The Earth is Our Common Home

Photo: Sainiana Tamatawale

"Na Vanua" (The Land)

On one of my home holidays in Fiji, I visited my village to spend time with my family and relatives. In one of the talanoa (a process of inclusive and transparent dialogue) sessions I attended, I heard this phrase from our elders: Keda eda vutuniyau ka tiko bulabula ena noda dui delaniyavu ‘Na Vanua’ (The Land) sa solia tu vei keda na Kalou, sa dodonu meda taqomaka. (“We are wealthy and healthy on this Land that God has given to us, so we need to protect the Land.”)

I grew up in the city, so I was not as aware of the importance of our connections to the land and the totem. When my father retired at the age of 55, he went back to his village. He told us if you want to know yourself, you must know your roots. My time in the village helped me to learn the importance of the land, the totem, what tribe/clan I belong to, and that we have our own dialect. A totem is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe.

When I heard Pope Francis say, “How precious is that profoundly genuine sense of family and community among Indigenous peoples! And how important it is to cultivate properly the bond between young and old, and to maintain a healthy and harmonious relationship with all of creation!", I thanked God the Creator that I still have this genuine sense of family, community, and the sacredness of land back home in Fiji, and that realisation made me cherish it so much.

The cross-cultural mission experiences that I have had in the Philippines and El Paso Juárez (US/Mexico border) have been a blessing in my life. That’s where I’ve learnt about others’ cultures, history, and language, and about the indigenous people and their faith traditions.

During the influx of migrants at the US–Mexico border in 2018, I met some of the indigenous people from Central America. I learnt that one of the reasons they have migrated is climate change. The droughts, cyclones, floods, and earthquakes in their countries have destroyed their farms, crops, animals, and houses. So, they left their families and moved to the US to find jobs so that they could provide for their families and plan to bring them to the US.

Listening to what’s happening in the world today and to the indigenous farmers from Central America makes me anxious that what they went through will one day happen to our family and community back home. The islands in the South Pacific are experiencing a rise in sea levels and other natural catastrophes. We must protect the ocean and Mother Earth because it is where we get our daily food, air to breathe, water to drink, where we cook, wash and bathe, and where we connect with Nature and all living creatures. Many developments and changes in the world today are destroying the land, culture, and communities.

The land is sacred not only to the indigenous people but to all humanity and living beings in this world. We must protect and care for our Mother Earth because the earth we live in is our ‘common home’.

Pope Francis has always been and continues to be a major instrument in addressing the climate crisis which we are experiencing more than ever now. Let us dedicate ourselves to prioritising the work of JPIC (Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation) to respond to the Cry of the Poor and the Cry of the Earth.

Columban lay missionary Sainiana Tamatawale lives and works in Hong Kong.