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  • About Fiji

    Here's aLink 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?
    Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

  • #2
    Re: About Fiji

    Here's a Link to a well written early history of Fiji.
    Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

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    • #3
      Re: About Fiji

      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!
      Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

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      • #4
        Re: About Fiji

        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!
        Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

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        • #5
          Re: About Fiji

          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.
          Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

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          • #6
            Re: About Fiji

            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.

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            • #7
              Re: About Fiji

              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.
              Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

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              • #8
                Re: About Fiji

                Originally posted by 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.
                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.

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                • #9
                  Re: About Fiji

                  Originally posted by stumphurple
                  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.
                  Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: About Fiji

                    Private Fijian Islands are up for sale. Takes some bucks though...
                    Here's a LINK from the Fiji Times Newspaper from today.
                    Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

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                    • #11
                      Re: About Fiji

                      Honey, start packing! We're going home. Oh how I wish, but not yet.
                      Bula Mai Viti

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                      • #12
                        Re: About Fiji

                        I found at Budget Travel Online.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?!
                        Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: About Fiji

                          Originally posted by 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.
                          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

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                          • #14
                            Re: About Fiji

                            Originally posted by Menehune Man
                            I found at Budget Travel Online.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!

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                            • #15
                              Re: About Fiji

                              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.
                              Life is either an adventure... or you're not doing it right!!!

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