FIJI INO

Fiji, officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands, is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu. The country occupies an archipelago of about 322 islands, of which 106 are permanently inhabited, and 522 islets. The two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, account for 87% of the population. The name Fiji is the old Tongan word for the islands, which in turn is derived from the Fijian name Viti.

History of Fiji
The first inhabitants of Fiji arrived from South East Asia long before contact with European explorers in the seventeenth century. Pottery excavated from Fijian towns show that Fiji was settled before or around 1000 BC. This question of Pacific migration still lingers. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman visited Fiji in 1643 while looking for the Great Southern Continent. It was not until the nineteenth century, however, that Europeans settled the islands permanently. The islands came under British control as a colony in 1874, and the British brought over Indian contract laborers. It was granted independence in 1970. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military coups in 1987 because the government was perceived as dominated by the Indo-Fijian (Indian) community. The second 1987 coup saw the British monarchy and the Governor General replaced by a non-executive President, and the country changed the long form of its name from Dominion of Fiji to Republic of Fiji (and to Republic of the Fiji Islands in 1997. The coups contributed to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties but ensured that Melanesians became the majority. In 1990, the new Constitution institutionalised the ethnic Fijian domination of the political system. The Group Against Racial Discrimination (GARD) was formed to oppose the unilaterally imposed constitution and restore the 1970 constitution. Sitiveni Rabuka, the Lieutenant Colonel who carried out the 1987 coup became Prime Minister in 1992, following elections held under the new constitution. Three years later, Rabuka established the Constitutional Review Commission, which in 1997 led to a new Constitution, which was supported by most leaders of the indigenous Fijian and Indo-Fijian communities. Fiji is re-admitted to the Commonwealth of Nations. The new millennium brought along another coup, this time led instigated by George Speight, effectively toppled the government of Mahendra Chaudhry, who became Prime Minister following the 1997 constitution. Commodore Frank Bainimarama assumed executive power after the resignation, possibly forced, of President Mara. Fiji was rocked by two mutinies at Suva's Queen Elizabeth Barracks, later in 2000 when rebel soldiers went on the rampage. The High Court ordered the reinstatement of the constitution, and in September 2001, a General election was held to restore democracy, which was won by interim Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase's Soqosoqo Duavata ni Lewenivanua party. For a country of its size, Fiji has large armed forces, and has been a major contributor to UN peacekeeping missions in various parts of the world.

Geography of Fiji
Fiji consists of 322 islands, of which 106 are inhabited, and 522 smaller islets. The two most important islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. The islands are mountainous, with peaks up to 1,300 metres (4,250 ft), and covered with tropical forests. Viti Levu hosts the capital city of Suva, and is home to nearly three quarters of the population. Other important towns include Nadi (the location of the international airport), and Lautoka (the location of a large sugar mill and a sea-port). The main towns on Vanua Levu are Labasa and Savusavu. Other islands and island groups include Taveuni and Kadavu (the third and fourth largest islands respectively), the Mamanuca Group (just outside Nadi) and Yasawa Group, which are popular tourist destinations, the Lomaiviti Group, outside of Suva, and the remote Lau Group. Rotuma, some 500 kilometres (310 mi) north of the archipelago, has a special administrative status in Fiji.



Demographics of Fiji
The population of Fiji is mostly made up of native Fijians, a people of mixed Polynesian (partly Tongan) and Melanesian ancestry (54.3%), and Indo-Fijians (38.1%), descendants of Indian contract labourers brought to the islands by the British in the nineteenth century. About 1.2% are Rotuman natives of Rotuma Island, whose culture has more in common with countries such as Tonga or Samoa than with the rest of Fiji. There are also small, but economically significant, groups of Europeans, Chinese and other minorities.

Religion
Religion is one of the primary differences between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians, with the former overwhelmingly Christian (99.2% at the 1996 census), and the latter mostly Hindu (76.7%) and Muslim (15.9%). The largest Christian denomination is the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma. With 36.2% of the total population (including almost two-thirds of ethnic Fijians), its share of the population is higher in Fiji than in any other nation. Roman Catholics (8.9%), the Assemblies of God (4%), and Seventh-day Adventists (2.9%) are also significant. These and other denominations also have small numbers of Indo-Fijian members; Christians of all kinds comprise 6.1% of the Indo-Fijian population. Much major Roman Catholic missionary activity was conducted through the Vicariate Apostolic of Fiji. Hindus belong mostly to the Sanatan sect (74.3% of all Hindus) or else are unspecified (22%). The small Arya Samaj sect claims the membership of some 3.7% of all Hindus in Fiji. Muslims are mostly Sunni (59.7%) or unspecified (36.7%), with an Ahmadiya minority (3.6%). The Sikh religion comprises 0.9% of the Indo-Fijian population, or 0.4% of the national population in Fiji. Their ancestors came from the Punjab region of India. The Baha'i Faith has over 21 Local Spiritual Assemblies throughout Fiji and Baha'is live in more than 80 localities. The first Baha'i on the island was a New Zealander who arrived in 1924.

Fiji's culture is a rich mosaic of indigenous, Indian, and European traditions. The main focus of this article is traditions native to Fiji; customs of immigrant cultures are covered more fully in other articles. For the culture of Indo-Fijians, see Culture of India. Readers need to be careful interpreting Fijian words in this, and similar articles. The following conventions exist: The letter "c" is pronounced as is the English "th" sound. "Laucala Bay" is spoken as Lauthala Bay. Each letter "d" is preceded with an "n" sound. Nadi (the airport town) is pronounced Nandi. Each "b" letter is preceded with an "m" sound. The town Ba is pronounced mBa. The letter "q" is pronounced as an "ng" sound as in the English word "sing". Beqa is pronounced mBenga. The letter "g" by itself is usually sounded as an "ng" sound too, although somewhat shorter than a "q". In Fijian words each vowel is given its full weight and never shortened, skipped or slurred. Fijian society is very communal, with great importance attached to the family unit, the village, and the vanua (land). A hierarchy of chiefs presides over villages, clans, and tribes. Chiefly positions are hereditary; a deceased chief is invariably followed by a kinsman, though not necessarily his own son. This reflects Polynesian influence: in most other Melanesian societies, chiefs are appointed on merit. The largest social unit for Fijians is the Yavusa, defined by historian R.A. Derrick as the "direct agnate descendants of a single kalou-vu" (deified ancestor). Chiefly succession was from older brother to younger brother, after the death of their father. When the youngest brother died, the eldest son of the eldest brother became chief. This tradition still influences Fijian society today, though less rigidly: there is more of a tendency nowadays towards primogeniture. Each brother in the family then formed his own branch of the yavusa, called the Mataqali. Each mataqali became the custodian of a specific task. A fully developed Yavusa has several mataqali: Turaga : This mataqali descends from the original ancestor through primogeniture - inheritance of the eldest son in each succeeding generation. The chief of a village is always chosen from the Turaga mataqali. Sauturaga : These are next in rank to the chiefs, support him, and enforce his commands. Mata ni vanua : These form the official heralds of the village. They are also in charge of ceremonial functions. Bete : This was the traditional priestly class. The kalou-vu was believed to speak through the Bete. Bati : This mataqali forms the traditional warrior class. The mataqali are subdivided into Tokatoka, each comprising closely related families. Several Yavusa comprise a village, several of which form a district. The British colonial rulers amalgamated the districts into Yasana, or Provinces. The districts also form three Matanitu, or Confederacies. These are often said to be agglomerations of provinces, but as the latter were a colonial imposition, the boundaries do not coincide exactly, and the Provinces of Ba and Ra are each split between two Confederacies. The Kubuna Confederacy covers Tailevu, Bau, and Verata, on the south east side of the main island of Viti Levu. This Confederacy is traditionally considered to be the most senior. The other two are Burebasaga (covering the rest of Viti Levu), and Tovata, covering Vanua Levu, the Lau Islands, and the Lomaiviti archipelago. Despite its isolation and relatively small size, Tovata has been politically dominant since Fiji gained its independence in 1970.

Music and dancing
An indigenous art form is the Meke, which may incorporate the seasea (women's fan dance) or a make wesi (men's spear dance). It is usually a narrative of an important event such as a war, a chiefly installation, or even a scandal. Some mekes are generations old, and form an important part of Fiji's oral history. In olden times, the meke was considered to be an oracle from the gods, and the Dau ni vucu, or composer, would often go into a trance before a performance. Others are modern, composed for a particular event, much as a poet laureate might write a poem to celebrate an event in a Western country. Each district of Fiji has its own form of meke, performed in the local dialect.



Costume
The traditional attire was loin cloths for men and grass skirts for women. Skirts were short for single women, and long for married women, with girls wearing virgin locks before marriage. Most had the lower parts of their bodies decorated with tattoos. Chiefs dressed more elaborately. Modern Fiji's national dress is the sulu, which resembles a skirt. It is commonly worn by both men and women. Many are elaborately decorated with patterns and designs. Many men, especially in urban areas, also have sulus tailored as part of their suit. Many will wear a shirt with a western-style collar, tie, and jacket, with a matching sulu and sandals. Even the military uniforms have incorporated the sulu as part of their ceremonial dress. Trousers are rarely worn by indigenous Fijian men. Women usually wear a multi-layered Tapa cloth on formal occasions. A blouse made of cotton, silk, or satin, of often worn on top. On special occasions, women often wear a tapa sheath across the chest, rather than a blouse. On other occasions, women may be dressed in a chamba, also known as a sulu I ra, a sulu with a specially crafted top. There are many regional variations throughout Fiji. Residents of the village of Dama, in Bua Province, wear finely woven mats called kuta, made from a reed. Men of chiefly rank usually wear a piece of brown masi around their arms or their waist. Chiefs may also decorate their hair with sandalwood dust.

Firewalkers of Beqa
The Sawau tribe of Beqa are noted for their ability to walk on white hot stones without being burned. Strict rituals have to be observed before the firewalking ceremony. There is an ancient myth about how an ancestor of the Sawau tribe was given this power by a spirit god in exchange for his life, after the god was captured by the man who was fishing for eels.

Lovo The lovo is an earth oven fire made on in a pit in the ground lined with heat-resistant stones. It closely resembles the hangi of the New Zealand Maori. When the stones are hot, food, wrapped in (banana) leaves, is placed in the pit, covered with soil and left to cook before being exhumed and eaten. Dishes cooked this way include palusami, parcels of taro leaves saturated with coconut milk, onions, and sometimes tinned meat.

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