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Fiji Islands Culture Guide
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Fiji Islands Culture Life in Fiji, both rural areas and towns, is not easy. Jobs are scarce, salaries are low and corruption high. For the majority, life rests on a foundation of ceaseless work and the strength of the community. And, as often elsewhere, this devolves largely upon women: it is they who get up first and go to bed last, are responsible for the family, the meals and the house, have to fish, and help their men farm as well. Women in Fiji today still have far fewer rights than men. And they get abused, physically, often. In fact, a high proportion of Fijian people are extremely violent people, particularly when drunk or in argument, are extremely irrational and not at all trustworthy. Hence four coups in 20 years. Outwardly, however, they are very amenable which earns them the superficial compliment of being amongst the friendliest people on earth. Fijian, with its base being Austronesian, is the main language of the indigenous people although there are some 14 dialects spoken, the main dialect being Bauan and most dialects being understood by each other. The Indian population speak a local form of Hidustani with adopted English, Urdu and Tamil words. English is the unified language spoken at schools and in parliament. Newspapers, television and radio offer all variations. The Fijian community is based on a strict hierarchy from chiefs down to commoners, from old age to youth and mostly from men to women. Everyone, through ancestry, knows their position in their clan (mataqali) and chiefly titles are ordered through the mataqali with its chiefs (Ratu for male, Adi for female), village sub chiefs and village spokesman (turaga-ni-koro). Thi8s results in unnatural power of the elite members which, when translated into business or civil servant powers, results in corruption. The villages themselves (koro) are grouped into 189 districts (tikina), and the districts into 14 provinces (yasana) for national administration purposes. The head of each provincial council (roko tui) is appointed by the government-formed Fijian Affairs Board. Land is cooperatively owned by the mataqali although it is the chief who grants permission for the villagers to use the land to build a house or plant his crops. This sort of hierarchal awe has created a Much of the land in Fiji is leased out through the Native Land Trust Board to farmers for sugar cane and to tourist properties although greed in land lease4s and lack of business enterprise or work ethic has resulted in continuous failed locally owned businesses and a dependency on foreign management and ownership. This has resulte4d in jealousy and disputes over land leases. The money from the lease land is distributed through the village with the chiefs taking the lions share and more often than not a hefty bribe in their back pocket. Pay day of tourism lease money to the villages inevitably ends up with the locals smashed out of their brains on alcohol and ensuing drunken fights. The main business of country existence is to secure the daily food. Planting and weeding, collecting firewood for cooking, water for drinking and carrying everything home in large baskets or containers. Most Fijian villagers have a plot of their own to till, the excess of which can be sold for money in the town markets to pay for school fees, kerosene fuel for lighting and other small items. But much of the work in the village is for the community. Communal land is worked to provide fund-raising for the church and for village ceremonies. Mats are woven in groups, houses repaired and built by the village and fish is divided among participants. At the end of the day, the men gather to drink Yaqona in the village hall and discuss village affairs. When a youth returns to the village he is fed until his own plantation is matured. In times of ill health, a man may rest knowing his family is being fed and his plantation tended to. This is the way of the traditional community. But modern life does not work well with tradition. Those leaving the village for the city are burdened with the increasing demands for handouts by the village which expects to share in the loot of commercialism. A town dweller can expect to host guests from the village, as many as a dozen at a time, for periods exceeding weeks, unexpectedly and without invitation. The guests expect to be fed, to drink beer and be bought new things whilst the host goes out to work. This traditional responsibility has thus restricted many from developing in the modern world. Yaqona Ceremony Yaqona (Kava in most of the Pacific Islands) is the traditional drink of Fiji and serves as a ceremonial and social mediator between parties. Yaqona is mixed from the roots of the piper methysticum plant and diluted in water. Participants sit in a circle on the floor facing the tanoa, a large hand-carved wooden bowl used for mixing the drink. One by one, amidst chanting and hand clapping, each person drinks the brown liquid from a shared half coconut shell. The order of drinking is in strict hierarchy with chiefs and important guests receiving the bowl first. Yaqona tastes unusual to the western palette and leaves a slight numbing effect on the tongue. Drunk in volume, Yaqona causes lethargy and a slight loss of coordination, or, as the Fijians like to put it, relaxation. Yaqona ceremonies are performed at all social and cultural events from village fund-raising to Weddings. Any new visitors to a village are also welcomed to a village through the Yaqona ceremony and many resorts hold nightly sessions for their guests. This is a great way to get to know the people. Organized day tours to a village should include the yaqona ceremony. Today, most Fijians and many Indians drink Yaqona socially. more about yaqona Traditional Dance in Fiji The Meke, or traditional dance, is an extremely visual ceremony. Mekes are performed regularly at most resorts by the local villagers. The dances are powerful and graceful at the same time and include such movements as the spear dance, the fan dance and the sitting dance. What really makes these dances special are the accompanying singing, hand-clapping and drum beating. Tabua The most symbolic icon of traditional Fiji is the tabua, or whales tooth. These prized items are presented as a sevusevu (gift) from family to family, normally through chiefs, as a token of friendship and peace. Tabuas are central to traditional weddings, asking for favours and settling arguments. Fijian Firewalking Fijian firewalking is unique to the island of Beqa in the Southern Islands and this is the only place you will see it as a genuine ceremony. The ceremony requires performers to observe strict traditional protocol before they can walk on the hot stones. The Cultural Centre at Pacific Harbour has several Firewalking performances each week. A few resorts around Viti Levu also host weekly firewalking displays. Hindu Ceremonies Indians of Hindu beliefs perform an altogether different firewalking ceremony. The 10-day long event is a highly passionate affair of faith and rituals and a powerful testimony to mind over matter. The ceremony culminates with devotees walking over hot embers of firewood, often with a multitude of small spears pierced through various parts of their body. There are over 80 temples that perform the firewalking ceremony in Fiji. Most are held in the early hours of the morning at small temples in the rural areas of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. The largest and most publicized ceremony is at Suva's Howell Road temple at the end of November and is performed in the middle of the afternoon. Onlookers are welcome. Another interesting Hindu festival is Thaipusam held at Nadi's elaborate temple in January. Devotees undergo body piercing and drag chariots around the temple attached to their backs by sharp hooks. Fiji also has a large Muslim population who are the first in the world to celebrate the festival of Eid. At this time mosques are packed with worshippers. Book your Holiday with the Specialists  Fiji Holidays & Hotels
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