The first settlers in Fiji arrived some 3500 years ago, and were Melanesian in origin, believed to have come from the regions near
Vanuatu, or possibly the Eastern Solomon Island region. However Fiji's location at the centre of the South Pacific meant that it wasn't long before Polynesian settlers arrived as well. This meant that there was a long and bloody history to the Island groups settlement. There was co-existence and inter-marriage between the
Melanesians and Polynesians, but there were also long periods of fierce fighting. The Islands gained a reputation as the "Cannibal Islands", as after many long battles it was common practice for warriors to consume the flesh of their enemy. However it must also be remembered that these peoples were also excellent agriculturists, and navigators and not just a warrior people. They engaged in the making of pottery and had advance weapon making techniques as well.
The first European credited with sighting Fiji was Abel Tasman in 1643. He sailed past the island of
Taveuni, but his reports of dangerous waters kept many from exploring this region. It wasn't until 1774 that Captain James Cook
rediscovered the islands when he sighted the Lau group of Islands. Amongst his crew was one
Lieutenant William Bligh, who returned some 15 years later in 1789 in a lifeboat, as a
mutinied Captain of the ship the Bounty. He sailed throughout the channel between the main
islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, now known as Bligh Waters. He actually created some very
accurate charts, but never came ashore.
As the European influence in the South Pacific grew, it was inevitable that there would be increased contact with the Fijian Island group. In the early 1800's the discovery of Sandalwood bought with it an influx of traders. The supplies dried up by the 1820's however the discovery of the sea cucumber meant that traders continued to come to the
islands. As with the rest of the South Pacific the missionaries followed, and so grew the European influences over the islands.
In 1871, the paramount chief of the Islands, Cakobau, pronounced himself King, and attempted to form a
government in the western style. It didn't last, in 1874 the British colonized Fiji with Sir Arthur Gordon it's
governor. He ruled throughout the existing chiefs system, which to this day works with the Bose Levu Vakaturaga- Great Council of Chiefs, still advising on matters that affect the Fijian people. Originally it had the power to pass laws and regulations that bound the Fijian people, but this was abolished
towards the end of the colonial era.
Gordon embarked on a plan to gain economic wealth and self-sufficiency for the islands
and introduced plantations of cotton, sugar cane and copra. He believed it futile to try to get the proud Fijian people to work for foreign plantation owners, so instead imported indentured
labor from India. This practice was halted in 1916 and completely abolished by 1920, but this process had bought almost 65,000 Indians to Fiji, forever changing the social structure of the country. However at this time the Indians were not afforded the rights to own land, so had to either lease land, or start their own business ventures. This created a
societal anomaly, where today the majority of businesses in Fiji are owned by Fijian Indians, yet some 80% of the land in the country is still owned by
Indigenous Fijians.
In 1970 Fiji became an independent nation but remained in the Commonwealth, with Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara elected as Prime
Minister. This government worked well for some 17 years, but in 1987 events changed Fiji forever. The predominantly Fijian Indian, Fijian Labour Party, under the leadership of Timoci Bavadra won the general election ousting Prime Minister Mara. However less than a month later a bloodless coup was staged by the head of the armed forces
Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka. He attempted to form a Government of National Unity, but ended up staging another coup in October of 1987, when he was threatened with expulsion from the
government. The coup was denounced by the leaders of the Pacific and Fiji was expelled from the Commonwealth. Rabuka appointed the
General-General Ratu Penaia Ganilau President, who in turn re-appointed Prime Minister Mara. In 1990
a constitution was introduced that ensured political dominance for indigenous Fijians. In 1992 Rabuka, who by this stage had left the Army, won free elections to become Prime Minister of Fiji, and Sir Ratu Kamisese Mara became President.
Fiji was re-admitted into the Commonwealth in 1997, after it's 1990 constitution was repealed and replaced. But in 1999 Mahendra Chaudhry and the Fijian Labour Party came to power in free election. In May of 2000, George Speight, a businessman
organized yet another coup. He along with his supporters stormed the Parliament and took the Prime Minister and Cabinet hostage. The situation lasted until July when the Army regained control. However Prime Minister Chaudry was then sacked by Sir Ratu Mara, on the advice of the Great Council of Chiefs. Again Fiji was removed from the Commonwealth. The Great Council of Chiefs then appointed Ratu Josefa Iloilo as President.
Speight was arrested but still managed to become an MP in the new parliament, when
in August elections are held again. The new Prime Minister Laisena Qarase, a former banker, is sworn in. Speight is eventually arrested and tried for treason and sentenced to death for his part in the coup (after he is relieved of his duty as an MP for failing to attend sessions of Parliament), but this is communicated to life
imprisonment by the President, his former father-in-law.
Since this time a stability has returned to the Islands. Even when the coup of 2000 was staged there was little evidence of any trouble to those visiting the islands. The action was isolated to Suva only, and had little effect on the day to day life of the general population. It must be noted that these coups were bloodless, and
indicative of political tensions which do not manifest themselves in the general public, who truly make Fiji a pleasure to visit. We do not make any assumptions on these coups, but believe that the best way to understand them is to speak to our guides who have lived through them, and also the local people. That is the only way to understand the history of fiji in real terms.
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