Tribewanted: The New Fiji

Tribewanted is a unique cross-cultural community tourism project on Vorovoro Island, Fiji and a global online social network.

As well as being an adventure of a lifetime, the aim of Tribewanted is that the evolving island community becomes a model for sustainable living that positively impacts and inspires both locally in northern Fiji and globally online to improving the way we live.

Tribewanted and the local team are developing a cross-cultural community from scratch, fusing traditional Fijian customs and ways of living with international ideas for sustainability and innovation. On-line, Tribewanted has built an award-winning social network of 10,000 members who participate with and follow the island project.

Tribewanted also runs mini mobile weekend adventures closer to you - check out Tribewanted: LIVE

Sounds cool. How do I get involved?

You can join Tribewanted online for free and begin to take part in the conversation. Better still you can visit Vorovoro and spend anytime from a week or more living alongside up to 30 other tribe members and the Fijian community and taking part in all aspects of the project. Book your island adventure on Tribewanted.com. If you can't make it to Fiji you can also get involved and support the project by visiting our online marketplace or attending a tribe gathering or a Tribewanted: LIVE event.

What about all this on-line-on-island stuff - how does it work?

On-island

Starting in September 2006 and running for 3 years, Tribewanted is living alongside the small indigenous Mali community on Vorovoro to build a simple, sustainable village. Visiting tribe members participate in island life during their one to twelve week stay. At the end of the project it will be the Fijian chief and landowner, Tui Mali's, decision as to the future of Vorovoro.

On-line

Starting in April 2006, thousands of members from 35 countries have now joined the Tribewanted social network. Members have debated and voted on how the on-line and on island communities should be structured. Each month a tribe member is elected to be the tribe's chief on Vorovoro. The chief works alongside the team and Fijian community on Vorovoro to make sure the project progresses.

Does Tribewanted have any specific goals?

Yes! Tribewanted is a sustainable development project, an adventure holiday, and a cultural journey with three main aims:

Community Building.

On Vorovoro this means embracing and celebrating the local Fijian culture and traditions and becoming a unique focal point for responsible tourism in the region. On-line this means giving a social network a purpose - a real-space and project in the South Pacific.

Sustainable Living.

Build local (in Northern Fiji) and global awareness (on Tribewanted.com) of our impact on the planet through the realisation that even on a tropical island every action has a consequence well beyond the beach. Use Vorovoro as a 'test-bed' for small-scale sustainable projects and education that visiting tribe members and local Fijians can contribute to and be part of. Inspire local community and tribe members to take their Vorovoro experience home with them.

Adventurous Experience.

To bring like-minded people together online and in a magical place for an unforgettable journey.

Who is in the tribe?

Indigenous Fijian Tribe

Tui Mali is the landowner and chief of Vorovoro and the neighbouring island of Mali. After a prophecy from a friend we know as Tevita he decided his 200 acre island home where only his family lived should be opened up to the world. A few years later Ben and Mark landed on his beach. 25 members of his family and local villagers now live and work full-time on Vorovoro and over 150 of the Mali community have worked during the project so far.

Internet Tribe

The elected chiefs, Tribewanted team and visiting members meet online before beginning their journey to Vorovoro. As of August 2008, seven hundred members aged 2 to 67, had visited Vorovoro. Tribe members spend an average of two weeks on the island (although a many end up staying a lot longer) and live, work and play alongside the permanent Tribewanted team and Fijian community.

And if I made it all the way to Vorovoro what can I expect to do?

Tribe members can do as much as they like on Vorovoro. The only thing we ask is that you respect the local culture and community, and wash up your plate. Vinaka!

Sweat:

Participate in the sustainability and cultural projects - plant and tend the island gardens, feed the pigs and chickens, collect firewood and help the local ladies in the kitchen, get a sweat on with the Fiji boys with village construction and maintenance projects, take part in sustainability workshops, join local community projects and events, debate in forums, star and produce in Tribewanted TV, and blog from the beach. Learn how to present 'sevusevu' to the chief, and then do it, perfect your meke (traditional dancing), weave mats, learn Fijian songs and take language lessons.

Chill:

Swing with the Hammock Society and read from the tribe's library (all books have been donated by past tribe members), shower in the waterfall (during rainy season) or bath in the sea, cuddle in the tree-house, watch spectacular sunsets from the rock or around the beach-side campfires, eat fresh fish, vegetables and fruit, and sleep soundly in the bure's (thatched Fijian homes) or vale's (tribe dorms). Drink kava and sing with team Fiji under the stars.

Play:

Snorkel and spearfish on the world's third largest barrier reef, teach and play sports weekly in the local primary school, take on the 4-peaks challenge, swim the island, compete in the coconut olympics, paint signs and craft coconut jewelry, play footy in Tanoa Park and volleyball on the beach.

Tribewanted: The story so far...

Close on 800 people have now visited Vorovoro for an average of 10 days, we have 1750 full members and an online tribal network of over 10,000; $1million fj has been invested into the local economy in Northern Fiji, and an average of 1.5 million watched Paradise or Bust on BBC2, and 3564 bundles of kava have been presented on Vorovoro (actually I've no idea but there's been plenty of the muddy root pounded)

Tribewanted: The Future

As Vorovoro settles into its third year of cross-cultural living, sustainable development and kava and Fijian-fuelled smiles...

For now, there's only one question you need to ask...

What part will I play?

About Tribewanted:

Tribewanted is a unique community tourism project based on Vorovoro Island, Fiji. Tribe members join online before spending upwards of one week on Vorovoro living as part of a Fijian and global community. You can do as much as you like on Vorovoro from collecting firewood to spearfishing to learning the local dance. "If there's one thing you do in life, make sure its Tribewanted" Lisa Niari