About Fiji

[Menehune Man]

Here's aLink (www.bulafiji.com/AboutFiji.asp?lang=EN&sub=0179) to a map of the Fiji Island group. It's the visitor info site so there's much more there too. My wife's village is near Nausori town on Viti Levu and Lakeba is south/east of there. Fiji is a very interesting place. The people are of Melanisian blood but the culture is Polynesian. Life there runs the gamut from village life, no running water or electricity and out houses to the cities of Suva and Nadi and resort areas. Anyone else been there?

[Menehune Man]

Here's a Link (www.bulafiji.com/AboutFiji.asp?lang=EN&sub=0126) to a well written early history of Fiji.

[Menehune Man]

If I could've pre-ordered myself... I would have requested being born in Fiji, grown to a foot taller than I am, with dark brown skin. Oh well I still ended up with a Fijian Princess. Bula!

[Menehune Man]

The International Date Line runs right through the Fijian Islands. So they start off each day first. Though other countries have tried to bend that 'imaginary' line, I'll go with the original. Fiji is 22 hours ahead of us here in Hawaii. It's easier to minus 2 hours and add a day for my wife and I when we call over there. Anyways Happy New Years! :D

[Menehune Man]

The Fijian Islands were taken over by the British and in the commonwealth. The good of that compared to the situation in Hawaii is that the indigineous islanders kept possession of their land unless they outright sold it. The downside is that immigrants were also needed there to work the sugarcane fields. So now nearly half the population is East Indian (ancestors from India). Both cultures are very strong and separate though friendly. Most Fijians are still full-blooded also.

[stumphurple]

there was a racial coup in fiji when the 'indigenous' people decided that the socially mobile indians were threatening their racial privileges. i wouldnt characterize race relations in fiji as at all friendly. in fact as far as hawaiis case is concerned this is precisely why i oppose the hawaiian sovereignty movement, because hawaiis race relations dont need that sort of strain [and no admin, im not 'baiting' anyone here; im stating a political objection which is highly pertinent to the topic at hand]. well that and loyalty to the us. but thats another issue.

[Menehune Man]

It's a delicate issue. Just like here in Hawaii how there is the "forced" lease to fee conversion sometimes instituted. Where the owner has no choice but to sell their land even though a lease contract had been agreed to many years before. That was what the Fijian Government (mostly Indo-fijian at the time) was trying to impose on the landowners (mostly Fijian). The indiginous Fijians were laxidasical about voting and the Indo-fijians weren't, so were going to start losing vast portions of their holdings to the mainly Indian sugarcane company owners who had leased the land. Now back to the friendly part. The ethnic races get along just fine in the street. Everyone helps eachother and works together without noticable racial tension. We get along pretty good here in Hawaii, but since I've experienced both, I feel that they do a better job at it than we do. Of course that's just my opinion.

[stumphurple]

It's a delicate issue. Just like here in Hawaii how there is the "forced" lease to fee conversion sometimes instituted. Where the owner has no choice but to sell their land even though a lease contract had been agreed to many years before. That was what the Fijian Government (mostly Indo-fijian at the time) was trying to impose on the landowners (mostly Fijian). The indiginous Fijians were laxidasical about voting and the Indo-fijians weren't, so were going to start losing vast portions of their holdings to the mainly Indian sugarcane company owners who had leased the land. Now back to the friendly part. The ethnic races get along just fine in the street. Everyone helps eachother and works together without noticable racial tension. We get along pretty good here in Hawaii, but since I've experienced both, I feel that they do a better job at it than we do. Of course that's just my opinion.

actually its quite the opposite case. since the '87 coup the seats in fiji were allocated on a racial basis, trying to ensure that an indo-fijian government never came to power again. the fijians have racial discrimination favoring 'indigenous' fijians written into their constitution. however the indo-fijians united under one party, while the fijians lost their advantage by splintering into various factions. you attribute this to lazy voting. perhaps that is true. still, any group that is 'laxidasical about voting' should not be allowed to simply commit treason to attain its ends. democrats were 'laxidasical about voting' in '00 and '04. i didnt seen an armed takeover of washington or anyone taking fugitives as george speight did. even if the cases were analogous to the hawaiian one, murder, kidnapping and treason are not civilized responses. but they werent. fijians were mad about losing unjustified racial priviliges.

as for hawaii, i dont think you could get a population with better racial diversity/interaction, with the exception of certain fringe elements.

[Menehune Man]

actually its quite the opposite case.I don't agree. It concerned land ownership and also indiginous rights since the '87 coup the seats in fiji were allocated on a racial basis, trying to ensure that an indo-fijian government never came to power again.True the fijians have racial discrimination favoring 'indigenous' fijians written into their constitution.Also true however the indo-fijians united under one party, while the fijians lost their advantage by splintering into various factions. you attribute this to lazy voting. perhaps that is true. still, any group that is 'laxidasical about voting' should not be allowed to simply commit treason to attain its ends.I agree democrats were 'laxidasical about voting' in '00 and '04. i didnt seen an armed takeover of washington or anyone taking fugitives as george speight did.Do you honestly think that George Speight did it on his own organising the coup? The Fijian Chiefs ordered it. The Chiefly system is a secondary, but more respected form of Government to the Fijians. even if the cases were analogous to the hawaiian one, murder, kidnapping and treason are not civilized responses. but they werent. fijians were mad about losing unjustified racial priviliges. I'm not advocating what I think was right or wrong, just what is. That is not America or American, it's the Republic of Fiji.

as for hawaii, i dont think you could get a population with better racial diversity/interaction, with the exception of certain fringe elements.We do get along fairly well here, but you don't hear "Go home (blankety blank) to fellow citizens of Fiji.

[Menehune Man]

Private Fijian Islands are up for sale. Takes some bucks though...
Here's a LINK (www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=36652#) from the Fiji Times Newspaper from today.

[Fijian Marama]

Honey, start packing! We're going home. Oh how I wish, but not yet. :o

[Menehune Man]

I found at Budget Travel Online.com (www.budgettravelonline.com/) There's a contest to win a trip for two to Fiji. The catch? You have to sign up for their email deals. (But shoosh, we can unsuscribe after the drawing in a couple of months ) Have to sign up by April 6th!
The prize? Airfare and 7 nights at a Private Beach Bungalow (Bure in Fijian) on Savusavu Island. Includes unlimited use of snorkle equipment and single or double sea kayaks, Boat trip up the Nasekawa River and more...

I figure someone's gotta win it might as well try?!

[kumukulanui]

The Fijian Islands were taken over by the British and in the commonwealth. The good of that compared to the situation in Hawaii is that the indigineous islanders kept possession of their land unless they outright sold it. The downside is that immigrants were also needed there to work the sugarcane fields. So now nearly half the population is East Indian (ancestors from India). Both cultures are very strong and separate though friendly. Most Fijians are still full-blooded also.

Bula vinaka Menehune Man. I lived in Fiji for a few years. In the version of Fiji's history that I heard, it was more a case of an influential chief (Cakobau) inviting the British in. I'm British BTW. At first the British government declined, but a few years later agreed. The colonial administrators liked to run their colonies at a profit and decided that they had a better chance of doing that if they imported indentured workers from another colony, India, to do agricultural work. I heard that they also said that they did not want to disrupt Fijian culture. Be that as it may, most Indians did not return to India at the end of the period of indenture. At one time, during the 1980s, when they had their first two coups, about 51% of the population was of Indian descent. In other words, Fijians became a minority in Fiji - an unstable situation. Now about 43% are Indians and relations between the two main ethnic communities are quite complex. For example, it is still very rare for Fijians and Indians to inter-marry, although other ethnic groups do inter-marry. In my perception, relations between the communities are mainly cordial as long as certain boundaries are kept to. It is a very sensitive situation though. No matter what I call the Indians, I will offend someone. And the same is true, no matter how I describe their history. When I was living and working there I mostly kept my thoughts and perceptions about all this to myself.

Ni sa moce, Peter

[kumukulanui]

I found at Budget Travel Online.com (www.budgettravelonline.com/) There's a contest to win a trip for two to Fiji. The catch? You have to sign up for their email deals. (But shoosh, we can unsuscribe after the drawing in a couple of months ) Have to sign up by April 6th!
The prize? Airfare and 7 nights at a Private Beach Bungalow (Bure in Fijian) on Savusavu Island. Includes unlimited use of snorkle equipment and single or double sea kayaks, Boat trip up the Nasekawa River and more...

I figure someone's gotta win it might as well try?!

Is there an island called Savusavu? I wonder if you mean the small town in the south of Vanua Levu? I stayed at the Hot Springs Hotel there once. It's a nice town that is popular with yachties because it has a good harbour.

Moce!

[Menehune Man]

Mrs. Menehune is in Fiji right now!
She left last night for a two week visit with family.
Sure wish I could'a gone, but I'm holding down the fort here at home. :rolleyes:

[DKP]

Keep it up! I am interested in Fiji...for culture and surfing.

I met a coworker from there (of Indian descent). I wanted to hear her stories of the place but she left for somewhere else before I had a chance to.

[MonkeyMan]

HMFS Kiro. (Her Majesty's Fijian Ship Kiro) 1975.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMFS_Kiro
http://www.usswarbler.org/
http://www.usswarbler.org/Theride.htm
http://www.usswarbler.org/HMFS%20KIRO.htm

Was stationed on the West Coast and an urgent call went out for any Pacific Islanders in the US Navy who might be able to successfully communicate with Fijians. I laughed out loud. Hell yah!

Volunteered for service and was shipped to Seattle to train the first Fijian Navy. The US sold Fiji 2 surplus WWII minesweepers and promised to train the Fijians in how to sail them.

I taught them how to use their sonar equipment. And it was fun messing with the 50mm front-mounted deck gun! :D

The Fijian crew was a wonderful mix of Native Fijians and Native Indians. All spoke with a wonderful British accent! I had fun singing Fijian songs with them at lunch break.

Did you know the Fijian Navy issued BEER as a part of every sailor's expected daily ration? The Fijian sailors were always cheerful.

One of the sailors, Seaman Lal, gave me his hat band when I had to leave. I still have it. And I still remember Seaman Lal fondly. I hope he has done well and is retired with grandchildren now!

[Menehune Man]

That's cool Monkey Man!
A very close friend of mine is Aisea Ratokolau, nickname - Wais. He was one of the original Fijian Navy Seamen.

I was down there during the last coup and when I returned home to Hawaii, everyone asked "Was it scary?!". I replied "They're big men, with big guns, but they're still smiling at'cha, so no problem."

Good, good people! Talk about living Aloha, they got it!

[Menehune Man]

Here's an interesting tidbit of info about "Fiji".

The main island is Viti Levu (Big Viti) and an indigenous Fijian is "Kai Viti".

It was the missionaries that were in Tonga first and asked the Tongans...
"What's over there?", and were told "Fiji" as it was known to them.

So the Kai Viti became Fijians.

[TATTRAT]

Great bump though I am bummed that the first posts map link is no longer.

great read though, I can not wait to go!

[Kaukura]

I love Fijian islands. Been there thrice. All over. Vanua Levu, Viti Levu, Kadavu, Taveuni, the Yasawas, and the remote islands of Cicia and Vanua Balavu in the northern lau islands.

friendly people. Love saying Bula, Vinaka, ni sa bula. Love seeing people waving at each and every passing car or person on the road. You just wave. Doesn't matter who or if you know them or not.

Another thing I do like about Fiji is the "other culture", ie. the Indian culture. I've always had a thing for India, and it's quite fascinating to see the Hindi writing all over, the curries, indian restaurants, sari's on the women, spice shops. It's fascinating to me to see that in the middle of the Pacific ocean.

[Menehune Man]

Here's a link to another map and some info.
My wife's village is just north of Nausori town on Viti Levu.
We travelled around the Lau Group as far as Moala(south) to Vanua Balavu(north) and even stayed 3 weeks on Lakeba. Had my 30th B-Day aboard the Katika (130' cargo ship) during that trip. What a Blast!
http://go.hrw.com/atlas/norm_htm/fiji.htm

[Menehune Man]

This was reported today...

"Extraordinary Find unearthed in Fiji"

In the earliest human settlement in Fiji, excavators found jewelry made from shells and high-quality pottery made 3,000 years ago during the Stone Age. The jewelry was found under an upturned clay pot...

Here's a link...
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/3000-year-old-jewelry-found-in-fiji/20080423092409990001

Wow, just so cool to find some items that old and on the main island even!

[salmoned]

Stone Age? 3,000 years ago? Does not compute...

[Kleo]

Fiji is a very populiar destination for australians (its very close to us)

Is it similiar to Hawaii?

[Kaukura]

not really in my experiences... although both island chains. Hawaii is part of the 'polynesian triangle' whereas The Fijian islands are Melanesian. There is also pretty much half the population who are Indian. The British brought over workers from India in the late 1800's, so you'll see a mixture of traditional Fijian practices mixed with Indian food and culture. Fascinating place.