Uraia "Qase" Kunaturaga was a clerk whom i worked with in the provincial office. I saw him every day. He was in his 30s, with 2 young children. He became seriously ill, was taken to the hospital in Suva, and died within days.
The deceased's coffin is inside this house. The room is filled, mainly with women, many of them wailing.
People entering the room go to hug the coffin, which has a window to the the deceased's face. They grieve and wail loudly, seeming inconsolable. The blurs are incessant fanning.
The framed photograph of the deceased is one which i took of him. This will surely hang in his family's home for many generations.
In the church...
Then the coffin is carried thruout the village. The 2 families (father's & mother's) each stop the procession and present tabua (whale's teeth, high tribute) with dramatic, tragic speeches.
Everyone files under the coffin.
There was a very large crowd. I was told it was simply because Qase, as a provincial office employee, was widely known.
The mat-wrapped coffin is lowered.
