Lifted again in October. President Iloilo repeals the constitution, appoints himself head of state, sets a election deadline and sacks all the judges. He then reappoints military chief Frank Bainimarama as interim prime minister. Martial law is imposed. He says that under the proposed changes, the ethnic-based system introduced in will be scrapped. It is only the second full suspension in the organisation's history. Critics say the eight did not have a fair hearing.
Frank Bainimarama becomes the country's civilian leader after winning parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama threatens long prison sentences for people he says are plotting to overthrow his government. British rule. The first of these discoveries was made in by the Dutch explorer, Abel Tasman and English navigators, including Captain James Cook who sailed through in , and made further explorations in the 18th century.
Major credit for the discovery and recording of the islands went to Captain William Bligh who sailed through Fiji after the mutiny on the Bounty in The first Europeans to land and live among the Fijians were shipwrecked sailors and runaway convicts from the Australian penal settlements.
Sandalwood traders and missionaries came by the mid 19th century. Cannibalism practiced in Fiji at that time quickly disappeared as missionaries gained influence.
When Ratu Seru Cakobau accepted Christianity in , the rest of the country soon followed and tribal warfare came to an end. From to Indians came as indentured labourers to work on the sugar plantations. After the indentured system was abolished, many stayed on as independent farmers and businessmen.
Today they comprise Culture Fiji was first settled about three and a half thousand years ago. The original inhabitants are now called "Lapita people" after a distinctive type of fine pottery they produced, remnants of which have been found in practically all the islands of the Pacific, east of New Guinea, though not in eastern Polynesia.
Linguistic evidence suggests that they came from northern or central Vanuatu, or possibly the eastern Solomons. Before long they had moved further on, colonizing Rotuma to the north, and Tonga and Samoa to the east.
From there, vast distances were crossed to complete the settlement of the Pacific to Hawaii in the north, Rapanui Easter Island in the east and Aotearoa New Zealand in the south.
Unlike the islands of Polynesia which showed a continuous steadily evolving culture from initial occupation, Fiji appears to have undergone at least two periods of rapid culture change in prehistoric times. This may have been due to the arrival of fresh waves of immigrants, presumably from the west. Prehistorians have noted that a massive 12th century volcanic eruption in southern Vanuatu coincides with the disappearance there of a certain pottery style, and its sudden emergence in Fiji.
It is hardly surprising then, that the Fijian culture is an intricate network and that generalisations are fraught with danger. Although the legendary king of Bau, Naulivou, and his successors had control over a large area of eastern Fiji, at no time before colonialisation was Fiji a political unity. There are certain protocols to be followed at a kava ceremony and in some remote villages, it is still a semi religious experience. Sit cross-legged, facing the chief and the tanoa, or large wooden bowl.
Women usually sit behind the men and won't get offered the first drink unless they are the guest of honour. Never walk across the circle of participants, turn your back to the tanoa or step over the cord that leads from the tanoa to a white cowry it represents a link with the spirits.
The drink is prepared in the tanoa. The dried and powdered root, wrapped in a piece of cloth, is mixed with water and the resulting concoction looks and tastes like muddy water. You will then be offered a drink from a bilo half a coconut shell. Clap once, accept the bilo and say 'bula' meaning 'cheers', or literally, 'life' , before drinking it all in one go. Clap three times in gratification and try not to grimace. The drink will be shared until the tanoa is empty.
You are not obligated to drink every bilo offered to you, but it is polite to drink at least the first. Bark cloth and traditional textiles Masi, also known as tapa, is bark cloth with black and rust-colored printed designs.
Masi played an important role in Fijian culture and its motifs had symbolic meaning and to a certain extent still do. It is used for special occasions - in the Tui Cakau wore masi ceremonial attire at his installation as paramount chief of the Cakaudrove region. Fijian masi is now mostly made for tourists and is used for postcards, wall hangings and other decorative items.
Textile designers are now incorporating traditional masi motifs in their fabrics. Mat and basket weaving Most Fijian homes use woven pandanus-leaf mats for floor coverings, dining mats and as finer sleeping mats.
They are much in demand as wedding presents and for baptisms, funerals and presentations to chiefs. Most village girls learn the craft, traditionally it was the hereditary role of the women of certain tribes. The pandanus leaves are cut and laid outdoors to cure, then stripped of the spiny edges and boiled and dried. The traditional method for blackening the leaves for contrasting patterns is to bury them in mud for days and then boil them with special leaves.
The dried pandanus leaves, made flexible by scraping with shells, are split into strips of about 1 to 2cm. They first populated the islands about 35 centuries ago. Since then, Fiji has been through quite a few settlement processes. The estimated population of Fiji on December 31, stood at , Of the total , were Fijians, , were Indians and 63, were others.
For the last two officials Census there was a net increase of 57, persons. Fijian numbers had increased by 65, persons. Indian numbers registered a decrease of 0.
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