Far East Kingdoms

Colonial Fiji (Melanesia) (Oceania)
AD 1874 - 1970

Oceania All Modern States China East Asia Japan South-East Asia

The watery continent of Oceania starts where South-East Asia ends, to the south-east of Indonesia and East Timor. Melanesia, of which modern Fiji is a part, is in south-western Oceania, between Micronesia and Australasia. More specifically in Fiji's case, its ancient name was Viti. Tongans called it Fisi, from which Europeans derived their form of the name.

The Lapita, whose descendants became the Polynesians, originally inhabited Viti by about 1100 BC, during the Neolithic Oceania period. In 1643, Dutch Captain Abel Tasman became the first European to find Fiji. Captain James Cook of Great Britain found the island of Vatoa in 1774. Thereafter there was sporadic contact with Europeans and Americans, and the British in particular dominated connections with the islands.

Rarely did the Fijians centralise their society and government. With a few legendary exceptions they developed a large assortment of independent chiefdoms and kingdoms within which were hundreds of smaller tribal and local entities. Beginning in the early nineteenth century there were attempts to unify the islands, particularly with a view toward union with the British. Finally, in 1871, all the chiefdoms and kingdoms except Rotuma united into the kingdom of Viti.

The collected chiefs ceded their islands to Queen Victoria's United Kingdom in 1874, which established the 'Colony of Fiji'. It was not until 1881 that Rotuma joined the colony. Unusually, Fiji did not become a Europeanised colonial holding. Fijians, with the help of sympathetic British governors such as Arthur Hamilton Gordon and, especially, John Bates Thurston, secured the primacy of traditional culture and chiefly authority.

The United States occupied the islands during the Second World War to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Japanese, but chiefly authority generally survived intact until the achievement of full independence in 1970.

(Information by John De Cleene and the John De Cleene Archive, with additional information from Ancient History of the Hawaiian People to the Times of Kamehameha I, Abraham Fornander (Mutual Publishing Company, 1996, and originally published as An Account of the Polynesian Race: Its Origins and Migrations, Vol II), from Beyond the Blue Horizon (National Geographic, March 2008), and from External Links: Fiji (Flags of the World), Fiji (Rulers.org), and Fiji (World Statesmen), and Fiji High Commission to the UK, and BBC Country Profiles, and The Fijian Colonial Experience: A Study of the Neotraditional Order under British Colonial Rule Prior to World War II, Timothy Mcnaught (ANU, 1982, and accessible at OAPEN.com), and Fijian oil industry workers strike for higher wages and benefits, 1959 (Global Nonviolent Action Database), and Hawaiki: The Original Home of the Maori; with a Sketch of Polynesian History (Victoria University of Wellington Library), and Tangia and Tutapu (History and Traditions of Rarotonga), and Who was Mr De Voeux - the third governor of Fiji (The Fiji Times), and 182Infantry.org.)

1874

The Fijian council of chiefs offers to cede Viti (Fiji) to the United Kingdom rather than accept seizure by the United States. A treaty and a proclamation by the governor of Australia's New South Wales grant sovereignty over all of the Fiji chiefdoms except Rotuma to the British crown.

That governor becomes the first provisional governor of the 'Colony of Fiji'. Hereafter, governors are considered the supreme chiefs of Fiji. The act is known as the 'Great Cession' and it takes on powerful significance throughout Fijian development.

The Fijian islands in the 1840s were being visited by Europeans but relations with them could be awkward and prone to problems and attacks

1874 - 1875

Provisional governor. Also governor of New South Wales.

1874 - 1875

Acting governmental administrator.

1875 - 1878

Governor.

1875 - 1876

A measles epidemic kills a third of the Fijian population. Rebellion ensues, and a combined British-Fijian force suppresses it. However, Governor Sir Arthur Gordon protects the rights of native Fijians.

He prohibits the sale of Fijian land. Fijians are allowed to pay their taxes in agricultural produce rather than cash. Fijian men under this system are required to reserve a plot of land under the direction of their chief for a communal tax. Their traditional political structure is retained.

Rebelling against Captain William Bligh (pictured here) and his autocratic governance of HMS Bounty, Fletcher Christian and much of the crew eventually found a safe, if troubled, home on Pitcairn Island

1878

The United Kingdom organises its Pacific island colonies into the 'British Western Pacific Territories'. The governors of Fiji also serve as high commissioners of the territories until 1952.

1878 - 1879

Acting governor.

1879 - 1880

Governor for the second time.

1879

The importation begins of indentured servants from India to work on the sugar plantations. The policy is intended to protect the privileges of native Fijians and yet still serve the expansion of the colony's economy.

1880

Acting governor.

1880 - 1885

Governor for the second time, now knighted.

1880 - 1885

Des Voeux is a distinguished British colonial official who is typical of the times. He has extensive experience in various colonial positions, including in British Guiana, St Lucia, and Trinidad, before becoming acting governor of Fiji in 1878.

Along with his successor, John Bates Thurston, Sir Arthur Hamilton Gordon was a notable protector of the rights of native Fijians, in sharp contrast to the typical European governors of Pacific colonies

When he is appointed governor of the Bahamas in 1880, he instead accepts a position of governor of Fiji. After being knighted, he accepts the governorship of Newfoundland in 1886, despite a decrease in salary. Finally he serves as governor of Hong Kong before retiring in 1891.

When Rotuma requests inclusion in the colony of Fiji, Des Voeux opposes the project, asserting that the island is too far away, its inhabitants are different from Fijians, and the expense of administering the island as part of the colony would be too much. And yet, in 1881, Rotuma is added to the colony.

1885 - 1887

Acting governor for the second time.

1887 - 1888

Governor.

1888 - 1895

Governor for a third time, now knighted.

1891 - 1901

Despite a large birth rate amongst Fijian natives, infants of up to twelve months in age suffer an appalling death rate. This serves to reduce the native population by over eleven thousand in this period.

'The Dominion of New Zealand', Simpson & Williams Ltd, Christchurch, release on 4 November 1927 as a colourful booklet, having been created for the 'Department of Tourist and Health Resorts' to advertise New Zealand for holidays (External Link: Creative Commons Licence 2.0 Deed)

European settlers - excluded from effective participation in the government - blame the 'inferior' native society and exert pressure for an elected legislative council and even federation with New Zealand. The Europeans attempt to convince the natives that they are unhappy. The natives blame the problem on the adoption of foreign ways.

1895 - 1896

Acting governor.

1886 - 1897

Acting governor for a fourth time. Died in office.

1897

Acting governor for the second time, now knighted.

1897 - 1901

Governor.

1897 - 1903

O'Brien begins a process of perpetual reviewing Fijian policy with a view to achieving reform of some sort, but his efforts are almost always ineffective and small-scale. This deficient approach becomes a hallmark of British Fijian policy for the next fifty years.

The grounds in which sits Fiji's parliament building are known as Albert Park, while the impressive parliament building itself in Suva is usually open to the public

Funding is applied to the improvement of health conditions for Fijians, especially the water supply. Construction begins on three provincial hospitals. Provincial inspectors are appointed to supervise the work of local officials. These inspectors spark ill-feeling amongst Fijians and are replaced in 1903 by assistant native commissioners.

1901 - 1902

Acting governor.

1902 - 1904

Governor.

1904

Acting governor.

1904 - 1908

Governor.

1904

Fiji under British controls creates a legislative council to advise the governor. The council includes both Europeans (who are elected) and Fijians (who are appointed).

1908

Pressures of the 1890s continue to reverberate in the early 1900s. Lord Stanmore of Britain's 'Colonial Office' overrules a three-year effort by Governor im Thurn and European settlers to remove the land rights of Fijians.

The suffragette movement before the First World War had played a vital role in creating a growing awareness of the campaign to give the vote to women

1908 - 1909

Acting governor for the second time.

1909 - 1910

Governor for the second time.

1910 - 1911

Acting governor for a third time.

1910

The Fijian government begins a policy of confining Indians who have completed their indenture to the sugar provinces of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. The outer islands are prohibited when Indians are seeking leases, however. No attempt will be made to foster interracial institutions.

1911 - 1912

Governor.

1912

Acting governor for a fourth time.

1912 - 1915

Governor.

1913 - 1915

Apolosi R Nawsi, a charismatic Fijian, creates the Viti Company which is entirely Fijian-owned. The company engages in food imports and exports, beginning with bananas and copra (the dried flesh of the coconut). A group of European businessmen found another 'Viti Company' in 1915 which excludes Fijians on its board. The rival company takes advantage of Apolosi's promotions and contacts, and even schemes to have him imprisoned.

A suffragette meeting in London in the early nineteen hundreds, one of many which helped the cause to victory by the end of the First World War

1915 - 1916

Acting governor.

1916

By this year, when the British colonial government in India stops the practice of sending indentured servants to Fiji, some sixty thousand will have transferred to the island. While the workers are encouraged to settle in the islands once their indenture is complete, little land is available for sale, and the policy simply generates dissension.

1916 - 1918

Governor for the second time.

1917

By 1917, the original Viti Company which had been founded by Apolosi R Nawsi now collapses under the weight of its mismanagement and corruption, but not before it manages to stimulate a good deal of patriotic pride amongst Fijians.

1918

Acting governor for the second time.

1918 - 1925

Governor.

1920

The British colonial government terminates all indentured-servant contracts. The policy has been opposed for some time. The Indian population begins to experience dissension against European rule and initiates a strike that is suppressed with the help of Australian and New Zealand troops.

George V steered Britain through the First World War and also ensured that the House of Windsor would survive at a time at which most of Europe's great monarchies were falling

1925 - 1929

Governor for a third time.

1929

Acting governor.

1929 - 1936

Governor.

1936

Acting governor.

1936

The 1936 census reveals that Fijians make up just under half the total population at 98,000. The next largest group is Indians at 85,000. The rest of the population consists of Europeans and other nationalities. The trend toward a larger Indian population increases fears among Fijians of Indian demands for an expanded franchise, and Fijians accordingly resist such demands.

1936 - 1938

Governor.

1938

Acting governor for the second time.

1938 - 1942

Governor.

1940s

The allies occupy Fiji during the Second World War. Fijians serve as scouts during military campaigns in the Solomon Islands. Indians refuse to serve because the wages being offered to them are lower than those which are being paid to Fijians.

Japanese evacuation from Guadalcanal was largely successful thanks to bombing attacks on the US fleet, with very few Japanese troops surrendering to the allies, but it marked the beginning of a series of setbacks for Japan

For the same reason, Indians refuse to cut sugar cane. These decisions invite a reputation of disloyalty to be applied to Indian and other minority groups. When the government increases the authority of Fijian chiefs, society as a whole acquires a strong conservative bent.

1942 - 1944

Governor.

1943

The USA's 182nd Infantry Regiment of the recently-formed Americal Division [sic], having battled at Guadalcanal, is rewarded with rest and recuperation on Viti Levu in Fiji. The unit is there not only to recover and relax but to defend the islands and prepare for further combat. By the end of the year, they are back in action as part of the allied invasion of Bougaineville in the Solomon Islands.

1944

Acting governor.

1944

Acting governor.

1944 - 1945

Acting governor for the second time.

1945 - 1947

Governor.

1947

Acting governor for the second time.

1947 - 1952

Governor.

1950s

The disruptions of the Second World War affect village life, and many rural Fijians move to Suva, the largest city. There they find it difficult to gain employment, and those who do are paid less than the cost of living. Oil workers in 1959 engage in a brief but violent strike. A consequence of this is the fact that Fijian chiefs discourage Fijian and Indian workers from unifying.

Fiji offers spectacular and inspiring sunsets, with the islands being characterised by their fine natural beauty

1952 - 1958

Governor.

1958 - 1964

Governor.

1961

Pressured by international forces, Fiji begins seriously to move away from traditional structures. New regulations serve to abolish the communal system of obligation and work.

1963

Women and Fijians get the vote, replacing the old system in which Fijians have been represented by their chiefs. The Alliance Party is established, with its members predominantly being Fijian.

1964 - 1968

Governor.

1966

A new constitution confirms the previously-granted suffrage. Fijian chiefs have the right to veto matters which affect Fijians, along with the right to apply that veto to proposed changes to the constitution itself. Voters are classified according to three categories - Fijians, Indians, and common - and representation in the legislature is determined according to a complicated combination of ethnic and 'communal' elections.

A little more than half of Fiji's population of about nine hundred thousand are indigenous, or iTaukei, and nearly forty percent are ethnically Indian, descended from indentured labourers who were brought in to work on sugar plantations during British colonial rule

1967

With Britain and its former empire possessions changing rapidly, the power of local Fijian councils is eliminated, to be replaced with provincial councils which have directly-elected representatives. A ministerial government is established.

1968

Acting governor.

1968 - 1973

Governor. First governor-general of Fiji (1970-1973).

1970

The British crown colony of Fiji now becomes a dominion territory, still with Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom as its head of state, and with a local governor-general to act as her representative. The first occupant of this post is Sir Robert Sidney Foster, governor since 1968.