Fijians of Indian Descent comprise the second largest ethnic group in Fiji and are culturally and economically diverse. More than 90 per cent are descendants of indentured labourers (Girmityas) and the remainder are descendants of free migrants. The majority are Hindu, and a minority are Muslim or Christian. Nowadays, the population of those of Indian descent in Fiji are concentrated in urban areas, monopolising small businesses and living in urban districts.

This module explores the demographic’s complex history and celebrates the unique and diverse culture that has developed from the days of indentured labour. 

Here is the complete 2017 Population and Housing Census… if you were interested.

“Critics of the indenture system claimed that indenture was not the choice of the Indian people, that it was imposed upon them. The indenture system, as a contractual term of servitude, contained abysmal clauses of exploitation” – Rajendra Prasad, Tears in Paradise, p. 101

“In the laborer system, the labourers could be physically punished for not showing due diligence, not working hard enough. So they were beaten, with whips, sometimes they were slapped or kicked, both men and women by their overseer… it was a violent situation”  – Professor Vijay Naidu

After the 5 years of indenture labour ended, Indians were given the choice to move back to India or stay in Fiji. Due to the years of low pay, most could not afford to return to India, so chose to stay in Fiji and rent land from the natives. 

From the 1900s Indians began to move to Fiji as free agents. Many bringing their own skills and moving away from working in the cane plantations.  

Due to public outrage in the United Kingdom, the indenture system was ended in 1916. Eventually all indentured systems ended 1st Jan 1920. This made it easier for Indians to move to Fiji as free agents, bringing their own unique skill set to the country. Many came as teachers, doctors and  lawyers. Indians started to seriously contribute towards Fiji’s economy,  particularly as many ethnic Fijians were still living in rural communities as sustenance farmers… their way of life largely unaffected through colonial legislation. The Indians that moved to Fiji paid for their own travel and began to form an influential ethnic minority.  

Although there are no longer any living descendants of the Girmityas, many ethnic Indians still live in Fiji and call it home, they are now recognised as Fijians. 

“The Forgotten Girmitiyas – Fiji’s Indentured Labourers.” This documentary does a fantastic job of explaining the indentured system in a Fijian context, the experiences of those who were a product of the system and how culture was hence affected by their experience. Through the film, you will begin to see the factors that shaped a unique culture from the roots of what individuals brought from India.

“Early migrants coming to Fiji were carriers of Indian culture only in a limited sense. Most were young and illiterate whose connections with India ended the day their ship left port. Once in Fiji, social groups based on caste disappeared for the most part; and because of a shortage of women, migrants were compelled to marry across religious lines. In addition, communal kinship patterns found in the traditional Indian village gave way to more individualism due to the breakdown in social structure and heightened demands for personal survival.” Fiji Guide

Despite a diverse cultural background, Fijians of Indian Descent are generally united through the common communal experience, the use of Fiji Hindi as their lingua franca, family organisation, cuisine and interests in sports and Indian media.

This section explores the details of Indo-Fijian culture from:

– Religion

– Household and Homelife

– Music and Dance

– Food

– Clothing

– Language

Not only should you have a sound understanding of the culture and its uniquities, if ever you are in Fiji and enter an Indo-Fijian household, you will know exactly how to be as respectful as possible!

Follow the links below and dive in…

As you can imagine, despite Indo-Fijian culture having firm roots in India; time, distance and cross-cultural encounters have altered certain traits of it and nuances have surfaced because of this. In this section, we directly draw upon aspects that may differ between the culture of Indian descent in Fiji and India itself.

Nowadays, there would be considered to be more of a modern categorisation of the caste system in Fiji for those of Indian descent, it is far more relaxed and less obvious than India. Marriages across caste structures and religions are far more accepted in the relaxed circumstance of Fiji.

On the topic of cultural comparisons, we had the pleasure of speaking with Rohan, somebody with a fantastic perspective on the subject as someone who was born in India but grew up in Fiji. In this interview with Cam, Rohan articulates what some of the major differences are between Indian culture and Indo-Fijian culture in his opinion. Through observation and experience, he definitely shares some interesting thoughts!

Some variables inevitably lead to cultural changing. One of those physical factors that immediately forced cultural adaptation for those first Girmitiya settlers in Fiji was Fiji’s climate.

Although language surrounding summer/winter may be used in Fiji, the country essentially has what would be considered a wet and a dry season with weather remaining relatively similar all year round. India on the other hand has four distinct seasons: winter, summer, monsoon season and post-monsoon season (with slight local variation).

This immediately affects clothing choices.

This directly affects food too, certain crops grew in Fiji, some did not… Indian migrants would have to utilise new ingredients and adapt their diet and recipes to incorporate new food sources.

In general, there is a far greater variety of ingredients as far as the Indian style diet is concerned in India itself. After years, the knowledge of how to make particular dishes also shifted in Fiji. The first settlers would bring their direct knowledge of Indian recipes with them, but after the original dishes hadn’t been made in the same way for generations, the knowledge is lost and new recipes become celebrated and revered in a new and thriving tradition.

This model can be applied to much of Indo-Fijian culture.

Check out these videos below that display the thoughts of two Fijians of Indian descent as they articulate their feelings surrounding their first experience travelling to India.

Through some of the modules above, you would have no doubt have already come to the realisation that the unique Indo-Fijian culture is one that has developed and formed through encounters with outside influences. But not only this, as multiple cultures interact in a particular setting, they eventually start to rub off on each other and influence the other (or at least begin to appreciate and understand the other)! Whilst there are certainly identifiers of how culture differs between certain communities, particularly in Fiji, day to day life means that certain traditions syncretise. To help us understand how cultural differences can be celebrated but also how different cultures begin to interact, we recorded some interviews, mainly focused on the setting where they may interact most freely in Fiji – the education sector.

Fiji’s political history has certainly not been simple. Major political events include the shifting from the indigenous old ways of land governance to being ceded to Queen Victoria in 1874 to be part of the commonwealth, as well as the resurgence of patriotism that led to the day of independence in 1970 where they broke away from this very rule. Abrupt moments in history like these born from tensions between the old and the new made Fijian politics volatile, with many questions about identity and rule unanswered and integral issues within society not dealt with.

One of the unfortunate collateral affects of a colonial history and specifically the intentional influx of a the Indian demographic into Fiji by the British is the unresolved differences between the indigenous and Indo-Fijian demographics. Combined with a strong loyalty to concepts of exclusive right to land for indigenous Fijians in the ‘vanua’ and significant cultural and religious differences, Fijians of Indian descent have had a historic battle to gain equal rights and indeed to call themselves truly ‘Fijian’. Underlying tensions can be seen to surface in Fiji’s political history through the multiple coup d’état that have been experienced, the 1987 and 2000 coups disposing of a primarily Indo-Fijian supported government.

Although there may well have been a race component to the military involvement, it has been a source for debate as to whether the concept of vanua was used as an excuse by far-right nationalist in the coup d’état of Fiji’s recent history, but whether it was or wasn’t, it stands as a reminder of the rift between the two largest ethnicities in Fiji.

This is a great one to listen to… we had the privilege of speaking with Abdul Shaheed, an individual thoroughly involved in research surrounding the topic of Fijian politics. In this podcast style discussion, Cam poses questions to Abdul in order to gain a thorough and authentic response in the perspective of a Fijian of Indian descent to the coups with Abdul providing thoughtful, articulate and important answers in regards to current context, who the real victims of the coups were and whether the coups were solely driven by race factors.

Today, there is peace in Fiji. Racial tensions are being tackled slowly but effectively by the current government with Frank Bainimarama as Prime Minister. Recent legislation to remove the constitutional discrimatination of Fijians of Indian decent now allows them to be known as ‘Fijians’ first and foremost rather than solely ‘Indo-Fijians’. This is an important step forward in the equal treatment of all citizens in Fiji.

There have also been monumental public declarations from particular communities, standing up to their past and paving the way for the future for all Fijians…