10 Unexpected and Unconventional Facts About Fijian Society

10 Unexpected and Unconventional Facts About Fijian Society

Fiji. To the outside world, the name conjures images of unspoiled beaches, sapphire lagoons, and high-end resorts—a utopian snapshot of a tropical paradise. While the natural landscape is indeed stunning, this image glosses over the depth, variety, and sometimes unexpected nuance of Fijian society. Beyond the swaying palms lies another world where ancient spirit beliefs mix with emergent Christianity, where warrior history yields to a present of gentle hospitality, and where rules of community are regulated by delicate, unstated codes. To truly understand Fiji is to look past the resorts and into its villages and towns, where an enchanting, unique existence thrives. Here are ten astonishing facts that reveal the hidden heart of Fijian culture.

1. The Concept of "Vanua" is More Powerful than Government

In Fiji, the country's most powerful social and religious institution is not the state, but the *vanua*. This is almost impossible to translate literally, because it speaks of the land, the people who live in it, their ways of life, and their spirits as one and the same, living, interdependent body.

**One Whole:** The *vanua* is something greater than the piece of land a traditional clan occupies. It is their chiefs, their ancestors, their language, and their *mana* (spiritual power). To harm the land is to harm the people, and to disrespect the chief is to disrespect the entire *vanua*. This type of thinking leads to a deep sense of place that Western cultures, with their individualism, cannot understand.

**The Real Authority:** There may be a Suva-based national government for Fiji, but in rural society, the authority of the *vanua*, that of the chief (*Turaga ni Vanua*), can be immediate and uncompromising. The chief allocates land, settles disputes, and is custodian of custom. Government plans disintegrate if they fail to first secure the blessing (*soli*) of the surrounding *vanua*. This dual system of government—the modern state and the ancient *vanua*—is a central and strange pillar of Fijian society, creating a culture in which your identity is rooted first and foremost in your clan and your land.

**2. Firewalking is an Ancient Art, But Not for the People You Think**

When tourists are present at Fijian firewalking, they are likely to believe it's a pan-Polynesian practice. The lesser-known fact is that it is a special tradition of but a single specific group: the Sawau tribe of the island of Beqa.

**A God's Gift:** The god of spirits *Daudau* reportedly granted the Sawau people the ability to walk on scorching hot rocks for permitting him to live. Such an ability, *vilavilairevo*, is a religious trust and not an act of performance.

**Not a Performance Act:** The rite is filled with rigorous taboo (*tabu*). The performers need to refrain from doing some acts, like coconut eating, and must be picked by the head of the tribe. The firewalking itself is the climax of days of spiritual preparation. For the Sawau, it is an intense expression of spiritual bonding and reassertion of their unique identity. That such incredible practice happens to emanate from but one, small tribe, and not as a widespread Fijian custom, is a less expected piece of news that testifies to the islands' diversity.

**3. The Military is a Respected, Yet Paradoxical, Pillar of Society**

Fiji, which has a population of less than a million, has a surprisingly large and politically active armed forces. The Republic of Fiji Military Forces has masterminded four coups since 1987, which would suggest a society on the verge. But the military is also among the most respected institutions in the country and its greatest source of national pride.

**From Coups to UN Peacekeeping:** Fijian soldiers are the world's most sought-after peacekeepers. They have fought with honor in the most conflict-ridden hotbeds of combat, from Lebanon and Sinai to Iraq. This international mission commands great income and, more importantly, magnitude of prestige. A Fijian soldier in blue UN beret is a country's pride.

**The Paradox:** This creates a paradoxical social outlook. The institution that could overthrow a civilian regime is also seen as an instrument of global virtue and a bulwark of secure employment. In rural communities, military service is an honor-bound career option. This doubleness—the army as both an internal destabilizer and an external protector—is a unique and defining paradox in Fijian society.

**4. The "Bula Spirit" is a True Social Currency, Rather than a Marketing Tagline**

Visitors to Fiji are never greeted but by the infectious "Bula!" Translated as "hello" or "life," it reflects a far deeper cultural ethos. The "Bula Spirit" is a true social duty of hospitality, kindness, and open-heartedness.

**Beyond Manners:** It is not artificial friendliness of the business world. It is a firm cultural code based on the concept of *veilomani* (mutual affection and respect). Fijians deeply place a lot of value on individual relationship. To not smile is uncivilized, to not salute a person, or to not take one's time to express oneself.

**The Social Effect:** The philosophy has a day-to-day effect on how individuals communicate. An exchange will involve close questioning of your family. A stranger will ask you to eat with them. It creates a society that is very open and friendly. It also implies that confrontational hostility and in-your-face "time-is-money" efficiency are not popular. The "Bula Spirit" sets the pace for life, favoring people over clocks—a refreshing and surprising reversal of much modern society.

**5. Cannibalism was a Recent and Ritualistic Aspect of History**

The "Cannibal Isles" was more than a colonial myth. Fiji possesses a well-documented and violent history of cannibalism that lasted through the late 19th century. For Fijians, this is not some far-off legend but a grim page from their own recent history that their forebears endured.

**Ritual and Power:** Cannibalism was not so much nutrition. It was a ritual exercise of utter humiliation and mastery over enemies. Consuming an enemy chief was believed to transfer their *mana* onto the victor. The most powerful chiefs, like Ratu Udre Udre whose entry is recorded in the Guinness World Records for cannibalizing over 800 people, used it as a tool of intimidation and political mastery.

**Acknowledging the Past:** Today, Fijians freely acknowledge this past. Sites like the former village of Navosa, where *Ratu Udre Udre's* stone tomb resides, are visited in respect. Missionaries like Reverend Thomas Baker were killed and eaten (a cannibal fork used in the process is on display at the Fiji Museum). This public clash with a violent past, but now thoroughly Christian and pacific, is a jarring and untypical aspect of the national character.

**6. The Sacred Whales' Tooth (Tabua) is the Ultimate Social Negotiator**

While Westerners seal deals with contracts, in the most important social deals of traditional Fijian society they are sealed by a *tabua* – a whales' tooth, beautifully polished.

**Beyond Money:** A *tabua* is not money. It is an article of religion, highly* mana*. It is presented on a string of coconut fibre (*masi*) at the high points in life: to seek forgiveness (*i soro*), to seek a marriage in earnest (*vakamau*), to celebrate the birth of a child, or to lament the dead.

**Language of Presentation:** Presenting a *tabua* is a formal ceremony. It is accompanied by a special speech (*i vakasabasaba*), and presentation and reception are governed by strict protocol. To refuse a *tabua* is an affront. In a society in which oral tradition is paramount, the passing of a *tabua* is a physical, irrevocable document of agreement, better than any writing in most social contexts. This "haggling by holy object" is one and fascinating part of Fijian social life.

**7. Rugby is the Secular Religion That Unifies a Divided Nation**

Fiji is a nation with a complex ethnic makeup, largely split between indigenous Fijians (iTaukei) and Indian-Fijians. While political and societal pressures have dominated, there is one context where the nation is fully, and euphorically, united: rugby sevens.

**National Unifier:** When Fiji men's and women's sevens teams play, the entire country grinds to a halt. Villages cluster around one TV, towns fall silent, and cheers ring out together throughout the islands. The team is colloquially referred to as the "Flying Fijians," and their victory is a source of huge national pride that transcends ethnicity, politics, and social class.

**A Style of Its Own:** Fijian rugby is more than just a sport; it's a form of cultural expression. It's staged with flamboyant, thrilling, and joyful abandon—something that captures the essence of the "Bula Spirit." To capture an Olympic Gold Medal (2016) or a Rugby World Cup Sevens is not just a sporting achievement; it is a national Fijian celebration of Fijian identity to the world. The power of this sport to bring the country together is profound and unusually strong in its depth.

**8. There Is a Distinct "Fijian Time" and a "Fiji Indian Time"**

The truism of "Fiji Time"—a relaxed, easygoing approach to life—is genuine and comes largely with the iTaukei. It's a philosophy where human connection and existing in the here and now are prioritized over theoretical scheduling.

**The Surprising Contrast:** The surprising contrast is that the very extensive Fiji Indian population, who are descended from indentured laborers brought in by the British, also operate on a completely different temporal beat. Socialized in the highly disciplined, clock-conscious environment of plantation work, most members of the Fiji Indian community are more clock-oriented, punctual in their business and appointment calendars.

**A Two-Tense Society:** This creates some entertaining social dynamics. A business owned by an iTaukei might be allowed to be somewhat flexible with its opening hour, while one next door belonging to a Fiji Indian family is famously punctual. This is not a source of deep tension, but is a well-known, if sometimes hilarious, duality in society. It is something that is dealt with every day by anyone who works and lives in Fiji.

**9. Kava Drinking is the Center of Social and Political Life**

While most societies have social drinks, few are as thoroughly integrated into the social fabric as kava (*yaqona*) in Fiji. The slobbery, weakly narcotic drink, made from pepper plant root, is the grease for all formal and informal social interaction.

**The Ceremony of Connection:** Drinking kava is not being drunk. It's a ritual of ceremony among people. The *sevusevu* ceremony, in which a guest presents a bunch of kava root to the village chief in order to enter, is the ritual anchor of Fijian hospitality. Once the kava is mixed in the *tanoa* (bowl), the gathering is a *talanoa* session—a space for free discussion, storytelling, and coming to agreement.

**The Social Leveler:** Hierarchies are abandoned within the circle. Everyone drinks from the same *bilo* (cup). Politicians conduct kava sessions in order to gauge the mood of the people, businessmen use it to build trust, and villagers use it to resolve disagreements. Refusal of kava is refusal of communion. This one, non-drinkable beverage's central place in governing social, political, and religious life is rare and peculiar to Fiji and the island nations.

**10. A Special Lunar Calendar Tells People what to do when**

Long before the coming of the Western calendar, Fijians developed a very sophisticated lunar calendar that governed every aspect of life, including farming and fishing, house-building and warfare. While not practiced throughout today, its ideas are still widely known and valued, especially in rural areas.

**The Moons and Tides' Knowledge:** All the 12 or 13 of lunar months were given names and had some connotations. The tides and phases of the moon would decide the best days to sow some of them (e.g., planting yams on a full moon for maximum growth) or the best time to fish a certain species.

**A Living Knowledge:** Not superstition, it's an ecology-based system of knowledge that was built up over millennia. Elders continue to call this calendar by name. The amazing thing is the manner in which this old, nature-oriented system of time, which divides the year into seasons in response to environmental cues rather than arbitrary dates, still quietly governs the pace of life, connecting contemporary Fijians with the natural world in a way that most contemporary societies have forgotten generations ago.

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In short, Fijian society is a dynamic blend of new and old, of material and spiritual. It is a country where a whale's tooth can mend a breach, where a rugby game can unite a nation, and where time is a flexible force directed by community and lunar cycles. To know Fiji is to shed the postcard paradise and enter the rich, complex, and gloriously unanticipated world of the *vanua*.