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A Case Study of Rotumans

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A Case Study of Rotumans 144 Fijian Studies Vol. 4 No. 1 the recommendations of the UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Safe- guarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore2 (herein referred to as the Recommendation). While neither of these are legally binding, it can be Protection and Promotion of Culture at the Community argued that by virtue of being members of the United Nations and United Level: A Case Study of Rotumans Nations Education, Science and Culture Organisation (UNESCO), mem- ber states have an obligation to uphold the principles of these organisa- tions and make policies designed to help minority communities to protect Kylie Anderson and promote culture and language. with While emphasizing the role of the Government, the UNESCO Rec- Feskatoa Isimeli ommendation also makes clear the role of the community and individuals: ‘(f)olklore, as a form of cultural expression, must be safeguarded by and for the group (familial, occupational, national, regional, religious, ethnic, Abstract etc.) whose identity it expresses’ (UNESCO, 1989). In the Pacific, human rights debates often focus on political and The importance of the role of the community has also been recog- economic discussions, leaving issues related to culture and language nised in other UNESCO documents. The Language Vitality and Endan- aside. Yet the potential loss of language and culture has been identi- germent report asserts that, in regards to language preservation, ‘(i)n the fied as being of great concern to many within the region. This con- end, it is the speakers, not outsiders, who maintain or abandon languages’ cern is also apparent on an international level with a growing num- (UNESCO, 2003). ber of international declarations and other documents focusing on This paper focuses on the steps taken by one minority community – the area. This article focuses on the attempts of one community – the the Rotumans – in one UNESCO member state – Fiji– to protect and Rotumans - to ‘safeguard’ language and culture. The paper also re- promote language and culture through their own initiatives. views the compatibility of these efforts with various international While protection and promotion of culture has been identified as agreements. part of the mandate of the Fiji Government3, it is fair to say that, in regard to the Rotuman language and culture, most of the initiatives have come from the people themselves. The Rotuman community has, in general, been particularly committed to protect, or ‘safeguard’, many aspects of Introduction the Rotuman culture. In the first instance this article serves to highlight some of the more recent activities as examples of community initiatives. The preservation of culture, tradition, and language has long been a The second part of the article, using the framework of the relevant concern for many minority communities around the world. On the inter- UNESCO Recommendations, analyses the success the community has national level the importance of promoting and protecting minorities has had in both protecting and promoting their culture within Fiji, and to em- been recognised in declarations such as the UN’s Declaration on the phasise the importance of community based initiatives in protecting and Rights of Persons belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguis- 1 promoting minority language and culture in Fiji. The paper focuses on tic Minorities , while the need to ‘safeguard’ or protect culture is behind two different types of initiatives; those that are Suva based (in both par- ticipation and focus) vis-à-vis those that are Suva based but have made considerable progress in fortifying the links between Rotumans in Suva The authors wish to thank an anonymous reviewer for suggestions and feedback. 1 Adopted by the UN General Assembly resolution 47/ 135 of 18 December 1992. It should be recognised that the actual definition of what constitutes a ‘minority’ is not stipulated in any UN document, including this. See Minority Rights Group Interna- tional (no date). 2 th Fijian Studies Vol. 4 No. 1 © Fiji Institute of Applied Studies Adopted by UNESCO General Conference, 25 session, Paris, 15 November 1989. 3 An example of this is Ministry of Finance and National Planning, 2002: 231-240. 143 Protection and Promotion of Culture at the Community Level 145 146 Fijian Studies Vol. 4 No. 1 and in Rotuma. It must be noted that, within the Rotuman community, Rotumans in Fiji: A Minority Community there are many examples of contributions from both individuals and In the Pacific Island region, Fiji serves as a particularly good exam- groups.4 Due to space constraints, this paper cannot make note of every ple of a state trying to balance diverse cultural groups. Within the state, example of Rotuman cultural endeavour (of which there have been many) the identification of minority groups has been problematic, with many for 2004. For this reason, the case studies selected are to serve as exam- 6 groups laying claim to the term ‘minority’. Indeed, it is possible to de- ples only. termine ‘minority’ in a number of ways (economic, political, numerical) and it is true that there are many groups in Fiji that deserve consideration. The Meaning of Culture However, arguments about the legitimacy of claims aside, the Rotuman people, comprising some 10,000 people (or 1.25% of Fiji’s population) is Prior to reviewing the recent action taken by the Rotuman commu- an example of one minority group that is generally accepted as a ‘special’ nity, it is necessary to define what is meant by both ‘culture’ and tradition case within Fiji (see, for example, Lal, 2001). as this has often been a source of contention. For the purpose of this pa- The ‘uniqueness’ of the Rotumans (Irava, 1977: 157) has been rec- per, folklore and culture are taken to have the same meaning. The ognised by the Fiji Government in a number of key policy documents. UNESCO document defines folklore as: Two laws have been enacted specifically on Rotuma, the Rotuma Act, and …the totality of tradition-based creations of a cultural commu- the Rotuma Lands Act. More recently, the government reiterated the nity, as reflecting the expectations of a community in so far as uniqueness of Rotumans in the 20-year Development Plan (2001-2020) they reflect its cultural and social identity; its standards and for the Enhancement of Participation of Indigenous Fijians and Rotu- values are transmitted orally, by imitation or by other means. Its mans in the Socio-economic Development of Fiji. The Constitution of the forms are, among others, language, literature, music, dance, Republic of the Fiji Islands recognises the position of the Rotuman com- games, mythology, rituals, customs, handicrafts, architecture munity, and the right of the Rotuman people as a group; s2(6)(d) of the and other arts (UNESCO, 1989). Constitution provides the Rotuman people the right to governance through their separate administration systems. Further recognition is ex- This definition is compatible with those outlined by members and emplified by the inclusion of three Rotuman representatives in the Bose observers of the Rotuman community (Parke, 2003). It is often argued Levu Vakaturaga (Fiji’s Great Council of Chiefs), the presence of a des- that culture is dynamic, changing over time depending on the needs of the ignated seat for the Rotuman community in the Senate of Fiji and the con- community (Inia, 2001). The impact of migration and other developments tinuing existence of the ‘Rotuman Communal Roll’ which not only serves often cause groups to change certain customs and traditions. While it is as recognition of the community but also entitles the Rotumans to one often difficult for groups to collectively decide what the defining forces seat in the House of Representatives. are of their identity, it is clear that certain elements – such as oral tradi- Much of this recognition is related to the history of Rotuma’s inclu- tions, language and handicraft – are of some importance.5 Examples of sion in the Fiji group of islands. Rotuma was annexed by the British co- ‘cultural identifiers’ for the Rotuman community are outlined in the fol- lonial administrators of Fiji in 1881. When Fiji achieved independence in lowing section of this paper. 1970, Rotuma was decolonised as part of the Fiji Island group. Linguisti- cally and culturally, Rotumans are different from indigenous Fijians, or 4 The Noa’ia Mauri website is a good example. Some initiatives have come from in- other groups of Pacific Islanders.7 While the total population of Rotumans dividuals. Ilisapei Inia and Vilisoni Hereniko, for example, have been instrumental in bringing Rotuman culture to the fore. 5 Part of the difficulty can be attributed to the notion that culture is dynamic and 6 Ratuva (2002: 18-9) identified 13 minority groups in Fiji outside of the two main changes as a result of varying influences. Not all of these changes are desirable. Nor, communities. The argument about minorities is extremely precarious in Fiji. In 2004, it should be mentioned, is the safeguarding of all practices. While an important aspect Fiji’s then Opposition Leader Mick Beddoes, in a lecture to first year students at the of any discussion on culture, it is not within the scope to discuss these issues, which, University of the South Pacific, made several references to the ‘minorities within the in keeping with the UNESCO declarations, are for the members of the group to decide minority community’. upon. 7 There are numerous published works on this; for a useful guide, see Parke (2003). Protection and Promotion of Culture at the Community Level 147 148 Fijian Studies Vol. 4 No. 1 in Fiji is slightly under 10,000, according to the last census 2,580 (ap- are many community based initiatives that have helped draw attention to proximately 0.33% of the population) live on Rotuma Island (Howard and the Rotuman people and culture.
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