The General Degei tried to retrieve it but it was too late. Lutunasobasoba gave orders to let it go, believing it was the will of the gods. Due to seas, the Katonimana the “Box of Blessings” slipped off the outrigger canoe. It was here around Matamanoa, Mana and Likuliku, that the giant outrigger canoe Kaunitoni with its special cargo, met inclement weather and high seas. This passage was the Momi passage which is still used today by large ocean-going vessels. Legend has it that the armada travelled via the Yasawas and as the reefs were treacherous around Vita Levu, they had to keep travelling South West to find a passage, an “opening” to enter the Fiji Waters. The other continued South East past Indonesia, Papua New Guinea into the Marquesas, north of Tahiti, then curled back south west into the Fiji group of islands. Two convoys set sail, but one got separated and disappeared in the Indian Ocean. The armada carried rations, families, warriors and skilled craftsman including Lapita Potters. The purpose was to find a mythological island in the South East with bountiful seas and rich land created by the Gods where the Chief ’s people could rest after years of wandering. Legend has it that the armada was carrying some special cargo – treasures from the Temple of King Solomon in Judah including a special box called the Katonimana (Kato meaning case and Mana being magic), which in Fijian literally means the “Box of Blessings”. Leading the armada on the giant double hull canoe “Kaunitoni” was the able seafarer warrior Chief Lutunasobasoba assisted by his General Degei. The history of Fiji, according to mythology, begins about 1500 BC with a voyage of giant war canoes from Taganika north of Egypt. “LEGEND OF THE MAGIC BOX” – Fiji’s Beginnings Likuliku features prominently in ancient Fijian Mythology and History and is an important landmark, not only in terms of the history, but in the importance the site plays in the lineage of the “Tui Lawa” (Chief of the Oceans). Step inside the Legend of Likuliku. Likuliku in the Malolo dialect literally means “Calm Lagoons or Waters”. It was an ancient safe harbour for the war canoes during times of tribal warfare.
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