Images of Susui Fiji

Cora McCormick
Steve and Roy don sulus for the sevusevu ceremony.
Roy and Steve show off their sulus.
We perform sevusevu with the chief in his home.
From left to right: Me, Jacob (the village headman), Philip (the chief), Roy, and Steve.
Jacob walks with his dog down the beach.
Steve, Roy, and Jacob walk toward the village.
At left, our boat can be seen in the background.
A traditional hut remains in the village. Voivoi (pandanus) leaves hang inside to dry.
From left to right: Steve, Roy, and I pose in front of the hut while Jacob’s dog looks on.
A local home
These mysterious handprints can be seen around the village.
We never did get an answer as to their significance.
Voivoi leaves dry inside one of the houses.
Bale works in her outdoor kitchen.
Jacob gives us a ride to the village of Lomaloma.
The anchor to Jacob’s longboat is made from rebar and a pipe
and is weighted with a concrete block. Clever!
One of the local dogs takes a dip in the lagoon to cool off.
The spiked object behind the dog is Jacob’s anchor.
Jacob points out a giant dilo tree as he guides us to the cave.
Roy navigates under the massive limbs of the dilo tree.
Pineapple plants. According to Jacob, they
should be ready to harvest in about about three months.
Yam plants
Cassava plants
The scenery around the cave is pretty,
especially the giant banyon tree in the background.
Jacob leads us into the cave.
Sure enough, there are bones inside.
More bones
The skulls of two former villagers
Dr. Roy examines the anatomy of the skulls and looks for teeth.
An aerial view of Susui Bay.
An arrow indicates generally where the clams can be found.
Cora McCormick

Cora McCormick

Cora is an independent journalist, adventurer, and photographer. She earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Southern California and her master's degree in communications from California State University, Fullerton. Cora and her husband, Roy, are currently sailing around the world. You can follow their journey here.

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