Name's Fijian

What's In A Name?

Plenty When The Name's Fijian

From a Suva Correspondent

Fiji’s Jaycees, a multi-racial

group, but mainly Indians, re cently pased a resolution which

said, essentially, that all people

bom in Fiji should be known as

Fijians.

SUCH an idea is anything but new, but in some quarters the Jaycee’s resolution created quite a stir.

Some Fijians were fiercely critical of the Jaycees, and The Fiji Times, in a leading article, was almost as fierce.

Some Indians were inclined to sup port the idea, others were against it, but, generally speaking, most people couldn’t have cared less.

The Indians who support the name “Fijian” are a small but vociferous section of the community, who, when abroad sometimes describe them selves as Fijians.

This, to the outsider, seems reasonable enough, but critics who have strong views accuse these Fiji- Indians of attempting to cash in on the popularity of the true Fijian abroad.

Proud Name Other Indians say, with some vehemence and with truth, that the name Indian is a proud name—the name of a people who were cultured centuries before the South Pacific was heard of, and, perhaps long before the Fijians came to Fiji.

They prefer, they say, to be known as Indians, but argue that for ex pediency, they would be willing to adopt a name which would indicate that they were born in and belong to Fiji, One Indian, who holds this view, told me that the Indians are looking to the future—to the time when Fiji will have at least internal self-gov ernment.

“Many times,” he said, “the Indians have been accused of owing allegi ance to India, the land of their fathers or grandfathers, and refusing to become part of Fiji. Now, when some of us indicate that we do want to become part of Fiji, even to the extent of changing our ethnical name, and sinking our identity into a common identity with the rest of the

people of Fiji, we are criticised and insulted.

“Surely we would have a chance of finding a common ground on which to work if we all had the same racial name.”

The Fijians, on the other hand, see a political motive in this Indian at titude—a preliminary to a take-over at some dim but not too-distant date.

Frightened Man

The Fijian is a frightened man where his country’s future and his land and his rights are concerned.

He sees in any suggestion which seeks to integrate him with others of different race, an attempt to take over his country.

Some people were surprised at the violent reaction of the Fijian school managers recently to a suggestion that all Fiji’s schools should be integrated.

But there was no cause for surprise.

The Fijians had made their posi tion known. They insist that Fiji is theirs, and, while they will allow others to share in its delights and its drawbacks, it’s “hands off” when it comes to the rights and the customs and the property of the Fijians.

The outsider who looks on dis passionately wonders, however, why there is so much fuss over the adoption of the name Fijian?

The Fijian doesn’t even call him self a Fijian. His name for himself is taukei, or owner, and perhaps that is the hub of the thing as far as he is concerned.

Speaking in a language other than his own, he will tell you he is a Fijian, which in his own mind, means taukei. The two are synonymous.

In other words, if you are a Fijian you are an owner—of Fiji. And the Fijian will permit no one to own his Fiji but the taukei.

Why Not Vitian?

But surely one must sympathise with the non-Fijian born in Fiji. He wants to belong. It is, after all, his country too now, and this is some thing the original Fijian must realise.

So some attempt should be made, and no doubt it will some day, to find a common name for the Fiji-born.

“Fijian” will not accurately de scribe him, not historically at any rate. Fiji is a name given to a group of 300-odd islands by 18th century mariners who first heard of those islands from the Tongans, who pro nounced “Viti”—the Fijians’ name for their country—as “Fiji”.

Viti, then, is the true name, and no one bears it. So what better name

for people of Fiji than Vitians, a term used, incidentally, by one of the missionaries in the days before Fiji had a single Indian?

The name Vitian might eventually be acceptable to the many other ethnic groups—besides Indians—who make up the people of Fiji.

These include the Rotumans, who have been described as a cross be tween Polynesians and Chinese; Fiji born Tongans; Banabans from Ocean Island; Samoans, Gilbertese, Solomon Islanders, part-Europeans, Chinese, and the rest.

Time solved the name problem in England, where once there were Piets,

Saxons, Jutes, Scots, Danes, Norse men, Normans and maybe a few Phoenicians. Today, there are only tnglishmen—that is if you don't sub divide them into Englishmen, Welsh men, Irishmen and Scots. • Indians, who numbered 228,176, comprised exactly 50 per cent, of Fiji’s estimated population of 456,390 at the end of 1964.

There were 189,169 Fijians, 20,634 Europeans and part-Europeans, and 18,290 other Pacific Islanders and Chinese. The population rose 15,089 in 1964.