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Fijians () are a nation and ethnic group native to Fiji, who speak Fijian language and English language and share a common history and culture.
Fijians, or iTaukei,Since 2010, the word "Fijian" legally also denotes nationality and not ethnicity. are the major indigenous people of the Fiji of Melanesia. Indigenous Fijians are believed to have arrived in Fiji from western Melanesia approximately 3,500 years ago and are the descendants of the Lapita people. Later they would move onward to other surrounding islands, including Rotuma, as well as settling in other nearby islands such as Tonga and Samoa. They are indigenous to all parts of Fiji except the island of Rotuma. 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 total population of Fiji. Indigenous Fijians are predominantly of Melanesians extraction, with some Polynesian 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. Fijian New Zealand are also the fifth largest Pacific ethnic group living in New Zealand. Outside Oceania, a notable Fijian diaspora is found in other Anglophone countries, namely Canada, Fijian American and the United Kingdom.
The Bose Levu Vakaturaga (Great Council of Chiefs) once passed laws and regulations governing the indigenous Fijian people. Until its disbanding by the Military of Fiji following the 2006 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 Fijian Ratu selected from the 14 provinces. Included in the council were three appointees from the island of Rotuma and six appointed by the Minister of Fijian Affairs. The Minister of Fijian Affairs consulted with the President as part of the selection process. Former Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka was given a lifetime appointment on the council.
Yaqona (pronounced Yang-gohna), otherwise known as kava – another important traditional custom – is an infusion prepared from the root of Piper 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.
The Tabua is a much revered whale's tooth which is used in both public and private occasions or ceremonies. The tooth is considered sacred. Official Fiji government site
About 86 percent of the land in Fiji is owned by indigenous Fijian people. In 1876, Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon, the British British Empire Governor, 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. The Governor also banned the employment of native Fijians as labourers, and in 1878, began importing indentured labourers from India to work in the sugarcane fields. The effects of this immigration created an ethnic polarisation and rampant Anti-Indian sentiment, which has proven to be politically challenging to Fijian race relations.
Indigenous Fijians overwhelmingly report as being Christian, with the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma claiming the loyalty of 64.5% (2007 census). Other significant denominations include the Roman Catholic Church (9.1%), the Assemblies of God (5.7%) and the Seventh-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.
Approximately 70% of indigenous Fijians are farmers, many of which are sustenance farmers. They commonly grow such crops as sugar cane, cassava, rice, sweet potatoes, and bananas.
The Lapita 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 the Melanesians in about 500 BCE, and trading with Tongans and Samoans since Fiji 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).Need to finish the sentence 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 Sir Kamisese Mara on 10 October 1970 at a massive gathering at Albert Park in Suva. In 1972, the first general elections were held using the 1970 constitution. In 1987, two military coups were staged. The first coup was bloodless, and the second coup severed ties with the British Monarchy. A controversial and racially divisive new constitution was adopted in 1990, and in 1992 the first general election was held under the auspices of the new constitution.
The constitution was revised again in 1997 and was deemed to be more equitable by the many racial groups in Fiji. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by an Indo-Fijian, Mahendra Choudhary, but a 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 Minister Laisenia Qarase. Re-elected in May 2006, Qarase was ousted in a military coup on 5 December that year, led by the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces(RFMF), Commodore Voreqe (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 held until 2014.
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