BULA!!!

In celebration of Earth Month! We are proud to bring to you this story from the beautiful islands of Fiji!

I’m sitting inside, eating freshly harvested fruits and vegetables. The kids are playing outside, so I lean close to keep listening to my host-mother. “In town, everything costs money, but here, you can farm cassava or walk to the mango tree. It’s all free.”

My Fijian village is blessed with a bountiful tropical environment that provides more than enough food for everyone to share. “In the village, everything is free.” This phrase is as common as the tropical breeze, and it reminds me of the village’s special connection with nature.

In village life, farmers work the land and reap what it yields. In town, they must deal with the headache of money and its abstractions. The land, in contrast, is not abstract and provides safety and freedom. As a volunteer teaching financial literacy, I hear this phrase used to explain the economic decision to stay in the village.

On Earth Day, I am meditating on the Fijian idea of the Vanua, the land. When my friends in the village say everything is free, they comment on a tradition of living in harmony with the Vanua. They follow in the footsteps of elders and remain good stewards of the land. In Fiji, an island nation threatened by the climate crisis, this stewardship is intuitive. The community honors the Vanua at each village ceremony. In return for this stewardship, they receive the many gifts the Vanua provides.

I want to continue this tradition when I return to the United States. I want to honor the land we stand on and remember the gifts Mother Nature can offer us. If we protect the Vanua, we ourselves will be protected. Taking care of the land can yield a bountiful harvest. In my community in America, I’m going to work towards that freedom my village holds so sacred by finding ways to connect with the soil beneath our feet and restore harmony with nature.