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
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.
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:
2. 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.
3. Adventurous Experience. To bring like-minded people together online and in a magical place for an unforgettable journey.
Who is in the tribe?
Founders Tribewanted was founded as a social enterprise by Ben Keene and Mark Bowness in April 2006. Mark was a 26 year old serial social networker in search of the next level of the internet revolution. Ben was a 26 year old in search of the next level of purposeful travel. Mark emailed Ben with his idea of finding an internet tribe and building a unique on-line-on-island community. Mark has since moved on from Tribewanted to pursue further online ventures while Ben continues to run the project today.
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 now 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 & 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.
What about off the island, what kind of things do tribe members do?
- Debate & Decide: Discuss island related issues, elect monthly chiefs and other key issues.
- Gather and LIVE events: Meet other tribe members at various gatherings around the world organised by the community.
- Network: Link up with like minded people from a cross the planet in a beautiful place. The Vorovoro Tribe seem to have an uncanny ability to couple off. So far half a dozen pairs have become engaged through the project with weddings taking place on Vorovoro’s beach.
Tribewanted: The story so far...
Tribewanted has been followed by media from around the world and in January 2008 a 5-part BBC observational documentary was broadcast. Ben has also written a book about the adventure.
Tags are common themes across blogs. Any member of Tribewanted can tag their blog postings based
on the blog's content. If you're looking for member blogs based on a topic, you'll find them
grouped under tags.
What are Pages?
Pages are curated groups of information about specific topics. Pages are maintained by Tribewanted.com
moderators and aim to provide facts about Tribewanted, Vorovoro, the project, the Tribe members, and
other related resources.
Looking for current information on Tribewanted? Browse the different pages
on Tribewanted.com to find the information you're looking for!
Fiji is comprised of more than 300 island, though it is dominated by the two largest: Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. While Viti Levu has the international hub of Nadi and the capital of Suva, Vanua Levu is known as the Friendly North for it’s warm, open people and quality of life. Find out more about the best kept secret in Fiji!
A career break can be a weekend in a hammock on a deserted island, or it can be a life-changing adventure. Find out how you can have the best of both worlds on your career break in Fiji with Tribewanted on Vorovor.
Traveling to Fiji during your Gap Year? Find out about the unique adventure that Tribewanted and Vorovoro offer. Review resources to help make your time in Fiji easier. And hear directly from other ‘gappers’ about their experience on Tribewanted.
Whether you’re prepping for your trip to the island or just want to see where exactly the compost loos are, look no further than the Vorovoro village map.
Taking the plunge and visiting Fiji? Here you’ll find information about everything from booking your ticket to packing your bags to coming to the island!
Like the idea of your own personal desserted island but not sure how you’d pass the time? Here’s some info about what happens both on and off the island.
Want to get involved but don’t know how? There are many ways to participate with Tribewanted, in addition to the obvious visit to Fiji. Read more here!
The BBC’s 5 part documentary magically compresses the first 18 months of Tribewanted’s existence into a brief but thoughtful overview of the project’s first year.
What do Tribe members have to say about Tribewanted? Check out some of these direct testimonials, or check out members blogs to see what Tribewanted means to them.
It’s time to tickle your tonsils and tantalize your taste buds!
Finally, the time has come to share the scrumptious recipes from Vorovoro’s very own creative and colourful head chef’s Va and Francis so we can cook up some tasty treats across the Tribewanted network!
Want to keep up to date with the latest content on Tribewanted.com? Check
out the newest and best blogs by browsing the Tribewanted tags!
Fiji
Fiji, half way around the world from England, is a chain of more than 300 islands in the South Pacific. Tribewanted calls one of those islands, Vorovoro, home.
Local
Lessons from the Tribewanted project are applicable both on-island and at home.
Global
Tribewanted is demonstrating by example how sustainable living and tourism are globally relevant.
Tribe
Tribewanted members come from around the world to participate in the dream of Tribewanted on Vorovoro, Fiji, on the website, and in their home communities.
Partners
Tribewanted partners have helped make the Tribewanted dream a reality, both in Fiji and at home, by providing knowledge and expertise, sourcing infrastructure, and contributing to the project as a whole.
Fijian
The Fijians and their culture play an important role with Tribewanted, and the influence both have had on one another is immesurable.
Team
Tribewanted is run and managed by an internation team. While taking care of many of the basic business needs of Tribewanted, all the staff also has extensive and personal experiences living on Vorovoro and participating in the community.
Chiefs
Each month the Tribe elects a chief to represent them on Vorovoro. This is their story.
Gatherings
Tribal gatherings don't happen just on Vorovoro, they happen around the world! Any and all blogs relted to Tribewanted get-togethers can be found here.
Food
We take food for granted, but where and how it is grown, how it is transpored and consumed, and how it is disposed of all become very important when on a desserted island.
Drink
Water, water, everywhere. The most precious and necessary resource for living. What is the balance of water, alcohol, and kava on our island?
Waste
What do we throw away? Out of sight but not out of mind, because some of the trash we throw away will be around for generations.
Build
Nothing is built for free, and costs are measured not only in currency, but also in time, resources, and environmental and cultural footprint.
Transport
All things transportation. Getting from point A to point B is easy. It's when going to point Z that the impact on the local and global environment becomes apparent.
Energy
Power; electricity; energy. Our lives rely upon energy, but how it is sourced, used, and concerved can make all the difference. How do energy lessons from home and abroad affect one another?
Sustain
No island is an island, and the influence of our presence in this world can be felt culturally, biologically, environmentally, and economically.
Technology
The promise of technology is that it's supposed to make our lives easier, the world safer, and improve life for those that it touches. How is technology affecting the Tribe and the world at large?
Video
Prefer watching over reading? Check out some of the videos of Tribewanted member and life on Vorovoro and life with the Tribe.
Audio
The sounds of Vorovoro are just as compelling as the sights of it. Check out audio clips from the Tribe and other sources here.
Pictures
Every picture taken on Vorovoro is just as unique as each member's experience there. Check out pictures of Vorovoro and Tribewanted beings shared across the internet!
Like the idea of your own personal desserted island but not sure how you'd pass the time? Here's some info about what happens both on and off the island.
Want to get involved but don't know how? There are many ways to participate with Tribewanted, in addition to the obvious visit to Fiji. Read more here!