Bure (Fiji)

A bure is the Fijian word for a special kind of small wooden house made from natural materials like straw and wood. In Fiji, people traditionally built bures using whatever materials they could find nearby. These structures were often put together by stacking pieces or tying them with rope.

Long ago, the people of Fiji lived in two main types of houses. One type, called a vale, was where families lived together. The other type was a bure, which was a special place for men who had gone through certain traditions. Both kinds of houses were quite dark inside because they had no windows and only one small door to enter. Inside a vale, women would cook over a fire pit, and the floor was covered with soft leaves and special mats made from pandanus or coconut leaves.

Tourism

In Fiji, the word "bure" is often used in tourism to describe special hotel or resort buildings, similar to what we might call a "bungalow." Unlike a traditional bure, which is a simple hut without modern comforts, a tourism bure can be very fancy, just like hotels in Europe or North America. These places can be simple or very luxurious, depending on the resort.