Culture of Fiji
pattern of human activity and symbolism associated with Fiji and its people
The culture of modern-day Fiji is a blend of indigenous Fijian, Indian, European, Chinese cultures.
Fiji had influence from various other cultures from the Pacific neighbors of Fiji; in particular the Tongan and Rotuman cultures.
History
Tradition and hierarchy
Fijian indigenous society is very communal, with great importance attached to the family unit, the village, and the vanua (land). A hierarchy of chiefs presides over villages, clans, and tribes. Chiefly positions are hereditary; a deceased chief is invariably followed by a kinsman or kinswoman, though not necessarily his own son or daughter. This reflects Polynesian influence: in most other Melanesian societies, chiefs are appointed on merit.
The largest social unit for Fijians is the Yavusa, defined by R.A. Derrick as the "direct agnate descendants of a single kalou-vu" (deified ancestor). Chiefly succession was from older brother/sister to younger brother/sister, after the death of their father/mother. When the youngest brother/sister died, the eldest son/daughter of the eldest brother/sister became chief. This tradition still influences Fijian society today, though less rigidly: there is more of a tendency nowadays towards primogeniture.
“Culture of Fiji” enters the record as pattern of human activity and symbolism associated with Fiji and its people. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Culture, Fiji and pattern can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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This entry incorporates text from “Culture of Fiji” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.