Fijian Drua Homecoming Journey

While sailing events around the world are getting canceled one after another due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an entirely new event is just getting underway in Fiji. Na Lesu Tale, which translates to The Homecoming, will take place in October. It will be the first time that a Fijian Drua has sailed back to the Lau Group of islands in modern recorded history. Owned and operated by the Drua Experience, the 40-ft-long Drua i Vola Sigavou — which means New Rising Star — will embark on this historic journey just after the nation of Fiji celebrates the 50th anniversary of its independence from England on October 10.

“Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s no tourists in Fiji. We are not expecting any international tourists in the next six months or so,” explains i Vola Sigavou skipper Setareki Corvus Ledua. “So we thought to ourselves, this could be the perfect time to go out to the Lau Group and do more research and collect all the evidence that is still available.” A Drua enthusiast and professional sailor in Fiji, Seta hails from the Lau Group of islands in eastern Fiji. The island group is the spiritual home of Fijian Drua, and where most of the knowledge of these traditional craft remains. When the few elders who still possess this knowledge pass away, so too will this last remaining link to a vital piece of Fijian culture and maritime history. Unless it is preserved.

Allegedly growing to more than 120 feet in length and capable of carrying upwards of 200 Fijian warriors to windward at 15 knots, Drua were the most grand of all of the canoes of the Pacific — the first fleet of ocean-crossing bluewater boats in history. While many remember when the last remaining Drua sailed away from the Lau Group, there is no record of when a Drua last sailed back into the Lau Group. This Na Lesu Tale homecoming journey is an effort not only to revive and preserve traditional Fijian Drua culture, but to continue to build the Drua Experience’s program that teaches Fijian youth to both sail and build Drua.

With Fiji’s borders closed and i Vola Sigavou’s normal tourism-based revenue stream having all but dried up, the Drua Experience is fundraising to make this journey a reality. They have a GoFundMe page set up, and we hope that Latitude Nation’s geographically diverse readership can pitch in a few bucks to help them reach their fundraising goal of $24,000.