James Cahill Matanawa

A few weeks ago, Kini, one of our magic makers in the Vorovoro kitchen, gave birth to a son. She honored Jimmy by naming the baby after him. In Fiji, it is a great honor to have a namesake - it is considered one of the greatest compliments to the character of a person. The closest thing in our culture to compare it to is the relationship of godparent/godchild.

We visited baby James in his home when he was about 3 weeks old, presenting his family the traditional gifts of a tubua (whales tooth), a woven mat (made especially for him, with his name woven into it), kava, as well as other incidentals like clothing, cloth diapers, and some toys for his big brother Api.

Here's a video of James meeting James for the first time!