Editing Rotuma (section)

===Faguta===

The southern part of Rotuma is known traditionally as ''Faguta'', a territory encompassing [[Juju (district)|Juju]] and [[Pepjei]], whose chiefs lead socioreligious communities which follow the ecclesiastical, cultural, and linguistic teachings of the [[Society of Mary (Marists)|Marists]] of [[France]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Howard|first1=Alan|last2=Kjellgren|first2=Eric|date=1994-12-01|title=Martyrs, progress and political ambition: Re-examining Rotuma's 'Religious Wars'|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/00223349408572768|journal=The Journal of Pacific History|volume=29|issue=2|pages=131–152|doi=10.1080/00223349408572768|issn=0022-3344|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan=5 style="font-size:105%;" | Faguta
|-
! style="width:140px;"| Itu{{okina}}u !! style="width:140px;"| Location !! style="width:210px;"| Villages
|-
| [[Juju (district)|Juju]] || south ||
*Juju
*Tuại
*Haga
|-
| [[Pepjei]] || southeast ||
*{{okina}}Ujia
*Uạnheta
*Avave
|}

Itu{{okina}}u is a [[Rotuman language|Rotuman]] geographic term typically considered equivalent to a chiefdom or district.

====Timeline of Faguta====

The main island in the [[Rotuma Group]] was formerly partitioned into five parts. One of these parts, Faguta, was located to the south of Rotuma Island, across the [[strait]] from [[Solnohu]] island. Faguta's chief, alongside the chief of Noatau, were generally considered the most influential of all those across the island and effectively governed the island's south and north, respectively. The significance of these two chiefs was reflected in the fact that the position of the head of the island's governing council alternated between the chief of Faguta and the chief of Noatau, depending on which of the two had been victorious in the last conflict between them. However, following victory and invasion by opposing forces ([[civil war|internecine conflict]] was endemic for centuries on Rotuma), Faguta was forcibly divided into two by the other districts' chiefs in an effort to weaken its influence, thereby forming Juju and Pepjei (although the territory is still commonly referred to by the two districts' inhabitants and descendants as "Faguta").<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gardiner |first1=J. Stanley |title=The Natives of Rotuma |journal=Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute |date=1898 |volume=27 |page=428}}</ref>

====Mythology centred around Faguta====

[[Image:North American herpetology (7211037826).jpg|thumb|upright|right|Local mythology tells of two turtles which live off the coast of Faguta, one red and one white. [[Green sea turtle]]s, which are known to frequent the islands of Fiji, can actually exhibit reddish and whitish hues on their carapaces and plastrons, respectively.]]

Solnohu, a islet off the southern coast of Faguta roughly equidistant between its constituent districts, is the location of a significant local myth, "The turtle of Sol Onau". The myth tells of two local girls who fall from atop the island into the sea below. There, the two were transformed into sea turtles, one red and one white. Local beliefs hold that these two turtles, called 'Eao', continue to live around the coral of the rock and will resurface if a particular chant is performed.

{{Quote box |align=left|quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=right
 |quote  =
<poem>
Eao manuse, ka Lepiteala
Ai, ma vehia ka foro ole tufe,
Havei, ma foiak ta ka fau paufu,
He ta jauaki, ma moiea. Pete.
</poem>|source = Traditional chant for sea turtles from "The Natives of Rotuma", (1898).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gardiner |first1=J. Stanley |title=The Natives of Rotuma |journal=Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute |date=1898 |volume=27 |pages=503–518}}</ref>}}

J. Stanley Gardiner, who visited the island and wrote extensively on the locals' customs and myths wrote that he took [[Gagaj Mou]], the chief of [[Pepjei]], and five girls to recite the traditional chant. Gardiner recorded that from his vantage point out front he actually noticed the appearance of a [[Green sea turtle|green turtle]]. Green sea turtles are often located in the waters of Fiji and Rotuma.

He also recorded that Mou, the chief, as well as the others stated that they had regularly seen the turtle and that beach between Faguta and Solnohu was a frequently used feeding spot for the reptile.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gardiner |first1=J. Stanley |title=The Natives of Rotuma |journal=Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute |date=1898 |volume=27 |pages=503–518}}</ref>

====Fagutan culture====

Fagutan people, like all Rotumans, celebrate the traditional festival of [[Fara (Rotuman festivity)|Fara]]. This involves the residents of Faguta's villages (Juju, Tuại, Haga, Ujia, Uạnheta, and Avave) visiting other village communities, singing and dancing, where they are often invited inside by the local hosts. In exchange, the guests are served [[watermelon]] as a sort of reward for providing entertainment and are often doused in [[perfume]], [[talcum powder]], or [[turmeric]]. Across the island, these sorts of celebrations continue until mid-January. Fagutan Fara however begins much later in December (on [[Christmas Eve|December 24]]) than celebrations held elsewhere on the island.<ref>{{cite web |title=Taveuni |url=https://www.roughguides.com/fiji/vanua-levu-taveuni/taveuni/#fara |website=Rough Guides |access-date=5 September 2023}}</ref>

====Notable Fagutans====

The term "Fagutan" commonly refers to those who live in the two Fagutan districts (Juju and Pepjei) or those with cultural or family ties to the area. Notable examples include:

[[Image:Charles Chowe Howard, of Rotuma.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Charles Chowe Howard, a Fagutan resident and forefather of much of Haga's population.]]

*[[Charles Chowe Howard]]: beachcomber and longtime resident of Faguta. The village of Haga (written as "Hanga") in Juju was said to be primarily populated by Howard's own descendants, and it was theorised by the [[Colony of Fiji|Acting-Resident Commissioner of Rotuma]] W.E. Russell that this bloodline contributed to these Fagutans' paler complexions when compared with other [[Polynesians|Pacific islanders]] and their referring to themselves as "white" and other islanders as "black men".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Russell |first1=W.E. |title=Rotuma: Its History, Traditions and Customs |journal=The Journal of the Polynesian Society |date=1942 |volume=51 |issue=4 |page=235}}</ref>
*[[Christine Rovoi]]: journalist, essayist, and writer in [[Fiji]] and [[New Zealand]]. Rovoi was born in [[Suva]] but with Fagutan ties was taught Rotuman using the French-based orthography used in Faguta.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rovoi |first1=Christine |title=Why Rotuman is a unique Pacific language |url=https://pacificmedianetwork.com/articles/why-rotuman-is-a-unique-pacific-language |website=Pacific Media Network |access-date=5 September 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Christine Rovoi {{!}} RNZ Pacific Presenter |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/presenters/christine-rovoi |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=[[RNZ]] |language=en-nz}}</ref>