DOCSLIB.ORG

History of the Chiefs in Fiji

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
History of the Chiefs in Fiji HISTORY OF THE CHIEFS IN FIJI The House of Chiefs in Fiji consists of the Fijian nobility, composed of about seventy chiefs of .. History · Heads of State · Cakobau period · Colonial period · Modern history · crisis · coups · Military–church relations · coup. These years were marked by bloody political struggles for power by rival Fijian leaders. Hocart makes an argument to the effect that 'the word turanga [sic] On October 10, , after a meeting of the most powerful chiefs, Fiji was unilaterally ceded to the United Kingdom. However the title has been recognised since that time and the British Monarch has filled a similar role since; even since Fiji became a republic in , the former Great Council of Chiefs continued to recognise Elizabeth II as its most senior chief. Kevaka sa yali tiko na turaga sa na rawa ni 'takeover' ko Narai. If so, sautu may be rendered literally as 'established sau', which itself suggests that 'peace and plenty' is inevitably the condition of a country where a high chief takes precedence over all and everyone fulfils his or her material obligations to others; here the idea is not that a despot commands and a cowed people do his will, but rather that the willing attendance of the people on one who has been chosen from the appropriate chiefly clan by leaders of the appropriate landspeople clan and installed as paramount, in and of itself produces a genuine prosperity for all. The 'General History of the Country of Sawaieke' Na i tukutuku raraba ni vanua ko Sawaieke , recorded by Lands Commission officials in , covers a time-span that begins some years or so earlier and ends at the period that Fiji was ceded to Britain in An anomaly exists in the west of the country, where the provinces of Ba and Ra are split between the confederacies of Kubuna and Burebasaga. The success of parliamentary democracy from the first general election in , the inevitability of the coups of , and the restoration of democracy in the general election of on the basis of a revised constitution can be explained by this same logic. Annexes Appendix 6. Chiefship in the Old Days 3I begin by considering how men born into a chiefly clan come to be accorded the status of paramount. Chiefs Turaga , Raitena [designated owners — itaukei - of the country], Priests, Heralds, Warriors, then the sea people and the landspeople - liga ni magiti, hand of the feast His views were made plain as a group of young men and women and myself were drinking yaqona - i. In a lifetime in which all one's relationships prescribe either hierarchy or competitive equality, only marriage makes it clear that each form contains the possibility of the other. If not, each one would just go its own way. One can argue that, so far as ethnic Fijians are concerned, Dr Timoci Bavadra would not, despite his election by a majority of the electorate and however excellent his personal qualities, be allowed to continue as Prime Minister of Fiji. It is that Fijian chiefship has to be elective in the sense of being seen to be conferred by the people on the chief, for only thus can it bring about the condition of 'peace and plenty' expressed in the term sautu, of which the base sau may be a cognate for sau meaning 'a high chief', and also 'the commandment or prohibition of such a chief' see CapeII The individual most commonly credited with the "discovery" of Fiji was Captain William Bligh, who sailed through Fiji in and following the mutiny on the H. By , , of Fiji's inhabitants were Indian. RSL: Vakatau sara ga vei ira na turaga ni Nukuloa. E duo dosa, amuduo [cobo] muduo [cobo] amuduo [cobo] muduo [cobo], Vinaka saka. At the same time, it is this relation that allows the junior relative, as vasu, to vasuta, or, as I was told, to take without asking taura ga, sega ni kerea the property of men of his mother's clan. Therefore the leaders of the various clans met together and made over their villages to him whom they had installed as their chief Democracy works well in Fiji when it is seen to be under the aegis of Fijian chiefs; but, given that hierarchy itself has never been allowed to become an encompassing value, neither can the ethic of equality be allowed to predominate-as it would if men of high chiefly status were no longer seen to take precedence in government. It is interesting to note, then, how the second speaker's use of turaga, and his not using sautu, implies a broader reference. They divide Rewa and all subject villages and carpenters between them, there is not a village in which they have not both got authority. The true spelling should be mata-ni-tui It is effective, it is true cf. The late Takalaigau went around all the villages and strove to ensure that when someone was to be installed as paramount Tui , this country should be of one voice. There was his herald, Tunimata..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Public Opinion and the 1987 Military Coups in Fiji Deryck Scarr
    Journal de la Société des océanistes Evidence, ideology and miscalculation : public opinion and the 1987 military coups in Fiji Deryck Scarr Citer ce document / Cite this document : Scarr Deryck. Evidence, ideology and miscalculation : public opinion and the 1987 military coups in Fiji. In: Journal de la Société des océanistes, 92-93, 1991-1-2. pp. 69-88; doi : https://doi.org/10.3406/jso.1991.2898 https://www.persee.fr/doc/jso_0300-953x_1991_num_92_1_2898 Fichier pdf généré le 04/05/2018 Evidence, ideology and miscalculation : public opinion and the 1987 military coups in Fiji by Deryck SCARR * On 14 May 1987 the Fiji Labour Party- But not the least remarkable thing about National Federation Party Coalition the coup was that intervention by a Fijian Government formally led by the multi-ethnic Labour Army officer, in this instance one decorated Party's leader, ethnic Fijian from western Viti for service with UNIFIL in Lebanon who had Levu Dr T. U. Bavadra — but visibly from actually looked into the mechanics of military not far behind the scenes by the lawyer Jai coups during a stint at the Indian Army Staff Ram Reddy and his longtime fellow power College, against a government with only about brokers in the National Federation Party which 9.39 of Fijian votes to its credit in the had always been overwhelmingly ethnic Indian communal seats of the 1970 independence — was overthrown in a coup by the, constitution where the ethnicity of voters could be essentially ethnic Fijian, Royal Fiji Military determined, should have taken anyone very Forces. The government was a month old.
    [Show full text]
  • CHAPTER 13 Other, It Has Facilitated the Provisioning of Fiji Rotumans with Important Cultural Resources Like Pandanus Mats and Favorite Foodstuffs from Home
    Photo 13.1 Gagaj Maraf Nataniela of Noa‘tau greets Ratu Kamisese Mara, who visited Rotuma for the centennial celebration of Rotuma’s cession to Great Britain, 1981. Fiji Ministry of Information. Photo 13.2 Ratu Mara and Adi Lala Mara being carried ashore to attend the 150th anniversary of the Catholic mission in Rotuma, 1996. Jan Rensel. 13 Rotuma and Fiji I think that for many of us who talk about Rotuman independence our main concern is that Rotuman identity and culture, changing as they are, be preserved forever. This simply cannot depend on the goodwill of another race. Control must be in the hands of Rotumans (legitimately representing the interests of ALL Rotumans regardless of where they live)…it's the Rotumans' lack of ultimate control over their identity and culture which is the worry. Saumaru Foster, Rotuma Web site, 19981 As a result of political affiliation, there have been no barriers to movement between Rotuma and the rest of Fiji. Rotumans began migrating to Fiji for education and jobs soon after cession was formalized, and by 1936 nearly 10 percent of Rotumans lived there. At the end of the twentieth century the figure was closer to 75 percent. The flow has not been one-way or permanent, however. Individuals of both genders and all ages go back and forth frequently, staying with family members while schooling, getting help while seeking employment, participating in sports or church events, or helping out relatives in various ways while enjoying a holiday.2 Rotuma's special connection with Fiji has contributed to the island's prosperity in a number of ways: (1) by permitting in-country access to wider education and employment opportunities; (2) by supplying government support to the island's infrastructure and providing jobs on the island (approximately one hundred government employees in the 1990s); and especially (3) by allowing ease of interaction among Rotumans in Fiji and on the home island.
    [Show full text]
  • The Prospects for Customary Law in Transitional Justice: the Case of Fiji Joanna R
    Document generated on 09/24/2021 8:29 a.m. Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice Recueil annuel de Windsor d'accès à la justice The Prospects for Customary Law in Transitional Justice: The Case of Fiji Joanna R. Quinn Volume 36, 2019 Article abstract The use of customary law shows real promise in addressing the challenges that URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1072263ar arise when confronting the legacies of past human rights abuses and DOI: https://doi.org/10.22329/wyaj.v36i0.6424 atrocities. Unlike typical transitional justice mechanisms like trials, truth commissions, and reparations programs, customary practices are See table of contents community-based and well-known to the people who use them. Indeed, customary practices could be used in transitional societies in place of “foreign” practices to bring about the same objectives. This paper considers the role that Publisher(s) customary law plays in Fiji. It further assesses the prospects for the use of customary, traditional law in situations where transitional justice is called for. Faculty of Law, University of Windsor ISSN 2561-5017 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article Quinn, J. (2019). The Prospects for Customary Law in Transitional Justice: The Case of Fiji. Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice / Recueil annuel de Windsor d'accès à la justice, 36, 249–262. https://doi.org/10.22329/wyaj.v36i0.6424 ©, 2020 Joanna R. Quinn This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the Prospects for Customary Law in Transitional Justice
    The Prospects for Customary Law in Transitional Justice: The Case of Fiji1 Joanna R. Quinn2 Working paper. Please do not cite without permission. Transitional justice has typically relied on a handful of mechanisms, including trials, truth commissions, and reparations programmes, in seeking justice after conflict. In many societies, however, these mechanisms have less salience and value than do traditional practices of justice. Often, this occurs in large part because these transitional justice mechanisms have been imported and the community has simply failed to engage with them. Customary law, on the contrary, is community-based and well-known to the people who use it. And so, while the conventional transitional justice literature has relied on and recommended the use of mechanisms and approaches including trials, tribunals, and reparations schemes, this paper explores the use of an alternative mechanism: customary practices of justice and acknowledgement. The idea is that practices of customary law might reasonably be used in transitional societies, in place of other, “foreign” practices like truth commissions and trials in bringing about the same objectives sought by the mechanisms more often used. This paper considers traditional practices of justice in transitional and pre-transitional societies as a means of bringing about the “transition” sought by scholars and practitioners of transitional justice. 1 A paper prepared for presentation at the Annual Convention of the International Studies Association, 18 March 2011, Montreal. Research for this project was carried out with assistance from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and with archival research assistance from Tamara Hinan. 2 Joanna R. Quinn is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Transitional Justice and Post-Conflict Reconstruction at The University of Western Ontario.
    [Show full text]
  • Shallow Coups, Thin Democracy?
    Shallow Coups, Thin Democracy? Constitutionalism in Fiji, 1987-1999 Scott Ma cWiLliam Abstract The COli duct and outcome of the May 1999 general election in Fiji, the first after the adoption of a new Constitution, were widely regarded as a substantial achievement. Praise for the return to democracy, involving the overth row of 1I govemmellt installed under the terms of an earlier 'racist' constitution, took 0/1 a triumphafist air. But, as this essay proposes, th ere is a need to examine //lore deeply the character of the constitutional reform and the subsequent election. Only by misinterpreting and exaggerating the substance of th e earlier 1987 coups and th eir effects was it possible to claim that the 1997 Constitution represented a fU/ldamental trallsformation in the institutional framework of Fiji's political economy. In stead, this Constitution as well as the 1999 election lIlId the government formed afterwa rds should be understood as con.tinuin.g /!lpressiol1s of the thin, militarised democracy that post-colonial Fiji had hecol1le. Th" jO/ll"/l{/1 oj Pacific St/ldies, Voll/me 25,/10. 1,2001, 9-44 ([) bl'lPlIcS Editorial Board (SSED, USP) 9 10 The Journal of Pacific Studies Vol. 25 110.1 , 2001 Introduction The May 1999 national elections in Fiji have been generally regarded as further substantial vindication of the country's new Constitution. Given th the 1997 adoption of this document was itself regarded as a major politic advance, signalling a return to democracy, it is perhaps un surprising that there has been acontinuing widespread mood of triumphal ism underpinning analysis of the election.
    [Show full text]
  • Leadership in the Pacific Islands : Tradition and the Future
    tdership in the ific islands: tradition and the future Edited by Don Shuster, Peter Larmour and Karin von Strokirch Leadership in the Pacific islands Leadership in the Pacific islands: tradition and the future Edited by Donald R. Shuster, Peter Larmour and Karin von Strokirch National Centre for Development Studies Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies The Australian National University Canberra (Pacific Policy Paper 30) Micronesian Area Research Center University of Guam Manilao © National Centre for Development Studies 1998 This work is copyright. Apart from those uses which may be permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 as amended, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the publisher. This book is a publication of the National Centre for Development Studies. The contribution of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) towards the publication of this series is gratefully acknowledged. The opinions contained in this book are those of the authors, and not necessarily of the National Centre for Development Studies. ISSN 0817-0444 ISBN 0 7315 2372 5 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Leadership in the Pacific islands : tradition and the future. ISBN 0 7315 2372 5. 1 . Political leadership - Pacific Area. 2. Pacific Area - Politics and govern ment. I. Shuster, Donald R. II. Larmour, Peter. III. Strokirch, Karin von. IV. Australian National University. National Centre for Development Studies. V. University of Guam. Micronesian Area Research Center. (Series : Pacific policy papers ; 30). 320.996 Series editor: Maree Tait Editor: Tikka Wilson Pagemaker: Tikka Wilson Design: LujanSheen Design Cover design: Annie Di Nallo Cover photos: Donald R.
    [Show full text]
  • From Election to Coup in Fiji Ii Iii
    i FROM ELECTION TO COUP IN FIJI ii iii FROM ELECTION TO COUP IN FIJI The 2006 campaign and its aftermath Jon Fraenkel and Stewart Firth (eds) THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY E PRESS IPS Publications University of the South Pacific Asia Pacific Press The Australian National University iv Co-Published by ANU E Press and Asia Pacific Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title available online at: http://epress.anu.edu.au/fiji_citation.html © 2007 ANU E Press, Asia Pacific Press and IPS Publications This work is copyright. Apart from those uses which may be permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 as amended, no part may be reproduced by any proc- ess without written permission from the publisher. First published in Australia by First published in Fiji by Asia Pacific Press/ANU E Press IPS Publications Crawford School of Economics and Government University of the South Pacific The Australian National University Private Bag Laucala Campus Canberra ACT 0200 Australia Suva, Fiji Islands Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Ph: 61-2-6125 0178 Fax: 61-2-6125 0767 Ph: 679-3232248 Fax: 679-3231524 Website: www.asiapacificpress.com Website: www.ipsbooks.usp.ac.fj Asia Pacific Press ISBN 978-0-7315-3812-6 IPS Publications ISBN 978-982-01-0808-0 _________________________________________________________________ National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication From election to coup in Fiji : the 2006 campaign and its aftermath. Bibliography. Includes index. ISBN 9780731538126 (pbk.). ISBN 9781921313363 (online) 1. Fiji. Parliament - Elections, 2006. 2. Fiji - History - 21st century.
    [Show full text]
  • The Ifoga Ritual in Samoa in Anthropological and in Biblical Perspectives
    Sanele Faasua Lavatai The Ifoga Ritual in Samoa in Anthropological and in Biblical Perspectives STUDIEN ZU INTERKULTURELLER THEOLOGIE AN DER MISSIONSAKADEMIE12 Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades Dr. theol. Fachbereich Evangelische Theologie Fakultät für Geisteswissensschaften der Universität Hamburg April 2016 Bibliografische Information Der Deutschen Bibliothek Die Deutsche Bibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie. Detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.ddb.de abrufbar. Missionshilfe Verlag, Hamburg 2018 www.demh.de Alle Rechte vorbehalten Cover Design: Martin Keiper ISBN 978-3-946426-06-6 ISSN 2196-4696 TABLE OF CONTENT 0 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 9 0.1 Background and Motivation .......................................................................................... 9 0.2 Nature and significance of the study ........................................................................... 12 0.3 The research question and aim of the study ................................................................. 15 0.4 Scope of the study ........................................................................................................ 15 0.5 Methodology ................................................................................................................ 16 0.6 Previuos research on the ifoga Ritual .........................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Intangible Cultural Property and Commodification of The
    THE CUSTODIANS OF THE GIFT: INTANGIBLE CULTURAL PROPERTY AND COMMODIFICATION OF THE FIJIAN FIREWALKING CEREMONY A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ANTHROPOLOGY AUGUST 2007 By Guido Carlo Pigliasco Dissertation Committee: Andrew Arno, Chairperson Cristina Bacchilega Nicholas H. Barker Geoffrey M. White Christine R. Yano i ii © Copyright 2007 by Guido Carlo Pigliasco iii A kedra ivakananumi na bete ni yavusa o Sawau, Beqa. Dedicated to the bete of the Sawau people of Beqa. iv AKNOWLEDGMENTS The vilavilairevo ceremony performed by the Sawau people in a way represents an instantiation of Fijian epistemology: the accomplishments of the individuals are rooted in the contributions of those who have gone before and of those who comprise the current social networks. From this perspective, this study is the joint product of a collaborative ethnographic practice which would not have been completed without the contributions of several people and institutions. The Sawau people of Beqa, were very generous to me. The privilege of staying in the village of Dakuibeqa was accorded to me by the chief, Tui Sawau Ratu Timoci Matanitobua, who not only approved my research but also acted as a liaison with government officials in Suva. I owe a special debt of gratitude to his sister Bulou Ro Mereani Tuimatanisiga, who provided ideas, support and invaluable ethnographic data. I am equally indebted to the Naivilaqata priestly clan members of the Sawau people, who actively participated in the process of remapping their culture and knowledge.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring the Deep Pacific
    EXPLORING THE DEEP PACIFIC By HELEN RAITT Copyright © 1956 By W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. FIRST EDITION Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 56-10089 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FOR THE PUBLISHERS BY THE VAIL-BALLOU PRESS CONTENTS Introduction by Roger R. Revelle ix 1. South Sea Meeting 3 2. My Tongan Family 17 3. Polynesian Christmas 28 4. It’s a Man’s World 35 5. The Disappearing Island 45 6. Night Exploration 56 7. We Cross the Deep 63 8. The Big Winch 73 9. New Year’s Day on the Tonga Trench 81 10. Undersea Everest 94 11. Nofoa Tonga 110 12. Pago Pago 125 13. The Long Shot 132 14. Palmerston—A Family Affair 147 15. Point Mike 158 16. Tahiti 168 17. Storm 180 18. An Atoll Rich in Mystery 184 19. Nukuhiva, Land of Typee 206 20. Coral Reefs and Atolls 217 21. Sight! Surface! 227 22. Helen Seamount 236 23. Alone on This Desert of Ocean 238 24. Extruder Extraordinary 241 25. Operation “Concussion” 252 26. The Beautiful Has Vanished 266 Bibliography 270 v ILLUSTRATIONS Photographs between pages 128 and 129 The Spencer F. Baird and the Horizon of Expedition Capricorn Lowering the corer barrel Putting over the temperature probe The Baird’s fantail The 40,000-foot cable aboard the Baird Gustaf Arrhenius and Roger Revelle examine a gravity core The hydrophones are streamed Russell Raitt examines seismic records The echo sounder records the ocean bottom The author typing up the log Walter Munk examines a coral formation Takaroan pearl divers with Capricorn’s Willard Bascom Marquesans perform dance of the loving pigs Scientists of the Baird MAPS and DRAWINGS Track of Expedition Capricorn endpapers Profile of Spencer F.
    [Show full text]