FUN FIJI FACTS 18

In an effort to help you understand the Fijian culture, I thought I would provide you with a series of blogs highlighting Fiji's history.  So that my "facts" may still remain "fun" I will try to keep these brief so that you can just get the gist of the cultural development that occurred on these islands.

PRE-HISTORY

The exact origins of the first inhabitants of Fiji remains a bit of a mystery since Fijians had no written language and relied primarily on memory for their history.  It is believed that these islands began to be inhabited at the time of 3500 BC; however, it appears Fiji's precolonial history is a complex blend of influences by people, primarily Polynesian and Melanesian, who came and left the islands, with only some choosing to stay.

The Melanesians came from the islands of Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the eastern Solomon Islands.  A translation of the word Melanesia means "dark" or "black islands".  These people were dark skinned with many negroid physical characteristics.

The Polynesian settlers (Polynesia meaning "many islands") were taller, lighter-skinned, with straighter hair.  Often referred to as the Lapita, they originated from an area of New Caledonia where large deposits of their distinctive form of pottery have been discovered.  These people are believed to have been the first inhabitants.  As skilled sailors and navigators who subsisted largely by fishing, they generally resided along the coast.

Around 500BC, it appears there was a greater influx of arrivals from various parts of Melanesia that led to a move of inhabitants further inland and an increase in agriculture.  This also led to an increase in inter-tribal feuding, making cannibalism a common matter of warfare.  As tensions rose between the Lapita and the Melanesians, a large portion of the Lapita people chose to move further east to settle to the islands of Tonga, Samoa, Hawaii, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), to the north to Rotuma, and to the south to Aotearoa (New Zealand).  Those that remained assimilated with the Melanesians who continued to arrive and became the dominant race after the Lapita's departure.  Interestingly enough, many aspects of the Lapita culture were adopted by the Melanesians, including their chiefly hierarchical structure.

By the time of 1000AD, Tongan invasions had started and continued sporadically until the arrival of the Europeans.  Although there were extended periods of peace amongst the Fijian islands, these sporadic tribal skirmishes and Tongan invasions led to the islands' fierce reputation.  It was thanks to the Tongan's in a way that Fiji received its name.  Originally known as Viti by the Lapita, the Tongan's called it Visi.  When asked by Captain Cook what the islands to the west of Tonga were called, he misunderstood the Tongan's pronunciation and began calling the islands Fiji.

I have two Fijian phrases for you today:

English     Fijian (pronunciation)

a little          vakalailai (vah-kah-lie-lie)

a lot             vakalevu (vah-kah-lay-voo)