FUN FIJI FACTS 19

The Introduction of Europeans and the Influence of Missionaries

During the 17th and 18th centuries, it was the goal of the European explorers who set sail in the South Pacific to find the “unknown southern land” (later to be called Australia).  Some of these explorers managed to bump into Fiji along the way.

You might recall in one of my earlier blogs I mentioned one of the first Europeans to set eyes on the Fijian islands was a Dutch navigator by the name of Abel Tasman in 1643.  It was because of his accounts, along with later explorers such as Captains Cook and Bligh in the late 1700’s, that kept mariners away for about the next 130 years.

It wasn’t until the early 19th century that Europeans began to tackle their fears of reefs and cannibalism to land on the Fijian shores to trade for the highly valued sandalwood and bêche-de-mer (sea cucumber).  By 1813 the accessible supply of sandalwood had been exhausted. The trade for sea cucumber was also short-lived, lasting from 1830-1850.  The lasting consequences of this trading, however, were the introduction of firearms and a resulting increase in tribal warfare.

Cakobau

The political opportunities that arose from these rivalries, gave rise to the power of the chiefdom of Bau (mba-u) in the southeast area of Viti Levu where European trading had been most intense.  A portion of Fiji’s warring tribes were united by chief Ratu Seru Epenisa, later named Cakobau (tha-kom-ba-u), literally translated the “destroyer of Bau”, for his role in first destroying and then rebuilding the chiefdom of Bau.  Also known to the Europeans as Tui Viti, “King of Fiji”, Cakobau was at the height of his influence by 1850 despite the fact he had no real claim over most of Fiji.

In the meantime, Tongan noble Enele Ma'afu had led an armada of war canoes to capture Vanua Balavu in northern Lau.  He became governor of all Tongans in Lau and by 1854 he was a serious threat to Cakobau's power.  By the late 1850's, the Tongans were the controlling force in eastern Fiji.

To backtrack for just a moment, we need to reflect upon not only the influence of traders on the Fijian population, but also the influence of missionaries at this time.  In the 1830’s London Missionary Society pastors and Wesleyan Methodist missionaries arrived in Southern Lau to find converts and to preach against cannibalism.

Progress was slow until the chiefs started to convert, first in Lau where the Tongans were now in control and then further west.  Powerful Cakobau somewhat reluctantly adopted Christianity in 1854, leading to a short-lived alliance with Enele Ma'afu and unifying Fijians under the influence of the Methodist missionaries.  This was a triumph for the Methodist Church, who later sent Reverend Baker out to spread the gospel in the western highlands of Viti Levu.  In 1867, unfortunately for him, he was killed and eaten by locals who resented his manner and the imposition of ideas associated with Bau.

Christianity became accepted by the Fijians for its similarity to their existing beliefs of tabu (sacred prohibitions) and mana (spiritual power).  Most villagers adopted Christianity alongside their traditional spirituality and continued to worship their ancestral gods through such practices as the kava ceremony, tabu areas and codes of conduct, and the symbolic tabua (a gift of atonement or esteem).

Later Roman Catholic and Anglican missionaries arrived at these islands, but did not enjoy such widespread success as the Methodists.

Let's just review today some of the Fijian words we have already mentioned in this and previous blogs, and you might note some of these words on the map above:

Viti - Fiji
Levu - Great
Vanua - Land
Ratu - Chief
Tui - King
Koro - Village