iTaukei

iTaukei is a term meaning ‘owners of the land’ and is used to denote the indigenous Fijians, the descendants of the original Melanesian settlers who first peopled Fiji several thousand years ago. It is also used to refer to the language the indigenous people speak. 

This term was mandated for use by the government in 2010, as the demonym 'Fijian' was broadened to include all citizens, both of Melanesian descent as well as the descendants of the immigrant Indian indentured labourers.

Indo-Fijian children walking home in Lautoka. Indo-Fijians form around 35% of
the population of Fiji.

The Indo-Fijian and iTaukei together make up 97% of the population, the balance are Chinese, Europeans, Australians, New Zealanders and settlers from the neighbouring South Pacific island nations. It is interesting to note that though intermarriage is accepted within the various islander communities,  iTaukei people do marry into Tonga, Samoa, Vanuatu etc, but the Indo Fijians and iTaukei do not commonly intermarry.  So the two communities that make up Fiji form relatively isolated and discrete groups in terms of  religious observances, familial and marital traditions, though they might live and work alongside and interact freely everyday.

iTaukei father and son at the Lautoka waterfront. The iTaukei form the majority 
with a 62% share of the population. 

The iTaukei identity is closely linked to the traditional tribal hierarchies and land ownership. Being a colony by cessation and the initial Crown policies of protection offered to the indigenous peoples have preserved the integral iTaukei values, based around land,  community and village collectivism. More than 95% of the land in Fiji is iTaukei owned and sale to outsiders is prohibited. Read more here.

On the one hand, the iTaukei have had rights to the land, undisturbed ways of traditional life ruled by chiefs -  supported by the Crown, and a share of the political voice. On the other, there is this massive segment of immigrants whose ancestors had no rights and no voice, and had to struggle incessantly. The tension and this contrast between the two communities has been of crucial importance in shaping the culture and politics of Fiji. 

The share of the iTaukei has been steadily increasing since Fiji's independence - as the Indo-Fijians have emigrated in waves of huge numbers coinciding with the political upheavals that the country has gone through. In 1970, the Indo-Fijians and iTaukei had almost equal shares in the population, the former had a marginally higher share of voters in fact. By 2007, the iTaukei population share had become more than 50%, growing rapidly to 62% at present. However, emigration has occurred among the iTaukei also, albeit at a lower rate.

As a result of such migrations, there is a large Fijian diaspora (both iTaukei and Indo-Fijian), right round the world. The countries/regions with hefty populations of expatriate Fijians are : Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand and UK. 

All this month I'll be writing about Aspects of Fiji, which is where I'm at the mo. And where the sum of its island parts is inexplicably greater than the whole!

Did you know that not all Indo-Fijians arrived as indentured labourers? Some of them, mostly from Punjab and Gujarat regions of India, came as free migrants and set up businesses in Fiji in the early 20th century. Many continue to be part of the Fijian industry and influence the business culture.

And did you know that i-sala is the word the Fijians use for the ceremonial headdress worn by the nobility, made out of a very special cloth? What kind of cloth? Coming imminently. Watch this space...

~ Thank you for reading ~ 

Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2023