 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(November 2023) |
kaiViti | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Fijian dance | |
| Total population | |
| c.615,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Fiji | 475,739[1] |
 Australia | 96,960[2] |
 United States | <40,000[3] |
 Canada | 25,180[4] |
 New Zealand | 25,038[5] |
 United Kingdom | 20,000[6] |
 Norfolk Island | 47[7] |
| Languages | |
| Majority:Fijian andEnglish Minority:Pidgin Hindustani | |
| Religion | |
| Christian (Methodist 66.6%;Roman Catholic 13.3%;Assemblies of God 6.2%;Seventh-day Adventist 5.1%, other 8.8%). | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Papuans,Ni-Vanuatu, otherMelanesian peoples, otherAustronesian peoples,Indo-Fijians | |
Fijians (Fijian:iTaukei,lit. 'Owners [of the land]') are a nation and ethnic groupnative toFiji, who speakFijian andEnglish and share a common history and culture.
Fijians, oriTaukei,[8] are the major indigenous people of theFiji Islands ofMelanesia. Indigenous Fijians are believed to have arrived in Fiji from westernMelanesia approximately 3,500 years ago and are the descendants of theLapita people. Later they would move onward to other surrounding islands, includingRotuma, as well as settling in other nearby islands such asTonga andSamoa. They are indigenous to all parts of Fiji except the island ofRotuma. The original settlers are now called "Lapita people" after a distinctive pottery produced locally. Lapita pottery was found in the area from 800 BCE onward.
As of 2005, indigenous Fijians constituted slightly more than half of the totalpopulation of Fiji. Indigenous Fijians are predominantly ofMelanesian extraction, with somePolynesian admixture.
Australia has the largest Fijian expatriate population, according to the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs. According to the Australian census, the largest ethnic backgrounds that Fijians identified with were Indian/Indo-Fijian and Indigenous Fijian origins.[2] FijianNew Zealand are also the fifth largest Pacific ethnic group living in New Zealand. OutsideOceania, a notable Fijian diaspora is found in otherAnglophone countries, namelyCanada,United States and theUnited Kingdom.
TheBose Levu Vakaturaga (Great Council of Chiefs) once passed laws and regulations governing the indigenous Fijian people. Until its disbanding by theMilitary of Fiji following the2006 coup, the Great Council of Chiefs met yearly to discuss native Fijian concerns. The council, which was formerly responsible for appointing Fiji's president, was composed of 55 Fijianchiefs selected from the 14 provinces. Included in the council were three appointees from the island of Rotuma and six appointed by theMinister of Fijian Affairs. The Minister of Fijian Affairs consulted with the President as part of the selection process. Former Prime MinisterSitiveni Rabuka was given a lifetime appointment on the council.
The nativeFijian language belongs to the Central Pacific (Fijian – Polynesian) branch of theAustronesian family.[9]The Fijian traditions are centred around ceremonies and events, that bond the community.
Yaqona (pronounced Yang-gohna), otherwise known askava – another important traditional custom – is an infusion prepared from the root ofPiper methysticum, a type of pepper plant. The plant itself is also often referred to as yaqona or the kava plant. Yaqona is extremely important in indigenous Fijian culture – in the time of the 'old religion' it was used ceremonially by chiefs and priests only. Today, yaqona is part of daily life, both in villages and in urban areas and across all classes and walks of life. 'Having a grog' or 'drinking grog', as drinking kava is sometimes known, is used for welcoming and bonding with visitors, for storytelling sessions or merely for passing time.[citation needed]
TheTabua is a much revered whale's tooth which is used in both public and private occasions or ceremonies. The tooth is considered sacred.[10]
About 86 percent of the land in Fiji is owned by indigenous Fijian people.[11] In 1876, SirArthur Hamilton-Gordon, the BritishcolonialGovernor, prohibited the sale of Fijian land to non-ethnic Fijians. This policy continues today, and in 2014 the sale of freehold land to foreigners was further restricted.[12][13] The Governor also banned the employment of native Fijians as labourers, and in 1878, began importingindentured labourers from India to work in the sugarcane fields. The effects of this immigration created an ethnic polarisation and rampantAnti-Indian sentiment, which has proven to be politically challenging to Fijian race relations.[14]
Indigenous Fijiansoverwhelmingly report as being Christian, with theMethodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma claiming the loyalty of 64.5% (2007 census). Other significant denominations include theRoman Catholic Church (9.1%), theAssemblies of God (5.7%) and theSeventh-day Adventists (3.9%). 10.4% belong to other churches from a large number of denominations. Only about 0.8% report as following non-Christian religions or no religion.[15]
Approximately 70% of indigenous Fijians are farmers, many of which aresustenance farmers. They commonly grow such crops assugar cane,cassava, rice,sweet potatoes, and bananas.[citation needed]
Historically, Fijians were known as thecanoe building experts of the Pacific, using them to trade withTonga. They were usually large double-hulled canoes, called aDrua (pronounced nDroo-ah), with each side being similar except one was shorter and served as a type ofoutrigger. These were united by beams, with a platform on it that extended beyond the sides.[16]
TheLapita people, named after their distinctive pottery style, were the first people to inhabit Fiji in about 3000 BCE, and evidence of their settlements exist throughout Fiji – particularly around the Sigatoka Sand Dunes. They were followed by theMelanesians in about 500 BCE, and trading withTongans andSamoans sinceFiji was founded, has added to the cultural mix. In the Later years, there was active commerce between Tonga and Fiji, and later in the history of this relationship, the Fijians in the Lau Islands (Eastern Fiji) became vassals to the King of Tonga. One particular reason Tongans and Samoans came to Fiji was to build the Drua (large double-hulled canoes) which they could not build on their own islands because of the lack of proper timber.
From the early 19th century, both European and Chinese traders (dishsant visited Fiji for its sandalwood, hardwoods, beche-de-mer, marine life and, more recently, gold).[17] The British ruled Fiji from 1874 to 1970. In 1970, Fiji became a fully independent nation with constitutional arrangements to ensure that traditional Fijian interests were preserved.
His Royal Highness Prince of Wales,Prince Charles, presented the Instruments of Independence to Prime Minister Ratu SirKamisese Mara on 10 October 1970 at a massive gathering at Albert Park in Suva. In 1972,the first general elections were held usingthe 1970 constitution. In 1987,two military coups were staged. The first coup was bloodless, and the second coup severed ties with theBritish Monarchy. A controversial and racially divisivenew constitution was adopted in 1990, and in 1992 the first general election was held under the auspices of the new constitution.
The constitution wasrevised again in 1997 and was deemed to be more equitable by the many racial groups in Fiji. Free and peacefulelections in 1999 resulted in a government led by anIndo-Fijian, Mahendra Choudhary, buta violent coup in May 2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political and racial turmoil.Parliamentary elections held in August 2001 provided Fiji with a democratically elected government led by Prime MinisterLaisenia Qarase.Re-elected in May 2006, Qarasewas ousted in a military coup on 5 December that year, led by the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces(RFMF),CommodoreVoreqe (Frank) Bainimarama, who initially appointed himself acting president, but in January 2007 assumed the position of interim Prime Minister, promising a return to democracy in the near future. This did not eventuate, however; elections were not helduntil 2014.[18][19]
TheFijian traditions and ceremonies are based and share commonalities throughout time.
In August 2008, shortly before the proposedPeople's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress was due to be released to the public, it was announced that it recommended a change in the name of Fiji's citizens. If the proposal were adopted, all citizens of Fiji, whatever their ethnicity, would be called "Fijians". At present,[when?] the word "Fijian" does not denote a nationality, and refers exclusively to indigenous Fijians. Citizens of Fiji are referred to as "Fiji Islanders". The proposal would change the English name of indigenous Fijians from "Fijians" toitaukei. The indigenous word for Fijian is "Kaiviti"[20] Deposed Prime MinisterLaisenia Qarase reacted by stating that the name "Fijian" belonged exclusively to indigenous Fijians, and that he would oppose any change in legislation enabling non-indigenous Fijians to use it. The Cabinet at its meeting on 30 June 2010 approved the Fijian Affairs [Amendment] Decree 2010. The new law effectively replaces the word 'Fijian' or 'indigenous' or 'indigenous Fijian' with the word 'iTaukei' in all written laws, and all official documentation when referring to the original and native settlers of Fiji. All Fiji citizens are now called 'Fijians'.[21][22][23]
