Are Being Forgotten

Fijian Arts and Crafts Are Being Forgotten

From Our Own Correspondent SUVA, April 21 THE Fiji Museum at Suva, mainly be cause of lack of space and lack of staff, is uninspiring to the general visitor. But no less an authority than Sir Peter Buck (Te Rangi Hiroa) the famous Maori doctor, soldier and admin istrator, who is now director of Honolulu’s Bishop Museum, and former Professor of Anthropology at Yale University, has praised its collection of Fijian material.

Sir Peter paid a fleeting call on Suva in 1945 and in his latest director’s report writes: “I took the opportunity of visit ing the museum, which contains a good collection of Fijian material and I had the privilege of examining the various artifacts under the guidance of the curator, Mr. George Barker, who has an extensive knowledge of Fijian culture.

“Samoan and Tongan material cul ture,” Sir Peter adds, “has a good deal of affinity with Fiji, and an organised study of Fijian material culture is neces sary to appreciate the diffusion that has taken place among the three island groups of Samoa, Tonga and Fiji.”

The trouble is that there is precious little opportunity for anyone, Fijian or otherwise, to study Fijian culture. Cus toms have survived, but as in Tahiti and other stamped-over islands, virtually no trace remains of ancient craftsmanship.

The stuff sold in Suva curio shops (mostly Indian establishments) at out rageous prices does not count.

Those Fijians who still produce beau tiful work naturally see no reason to sell it at bargain prices - when the shops resell with big profits. Thus, even the trade in Fijian curios—which, in any case, hardly come in the “cultural” group—has passed into Indian hands.

Books on the subject are unprocurable to-day and histories of Fiji are so ob sessed with cannibalism that there is no room for more important subjects.

Maori material culture is being revived in New Zealand and to-day young Maoris are learning the arts of the old days— sometimes with European teachers. The Fijians, on the other hand, are still suf fering from teachers, in and out of school, who insist that everything Fijian is barbarous and that they should learn to appreciate the perfection of mass production.

Surely the Fiji Museum, which houses those articles not filched in the early days by curio-hunters or by overseas museums, could be made educationally attractive to the mass of the Fijian people?

It could be done with money and imagination: There are still people, both Fijian and European, who know some thing of Fijian material culture, but their numbers are dwindling and their knowledge is being lost.

Raymond McNally of the Suva Boys’

Grammar School, who has won the Fiji Scholarship for 1947, intends to become a student at an Australian University.

Fiji Scholarships were first made avail able in 1928 but applied to study in Fiji only. In 1938, amendments to the Ord inance permitted the successful candidate to attend a university, or other training institution overseas, for a period of three years. Each scholarship is of the annual value of £l2O Fiji Currency and is awarded to the candidate scoring the highest aggregate of marks in the En trance Examination of the University of New Zealand and the New Zealand School Certificate Examination.