Complex

 

Cane train tracks in Lautoka. Cane sugar is a major contributor to 
the Fijian economy.

Long post alert!

Wide choice today - a whole heap of words :

Colony

Commonwealth

Cakobau         Chief

Clans    Conflict    Christianity

Cannibalism   Cession   Community   Coup d'état  

Crops      Cocoa      Coffee     Chocolate      Cotton     Coconut

What they all add up to is that, in spite of its minute size and population, Fiji is a super complex country.  

Finding Fiji

The first Melanesian settlers arrived in Fiji at least 3500 years ago - the archaeological evidence shows they came from south east Asia through the Malay peninsula and carried with them the pig, many different food plants and a certain type of pottery called Lapita ware. Traditional Fijian society was hierarchical and characterised by clans, chiefs and continuous conflicts. There was much bloodshed and cruelty to the underprivileged was a way of life. Wars were commonplace and the vanquished were clubbed to death, then cooked to horrific recipes and consumed by the victors. Ritual cannibalism within the clan was carried out too, as were human sacrifices - required for everything from launching of boats to raising a roof. Killing was a coming of age rite and a badge of honour. This everyday-a-bloodbath-type traditional lifestyle continued till the islanders were converted to Christianity in the 19th century. 

Fiji was first sighted by the Dutch explorer Abel Janzsoon Tasman in 1643 - he passed on the north eastern side of the island group. Captain James Cook came by more than a century later in 1774 and sailed through the south eastern fringe. Capt William Bligh passed through the islands after the mutiny on the Bounty in 1789 and returned again to explore them in 1792. His is the major credit of the discovery and recording of the islands. However, the first Europeans to actually land and live in Fiji  among Fijians were shipwrecked mariners and escaped convicts from the penal colonies in Australia. 

In real terms, Captain Cook's expedition to Tonga was the first point of contact between Fijians and Europeans - members of the expedition wrote about Fijians who were perceived as formidable warriors and ferocious cannibals, skilled boat builders but relatively poor sailors. The goods they produced, the bark cloths and clubs, were much in demand and the Tongans held them in great awe. The Fijians called their home Viti, the Tongans pronounced that as Fisi and that pronunciation was taken up by the Europeans and so the islands came to be known as Fiji to the wider world. Read more here and here.

Here come the Europeans 

By the mid-18th century commercial interest in the island's sandalwood forests had brought Europeans to Vanua Levu. Once that got over, it was the turn of sea cucumber trade. The foreigners brought tools and muskets to Fiji in return for trade, which items the chiefs used with great alacrity and to their own advantage. On the back of this new routes to power, wealth and glory, rose the kingdom of Bau, a tiny island off the coast of Viti Levu, which grew to control Western Fiji - ruled first by Naulivou and later by Cakobau his nephew. 

On the heels on the explorers and traders came the Christian missionaries. Cakobau (pr Thakobau) converted to Christianity in 1854 - cannibalism and bloodshed stopped quite abruptly as Christianity spread, European dress was adopted, the Fijian way of life changed to a less violent, more sedate one. 

By 1860s Fiji had attracted European planters looking to cash in on the cotton price boom after the American Civil War. However, the conditions in the various Pacific Islands gradually drew in the European governments, each of which felt some responsibility towards its citizens and their property. Some of them appointed consuls, but often the consuls and the settlers were at loggerheads, and the former's powers to establish order was limited and unenforceable so remote from their motherland. Consular officers also tended to become drawn into Island politics. Therefore, imperial control seemed the best solution. And so Fiji was ceded to the British on 1874 by Cakobau and became a British crown colony. Sir Arthur Gordon was appointed Fiji's first governor and his policies shaped the coming centuries for Fijian society. Read more here. 

Late 19th and 20th century 

Gordon had much experience of crown colonies, having been Governor in Trinidad and Mauritius both. He was familiar with the conflicting objectives of plantation owners/settlers, with their commercial development agendas and those of the native populations. Equally, he knew the issues surrounding freed slaves, black labourers and shortages of plantation workers - he had overseen some of the solutions himself in his previous governorships. He knew from experience that the first prerequisite of a plantation economy was ample agricultural labour, without which no development would happen.

The question as he perceived it was - whether it was possible to make Fiji attractive to settlers, a worthwhile investment option and reconcile that with the protection of the indigenous Fijian way of life? His policies struck a balance between the two. Accordingly, the sale of Fijian lands were banned. Fijians were taxed in agri produce and not in cash. And finally, they were left to themselves in the matter of chiefly hierarchies and were ruled indirectly through the same traditional political structure.  No indigenous Fijian was to be recruited as a plantation worker. The  requirement of labour was met through indentured labourers from India.

These workers were brought in on contract for a fixed term after which they were free to go back. However, often the pay wasn't enough for them to save the return fare. They were kept segregated from both the European plantation owners/settlers and the local Fijians, generally treated abysmally and had practically no rights. They were housed in shanties known as coolie lines, worked unconscionably long hours, paid a poor wage. Public outrage back in the UK brought the indenture system to an end, and all indentured workers were freed from their contractual obligations in 1920. A few went back, most stayed. Some became land owners or tenant farmers. There was still no mixing between ethnic groups.

And so, even as Fiji developed on the back of sugarcane and other plantation crops in the 20th century, the country remained rigidly stratified three ways - indigenous Fijians with rights to their lands and protection from the crown, outnumbered by shiploads of indentured Indian labourers  and a tiny elite of privileged European settlers. It was, as you can imagine, a tinderbox waiting to ignite. Read more here. 

Mixed clouds over Fiji...

Post independence

Fiji gained its independence from Britain on 10th October 1970. Prior to that in 1966, elections were held in Fiji where all Fijians including women got the vote. Note that in this election there were 74,575 Fijians, 75,768 Indo-Fijians and 6,340 general electors (other ethnicities) registered to vote. In short, the Indo-Fijian population was marginally higher than that of the indigenous Fijians. 

As per the constitutional conference held in London the previous year, the Fijians were to have a total of 14 seats, of which 2 were to be nominated by the Great Council of Chiefs. Indo-Fijians were allocated 12 seats and 10 seats were allocated for all other ethnic groups. So while the population of Indo Fijians was higher, their share of voice in the parliament didn't match. The minority European elites had a disproportionately higher share and their support of the Fijian chiefs meant that the Fijian voices dominated. 

The Alliance Party, the political vehicle of the traditional Fijian chiefs, was formed in the early 60s and bagged a major share of the vote. The AP had a some significant support among the ethnic minorities  who accounted for less than 5% of the population but were over represented in the parliament with 10 seats. The other main Indo Fijian rivals, the Federation Party got 9 seats and 27% of the vote and forced a byelection by staging a mass walkout. Those were marked by inter ethnic violence and the relations between the Fijians and Indo Fijians were at a new low. Ultimately, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, the leader of the AP became the first PM. 

In 1985, the Fiji Labour Party was formed with the support of the labour unions by Timoci Bavadra. An Indo Fijian dominated coalition was led to power by Timoci Bavadra in the 1987 elections, ending the rule of AP after 17 years. A month later however, the army seized power in a bloodless coup with the objective of ensuring political dominance for the indigenous Fijians and Ratu Mara was appointed PM again. Britain, New Zealand and Australia withdrew aid and Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth. There was an exodus of Indo Fijians - thousands left. 

Fiji has till date gone through several cycles of this - election of leaders/party reversed by coups d'état and/or imposition of martial law, repeal of the constitution, followed by suspension from the Commonwealth and other regional bodies and a mass exodus.  Fiji has witnessed four coups (1987 May, 1987 Sept, 2000, 2006) and four constitutions (1966, 1990, 1997, 2013). The Indo Fijian population has been diminished by migrations so that their current share has fallen to 35% at present from nearly 50% at independence. 

The latest election in Fiji was conducted peacefully in December 2022, notwithstanding calls to mobilise the military, hiccups in the counting processes, fear of racial tensions and the sitting Prime Minister Bainimarama refusing to concede. No one party won a clear 50% majority but a coalition came together for Sitiveni Rabuka to become the current PM of Fiji. Read more about the elections here and here. And watch this video which presents a view of the historical factors that shaped Fijian politics.

 

Most of my sources are embedded in the post above. Here's another one that I've referenced through out - Fiji's Heritage by Kim Gravelle.

All this month I'll be writing about Aspects of Fiji, which is where I am at the mo. And where the sum of  the constituent parts is definitely greater than the whole!

Did you know that Fiji in its short life as an independent nation has had to draw up four constitutions? Something to consider and be thankful for if your country has had the same one all through, no? - minor tweaks excepted...

~ Thank you for reading ~

Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2023