Sparks - Market in Vaileka

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9/7/99 and 9/8/99 (written 9/9)
SHOPS IN VAILEKA

by Emily Sparks

Summary

For the past two days we have gone into Vaileka for a few hours each time. Our goal was to familiarize ourselves with the town itself, and to ask some questions among the townspeople, and shopkeepers. The first trip in was a bit overwhelming, considering the amount of information we could possibly find out. [Apryle and I found that there was so much to ask that just wouldn’t normally come up in conversation.] However, during the second visit we had a better handle on things, we were less paranoid -- we split up and focused on a few stores, in stead of trying to cover the entire town.

Overall, Vaileka is make up of three streets and a market side, with the post office in the middle -- raised above the rest of the ground The stores seem to be arranged somewhat by what they sell. And many stores sell a lot of the same things. There was a shoe section, and a fabric and clothing section, somewhat of a scattered eating section, and scattered furniture shops, a pharmacy, and what looked like two main supermarkets.

Vaileka is a small (only three main streets) but busy town. If one looks beyond one side of town, one will walk directly into sugar cane fields. Another dirt road, leads into town, along with the paved road coming downhill into Vaileka from Rakiraki. Both times we went in, people were shopping -- the grocery and clothing / fabric stores were the most busy. But in general, the town had a buzz to it. Some people just stood outside the shops people watching, or perhaps waiting for someone. There are benches in front of a few stores; people sat on those, sat along the edge of a building, or stood. Along the sidewalks are spaces to park cars -- not parallel parking, but more of a vertical type of parking style. I noticed a few dogs roaming in the streets, but when I spotted them they did not seem particularly unusual to me, they fit in with the scene. That is, one with people kind of roaming around as well, and everyone making room for people, dogs, and cars. The only things that did not make room for people and dogs roaming around were the buses which came tearing through one corner and into the center of town -- usually full with people, and spitting out dark smoke.

Sounds of "Bula" and "Vinaka" could be heard, as well as incomprehensible (to me) Fijian language -- people joking with one another, or telling someone what to do, or where to go. I heard more Hindi once I was in the stores, as opposed to on the streets, but still there was some on the streets.

On the first day we went in, school children were getting out of school, so there were many -- mostly Indian children dressed in school uniforms -- some of the girls were wearing a green dress with a white choudra (I think that is the name -- a full covering over their heads, more than just a veil), which indicates that they are Muslim. Some children walked around by themselves, and some were with their mothers in the shops.
Fatima -- Bookstore

Apryle and I started off by going into the bookstore. The bookstore seemed to be run by Indians, there was two men and a women working there, and both Indians and Fijians in the shop. The crowded shop has shelves up to the ceiling, on one side, paperback second hand (I believe) novels in the back on turning racks, and pens, pencils, and wrapping paper. In the shelves there are books for schools, (some text books, like Health Science), as well as many kinds of lesson books, and record books.

While we were standing in the back, discussing which route through Vaileka to take, a woman came up to us and asked us if we needed any help. She then told us that she could offer us discounts not only for us, but for all of our group, her name was Fatima.

Fatima is a middle-aged, slender woman with crooked teeth, but a pretty smile. I found it interesting that she was not wearing a traditional Indian outfit -- but then I thought that she might be a Christian due to her name (I think Fatima might be the name of a Saint, and she didn’t have her nose pierced, nor a forehead-thing (I forget the name -- Bires?), which would indicate that she was a married Hindu woman.

Fatima was quick to warm up to us (she approached us!), and enjoyed talking to us -- I could tell by her listening intently to our questions, and by her quick engagement in a conversation. I got this feeling not only by her offering discounts (for that could be a business deal), but also when she offered to tell us a little bit about her personal life, and when she told us that we could come back anytime an sit and read a book if we wanted, that she really wanted us to feel comfortable with her. She also asked about our boyfriends back home -- another devise for us to think of her as a friend, or as someone who will care for us.

We learned from Fatima that the bookstore is owned by her husband, and that they "stay" (as oppose to "live", which is what I asked) "in the back," meaning, in the back of the store. However, she did say that the other man (also Indian, like her and her husband) is not a relative, but a friend that works for them.

Fatima told us that most of their paper merchandise is for schools, but that now there is a company that sells in bulk -- which offers some competition. She pointed out the differences in the prices in some of the books. An old Health Science book was about ½ as much money as the new version (I forget the numbers). Fatima also mentioned that their busiest time of the season is when the cane farmers get paid, which, she said will be soon -- I think in a month, and when the school year starts. When I asked, she said that business was slow, but that it should be picking up with the payment of the cane farmers.

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Clothing Stores (Summaries)

The majority of the clothing stores in Vaileka are owned by Indians, and most of the owners work in their own stores, sometimes with additional hired help -- with staff of Indians and/or Fijians. In all the stores, I noticed that much of the clothing was displayed high up on the walls as opposed to on racks on the floor. Sari fabrics were folded up and displayed this way, as well as Salwar Kameez (the long shirt/pant outfit that mostly Muslim women wear). Then, in addition, there are normally wooden bins of underwear, socks, or perhaps shirts, that tended to be on one side of a store. Dress shirts usually hung along the wall at a height where people could get at them, and on the floor of the stores racks held skirts, dresses, pants for men, kid’s clothing, and in the back of a few stores, there were racks of used clothing. Also, the clothing stores had stacked in shelves against the walls, different fabrics, that people could buy by the meter (I think). Most of the stores also had, in the front cases, bracelets, necklaces, and small toys for kids.

I noticed that people shopping tended to really be out to get something, I thought that there was not a lot of just coming in and looking around.

[I thought it was interesting that these shops not only had an incredible overlapping of merchandise, but also the presentation of it was very similar. It was as if it didn’t matter what store someone walked into, because they all had almost the same layout.]

Moonee’s for example, was the largest clothing store in Vaileka. It is located in the middle of one of the blocks, and, when we were there, had a large "Sale" awning over it’s entrance way. It had the most range of fabrics displayed, possibly the most clothing (although Brightspot Fashions had a lot of clothing also), and was the most busy. The shop is owned by Indians, and had an Indian and Fijian staff (3 Fijian, about 4 Indian, not including the people behind the cash register). Moonee’s sold Indian clothing, but also had a wide selection of fabrics. Moonee’s was very busy, with both Indian and Fijian shoppers. I started talking to an Indian woman who worked there, she mentioned that she was from Vaileka -- or just outside, she said that she liked working there, but another woman (her boss?), told her something, and then she just starting asking me if I needed any help with anything in the store.

Bombay Fashion is another clothing store, owned by an Indian Muslim woman named Janeip, and her brother-in-law. Her brother in law is from Bombay, and moved here because he wanted to start a business, and Fiji seemed like a good place, because he had family here. She said that he usually cuts the fabric, while she takes care of the shop, and they have another woman working for them as a seamstress/ tailor. When I asked if the seamstress was related to them, she said no at first, and then said, "well, yes, because she’s Muslim, and all Muslims are related."

Her store is smaller, and much quieter than Moonee’s, but is laid out in a similar way. Bins on the left as you walk in with underwear, and some kid’s shirts, shirts hanging on the wall, skirts and dresses and pants hanging on the wall, or on racks, and various children’s clothing on racks as well. The fabric was located in shelves behind the counter. Again, Janeip also had Salwar Kameez hanging high up on the back wall. In the back of the store a woman was making the clothing, and I noticed that almost all of the clothes had a "Bombay Fashion" label on them. Sure enough, Janeip told me that they make all of their clothes at the shop, unless someone else wants to display and something there. Janeip told me some interesting information, in between customers -- which I’ll go into detail about later.
Food

There are a few major grocery stores in Vaileka, as well as a few quick eateries. The Vaileka restaurant is owned by an elderly Chinese couple, and serves chop suey, as well as curries. It was a rather dark place, with only one table occupied with Fijian men, since they didn’t serve drinks (except for tea and coffee), we moved on.

Top Taste has six booths, and as opposed to the V. Rest. is brightly colored. There is a pink trim along the wall, with little light bulbs also going along the wall, and over the counter a pink awning. The shop is run by Indians, and they have sodas, candy, cakes, as well as light fare -- vegetable samosas and curries (about 3 different kinds). There are two large freezers in the store as well, and it looked like the cooking was done in back. Behind the counter, however, was a sink and counter, and a microwave.

The Bread Kitchen is a bakery owned by Fijians. It was so hot in there, that I didn’t ask too many questions. The workers (two young women at the counter) had tee-shirts that had the store’s name on them, and a few of their friends (young men) came in while I was in there. There were loaves of wheat and white bread, rolls, creme filled rolls, and a few cookie type things. There is Another Bakery (that’s not the name, I’ll have to get the name again) at the end of this same street. The owner, an Indian, said that he does all the baking in the store, and his selection of breads was almost sold out! He said that business is slow, but is starting to pick up -- he opened the store last November. While we were in there, a Fijian woman came in to buy some bread.
Range of Products

As I mentioned before, most of the clothing stores sold the same items, some had more Indian wear (like Bombay Fashion), and some had say, more loose fabric. I found that women’s collared shirts ranged from $F12-18 dollars, fabric was about $F1.25 for the polyester fabric, and about $F2.50 for cotton. At Moonee’s there were some finer Batiks, and some silky (I’m not sure if it was real silk, that was between $F3.25-4.50 or so. Salway Kameez ranged from 29-55 or so, not depending on the store, but how fancy it was -- the material, and the detailed embroidery. In Brightspot fashions, formal Indian outfits -- long skirts, and fancy hip-length tops were around 65.

Janeip said that her store, Bombay Fashions caters mostly to Indians, but they do sell some sulus. She also said that they didn’t sell saris because "they go out of fashion every month, and we don’t really wear them." When I asked, she said that Muslim women don’t usually wear saris. When I was in the store, five different people (or groups) came in. There were a couple Fijian men, along with Indian women that came in either together, or with children -- thus it seems that the store serves both markets, but mainly Indians, more specifically, Muslims. (The Muslim school was just getting out at that time.)

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Feelings about different ethnic groups

Janeip said that she likes working in the shop because "I like meeting people, I like talking to all the people that come in." By making this comment, I think that Janeip enjoys talking to people that come into her shop -- no matter what their ethnicity is. I observed her, and she talked to everyone that came in. [However, this information is from a 15 minute chat with her, not in depth.] Nevertheless, when I asked her if shoplifting is a problem, she said quietly, as if she was gossipping, "yes, it can be. It’s mostly Fijians that do it, mostly kids, not the adults, it’s the Fijian kids that try to. We watch them though, because they come in in groups, so when they come in in groups I watch, and they don’t get away with it."

Another observation concerning ethnicity concerns how workers treated me in the stores. In almost all of the stores, a sales person followed me, or us around, and, I noticed, paid special attention to show us all the selection if we were interested, in say, a shirt. One store I went into, a woman literally followed me around, two feet behind me as I browsed through the store, and there were no other customers in the store! (That was at Brightspot).
Bartering

When I asked two different people about bargaining they said that they don’t do it, and kind of laughed at me for asking. (This was after I bought something). However, when I was shopping around with Andy, someone gave him a second price for a shirt that he was thinking about buying.
Unfamiliar Product -- Salwar Kameez

I’ve mentioned it a few times, but before talking to Janeip, I had no idea what this ensemble was called. It consists of pants, and a dress that goes over the pants, and a scarf. It is one size, (I found this in a few stores that sold them) -- Janeip said that people can get them made to order, but that doesn’t happen often. The outfit, she said, is worn by Indians, and mostly Muslims, because a lot of Hindu women wear saris. The Salwar ranged from fancy -- fine cotton, with intricate embroidery to those that were for everyday wear.
Vendors

The vendors that I talked to all live either in Vaileka (like Fatima, whose living situation is attached to the shop), or just outside of Vaileka. I asked Janeip what the name of her village was, and she said, "no, we don’t live in villages, we live in groups together, but not in villages." She also said that Hindu and Muslim Indians live together, in the same settlements.

Most people that worked behind the counters were the owners, in larger shops there were others that were hired to help work on the floor. As in the case with Fatima, her and her husband work all day. Fatima said, "he usually comes out here around 6 to open up, and we close around 5 or so." Janeip mentioned that she enjoys meeting and talking to people, and Fatima certainly displayed that to us (see summary of bookstore). She was also friendly to people coming in the store, but not as friendly than she was to us.
Seasonal Differences

Both Janeip and Fatima said that the season when the sugarcane is being harvested is the best time for their businesses. Cane cutters get paid every three weeks, and growers every three months. Also, Fatima said that the beginning of the school year is a busy time for her, because children are getting supplies for school.

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Week 1 - Emily Sparks Field Notes

Fieldnotes from 9/6/99
FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Arriving at the Fiji airport, I was a little in shock that I, Emily Sparks, was walking around in Fiji, also the fact that we had finally arrived, with no problems was also hard to believe. Seeing men in skirts was also a shock, and a bold reminder that we were in a far-away place. When we arrived it was pouring outside, and the humid, wet air smelled like dirt and vegetation. Driving to the hotel here in Nadi -- only the lightening allowed us to see the land-silhouettes of banana and coconut trees, sugarcane fields, some shops along the roads, and rotaries with gardens in the center. A lot of it reminded me of Barbados -- the developing / tropical island feeling. The bugs for one thing were almost a pleasant reminder of the tropics. (Although -- I think I’ll hold back from trying to explain that one.)

I am definitely excited to start everything up -- the fieldwork, but I feel like I don’t know anything about the culture! (Which of course, is why I’m here), but it seems like such a mystery to me right now -- after a few sheltered hours. Looking back on doing fieldwork before, being in Bds now seems so easy, like I know how to survive there -- how to get around, what to do, where to go, and even I can understand the humor, (although some things are still mysterious). I wonder, if Bds seemed like such a mystery in the beginning. Maybe this time I just know why here -- I know, to a degree, the type of work that is going to go on -- so perhaps the awe of being in a new place is not as overwhelming.
The Drive to Rakiraki

I woke up at about 5:00. I went outside, and was not surprised to see the kind of lush vegetation that surrounded me. What I recognized was banana trees, coconut trees, hibiscus bushes, mango trees, and other large ferns-type bushes. We had a view of the mountain in the background, and in the foreground a playing field, and a house on the other side of a dirt road.

After breakfast we drove to Lautoka, and then Rakiraki. Roop, our van driver talked to us almost the whole time, however, I was in the back and didn’t catch a lot of what he said. When we stopped in Lautoka, it reminded me a lot of Rosseau (the capital of Dominica) -- the bustle of the streets, the height of the buildings - high and uneven, and the kind of dull coloring of the buildings. After buying swords from the con artist, getting money changed at the bank, and walking around a bit, we drove through Ba, and then on to Rakiraki. The whole trip I was kind of in and out of feeling awake, and then totally exhausted.
Steve and Karen’s village -- Va/Bill

One interesting part of the day was when we all walked down to Steve and Karen’s house. Their house is under repair. Once we got there, we spoke to Va, their neighbor and wife of the chief who was just coming back from Vaileka. Va has a warm smile that lights up her whole face and seemed very nurturing to me, in her sincerity to meet all of us, and by her assuring us that we would love Fiji, and living in host families. She said, "they will all be wonderful." She also joked about them wanting to feed us a lot of food! She also pointed out some of the bushes around the village -- she told us that "in the village we plant things that we can eat." This includes two breadfruit trees -- one with seeds, one without seeds, a lemon tree (which she told us, will soon bear fruit), and another type of bush, that bears a root crop -- of which I can’t remember the name. Soon her husband, Bill, who Va introduced as "the big boss" came out. He went around and introduced himself, saying "your welcome" occasionally -- maybe we were supposed to say "thank you" for meeting him? Bill then half jokingly called himself "the big daddy -- as he stood in a very masculine way -- feet spread apart, stomach out, with his arms crossed in front of his chest. After we talked for a bit Bill went back inside. Va told us a few words -- Vinaka, and moce. Then we all went back to the hotel.

Drive along the coast

Later in the afternoon, Steve took us for a along the coast, and we got to see our villages from the road. This was the most exciting part of the day for me -- I came out of the delirious state that I was in the rest of the day. Navolou 2 is the last one in that direction to have electricity (the direction beyond Rakiraki), it’s also just beyond Andy’s village - Nokorokula, I think is the name. In my opinion, the side we are on seems more beautiful, it overlooks the ocean from a hill. [What makes me a little nervous though is that S/K haven’t really met my family yet, except for the father, briefly]. Supposedly there are three girls (good for interviews?).

9/7/99 and 9/8/99 (written 9/10/99)
SEVUSEVU

A Sevusevu is a presentation of a gift (Kava, or yaqona in most cases, or all cases) to someone, in order to ask for a favor. With all of our host families we must present a sevusevu, and when they accept, they are agreeing to do us this favor of taking us into their homes. We (the Union people) must get someone to represent us in the presentation, to do the talking for us. The sevusevu can either be with the host family, or with the chief (or is it both that have to be there?).

[What struck me as interesting in attending these two sevusevus is that they were very formulaic, and from what Karen said, they say basically the same things at each one, with a varying amount of detail, but at the same time it was a relaxed atmosphere, where I felt very included, even though I had no idea (for most of it) what was being said. I guess what made me feel that way, was the fact that everyone was offered the kava.] Even at the sevusevu at the chief’s house, where the women sat behind the men, everyone was offered kava, and at Michelle’s sevusevu Va told us a lot of what was going on.

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Michelle’s

All seven students decided to go to Michelle’s sevusevu. After dinner we walked down to Va’s house, collected her, and then walked down to Michelle’s village (I forget the name). In order to enter the house at night, or to call someone at night, Va instructed us to say Bone (it sounds like "bogne"). At first Michelle’s host father was sleeping, as he is a very hard worker in the cane fields.

We went in (after taking off our shoes of course) and sat on the floor, where mats were laid out. There was furniture -- chairs and a couple of two-seat couches. There was a "last supper" tapestry on the wall, along with other biblical framed pictures. Also, there were pictures of family on the walls. Off to one side was, perhaps the kitchen, or a back door (where the daughters of the family went to prepare the kava), and to the other side was a large room with two double beds, and off of that, hallway with more bedrooms ( I think two or three more.) We met Dele and Rossi, two of her sisters, who came around and shook hands with all of us.

First Va gave her speech, which I think was the offering to M’s host father. She held the two bags of powdered kava in her hands and said a rhythmic speech, with M’s father saying "Vinaka" along the way (also rhythmical). Then, the father took the bags of kava, and kind of went through the same thing, with Va saying Vinaka along the way.

After this we waited a while for the drink to be made, and Dele brought it out. We made room in the circle for Dele, and another sister whose name I don’t remember. Michelle served the first round of kava, moving around on her knees. We learned how to clap once, accept the drink, while people alternated clapping three times or two while the person drank the kava (depending on the order of sitting). After someone finishes a bowl we all clap many times (like six or seven), before the next bowl of "grog" or kava is poured. For Michelle’s host father we clapped three times, because he was acting like the chief. For Va, twice, who was acting as the talking chief (I think), and then three and two times alternating after that. Andy served the next round of kava, and Stephanie the last. We also got up to look at Michelle’s bedroom.
A Sevusevu at the Chief of Stephanie’s, Apryle, and Megan’s Villages

I’m not sure if this was the original plan, or if this is just how the night unfolded, but we ended up not doing a sevusevu at either Apryle or Stephanie’s, and doing one at the chief’s house instead.

The chief’s house was next to the church, and at a high point in the village. We took off our shoes, and walked in. The chief was not facing the door, as he might of in a traditional ceremony, so the seating was switched around. The chief sat in a chair, above everyone else, and the men sat in a circle, and the women sat in back of the circle, facing the chief. The format was the same as the other ceremony, but if felt a bit more formal than the one at Michelle’s. The chief did not talk, the man to his left sitting on the floor was the "talking chief" -- the man who spoke for the chief. There was also another man there who was pouring the kava. They were both just sort of keeping the chief company, because his wife just died about a week ago.

The chief was a skinny man, who seemed very soft-spoken, and sweet. When we went around, on our knees to shake hands with everybody, his grip was soft and he spoke quietly compared to the other men in the room that we met, who gave their names loudly, and shook hands firmly. One man was joking with us, kind of showing off his English, by saying "Hello, my name is ----?".

At the end of the ceremony they did a clapping/talking call and response type of rhythm. I think they were saying "Duay", then they would clap once, say it again, and clap twice, say it again and clap once, and so on.
Stephanie’s house -- preparing the kava bowl

Although we did not do a sevusevu here, we did have few rounds of kava, or "grog." With the 90210 theme song playing in the background we sat as the man who was acting as the talking chief prepared the kava bowl. The people there were Steve and

COUSIN RELATIONSHIPS
At Stephanie's sevusevu I learned a bit about cousin relationships. The bus driver (normally a joking-around guy, who laughs at the fact that he gets no sleep before driving to Suva and back twice in one day), hardly talked to a relative sitting on his right (a woman). The education man and this woman were joking around a lot, but the other two barely looked at each other, and the bus driver said that it would be uncomfortable for them to be in the same room together by themselves.

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