to Nayau like Rasolo by his elder brother...

 and Lubati and the rest of family were exiled to Nayau. Uluilakeba I was eventually slain in battle by the invading Bauan forces.