Tu'i Pulotu

The Tu'i Pulotu is believed to be the head of an ancient group of people that settled in Pulotu (Fiji) during the Lapita period (3500 BC to 2500 BC.). It was said that the Tui Pulotu originally came from the Fiji Islands and led the Pacific Islands from the early BC era to the first 800 years AD. Many people tried to associate Pulotu with Burotu because of the different pronunciations within Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. And we all know that Burotu in Fiji was the Burotukula (Spiritual island) which used to be seen near Matuku in Lau.

However, that Burotu in Lau no longer existed physically within the first 800 yrs AD when the Tui Pulotu Empire was at its height of supremacy in the Pacific. If we see the meaning of the word Pulotu in its breakdown form, "pulo" in Austronesian language means "island" or "to land" and "tu" means "sacred" or "high rank". Same meaning in the Polynesian region goes for the word Motu which means island or to land, and riki means a word of respect for the Fijian westerners used to address kings, chiefs (momo) or people with high rank. Also the word Ariki in the Polynesian region meaning chief or king.

Moreover if we dig deep into the history of Tongan kings. The first Tui Tonga was said to be the son of Ahoeitu the son of their so called last Tagaloa. Since the first Tagaloa and their first Maui left Pulotu in Fiji. None of them Tagaloas or Mauis had been known in their verbal history as Tui Tagaloa, or Tui Maui, Tui Ahoeitu or even Tui Taufulifonua (their dad).

Compared to us in Fiji, we had our verbal history the name and title called Tui Waicalanavanua l. And his eldest son was known as Ratu Levu or Koya Na Sau or Lewanavanua l, which means he who was the next in line, was also known as the big chief, Sau (or Hau-one who had genetic spiritual powers from his dad) and 1st Owner of the Land. His eldest son was Tui Pulotu l/Tui Vanuakula l or Tui Davetalevu l the Tabutabu l (1st most sacred grandson).From him came the rest of other kings of Pulotu/Vanuakula or Davetalevu, the dissolved landmass (Waicalanavanua) or Nubu (Lalofonua).

So Motuariki in Polynesia would possibly means the island of chiefs or kings. As the original Tui Pulotu kings originally came from Moturiki. Or their main headquarter or stronghold when they first established their dynasty in the earliest BC era was Moturiki island. Because their source of spiritual powers derived from Davetalevu sacred realm.

If we look around the Fiji islands during the BC Lapita era, as the first paragraph said. The only island which matches the meaning of the word Pulotu, and where most archaeological discoveries for the so called Lapita civilisations, with the reconstructed woman's face, plus the 200-600 billion yrs petroglyphed stone encrypted with concentric circles were found, was in Moturiki, Lomaiviti. That dinosaur age Moturiki petroglyphed stone was taken from the Eye of Sahara concentric circles in Mauritania NW Africa, because they have the same symbol.

There are also numerous small islands in the Pacific, named Motu. And a clear breakdown of the name Moturiki is in Tuamotu group of Islands and NZ's north island still having a Peninsula called Moturiki. According to the Polynesian dictionary, a part of Tuamotus underworld is called Turikiriki. Again in Mamanuca, Malolo Fiji, they breakdown the word Moturiki by these names. Ra koi Motu, ra koi riki, Monuriki, Modriki, Tokoriki, and names which have links to Moturiki like Navadra and Vanuayalewa (female land-facts about Burotu in Lau). However Vanuayalewa is also known for the seafield outside Verata to the east which is Vuniivilevu or Davetalevu itself.

Even Professor Patrick Nunn and his team of archaeologists from USP who excavated Mana Ladys skeleton from Uluibau Moturiki. Basically identified Mana Lady to be a noble woman or a lady with chiefly or royal title. Since they found her head sat on an upright position not like her other skeleton which lay flat in that grave. And a headdress or crown on her side. Thats a Lapita lady, the Tui Pulotu was the ruler of Lapita people.

Moreover,the Namuka people of Fiji and the Nomuka islands inhabitants of Tonga were known to be the Warlords (Vunivalu) of the Tui Pulotus.And their ancient abode called Namuka is in Nawaqa ancient settlement(Wawa),Moturiki island.The Nawaqa people were descendants of Nawaqavanua who was known as the warlord of the Tui Davetalevu of Uluibau village, Moturiki.

That is just to clarify the origin of the Tui Pulotu on Moturiki island. Since Professor Patrick Nunn also said in his latest interview with Dr Tarisi Sorovi was that, the main mistake which the Kiyoto university reconstruction team had done on recreated her face, was when they made the lady's hair straight. Because when every reconstruction made, they only go as far as following the shape of her face on the skull, the hair is what they always makes up, as they can;t leave him or her bald. He said that if they made her hair curly or buiniga like modern Fijian women's hair, then it would make sense. So, that's from the early BC era, Moturiki had provided a solid fact of a royal dynasty on the island with those findings. Something the Tui Pulotu was known for, the head of the Lapita people or proto-Fijian snd Pacific people.

The island of Pulotu is an island located in Fiji, north-west of Tongatapu. It is referred to in Tongan oral traditions as "the motherland" or "place of origin". It is there that some believed that Tongan culture and its people developed and evolved out of the ancient Austronesian/Lapita culture (c. 1600 BCE - c. 500 BCE) that migrated from the South East Asian islands through Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Micronesia and Fiji about 8000 BC.