Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba III[1] (October 4, 1898 – October 4, 1966) was the 12th Tui Nayau and Sau ni Vanua of the Lau Islands. He was the father of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, founding father of the modern nation of Fiji.
Ratu Te, as he was known, hailed from the chiefly village of Tubou on the island of Lakeba in Lau Province. He became the Tui Nayau upon the death of his father, Ratu Alifereti Finau Ulugalala in 1934. His mother was Adi Ateca Moceiwaqa (or spelled Ateca Moceiwai), paternal granddaughter of Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau, the self-proclaimed King of Fiji, and daughter of Ratu Epeli Nailatikau I.
The origin of the Fijian farewell song "Isa Lei" is disputed, and one versions holds that Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba composed it[2] in 1916 for Adi Litia Tavanavanua (1900–1983), when she visited Lakeba in 1916.[3]
- ^ According to Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba (12th Tui Nayau), IV at genie.com, his suffix is "IV".
- ^ "Classic tribute" by Samuela Kailawadoko, Fiji Times, 29 November 2016
- ^ "Isa Lei (Fijian Farewell Song)" by Wiliame Gucake Nayacatabu, FijianLyrics.com, 25 October 2015