What makes a Fiji Indian

At a recent gathering of social organization Settlin In, I was asked by a group of lovely Fiji women to talk briefly about being a Fiji Indian and what it really meant. This was an unexpected request that had to be met impromptu, but I did manage to ramble around the topic for about 10 minutes. My input however, did not satisfy me, so I thought of writing this article for the wider audience.

There is little arguing that there are distinct differences between the Fiji Indian and the Indian Indian. Of course one is bidesi and the other desi. That aside, the Fiji Indian’s social experiences have Fijianized him to varying degrees. I can clearly tell from afar who is a Fiji Indian from the posture and general style of the person.

The gestures, mannerisms, way of dressing and talking, manner of eating and drinking, walking style, etc. are all very Fijian Indian. There is an aggressive male style bias even among Fiji Indian females. This is because that is what is accepted and respected by the wider community in Fiji. Anything less than that is considered wimpish.

The Fiji Indian’s diet has a heavy meat bias and a vegetarian is often seen as a “lesser” being. There is even an elevated social status attached to eating meat. Luckily this has begun to change. Likewise, one who doesn’t drink is considered odd while out-drinking others is seen as manly. This is not necessarily the case with the real Indian even though they also have their carnivores and bottle duelers.

These characteristics aside, the Fiji Indian’s history is unique. It is this history that has made the Indo-Fiji and provides insights and pointers on the whats and whys of this unique category of the wider Indian diaspora.

History of the Fiji Indian

The background of the majority of Fiji Indians is that of indentured laborer – a modern day slave brought over from India between 1879 to 1916 to meet the desperate manpower needs of white plantations. At that time the primary focus of the colonial administration fell on ensuring the viability of the economy though Indian input in the sugar industry.

That labour-capital relationship was fraught with oppression, exploitation and atrocities that are well documented by Totaram Sanadhya (1991), Ken Gillion (1962) and Tinker (1974). Later works by Ahmed Ali (1979), Vijay Naidu (1980) and Brij Lal (2004) also highlight the unfairness, violence and brutality that indenture entailed.

Little is made of the fact that the girmitiya could not read, let alone understand, the agreement that he signed to sell his life into servitude. The word girmit itself is an agonized version of the word “agreement” that they were forced to sign before they could access the land of opportunity that they were promised. Many thought Fiji was just a day’s journey away!

The girmitiya’s odyssey was one infested with vermin, disease, starvation, cramped space and indignity. Sanitary facilities were inadequate at best and the living deck became a suffocating cesspool of misery after only a few days. The journey lasted at least 10wks on sail ships! Records show that 412 perished in the drudgery before reaching Fiji. Caste demarcations also died during that shared voyage as all became simple jahajis.

The main difference between slavery, which was abolished by the British, and girmit, which was introduced to replace it, was that girmit had a fixed time period of bondage. In the case of Fiji, it was 5 years, but this did not guarantee freedom as the girmitiya had to pay his own passage back after 5 years or get a free ticket after 10 years. The choice was virtually non-existent.

Life in the plantations was one of hardship, oppression and continuous harassment. My great-grandfather, whom I knew, had difficulty resting on his bed after 4am as he was expected to be up by 3am during girmit which he’d left behind 50 years ago. Pay was one shilling a day for men and 9 pence for women. This was eroded through ingenuous means for 28yrs until the one shilling was finally paid unadulterated in 1908.

Struggle for Recognition

The girmitiya realized early that he had to understand the sahib’s language, especially that contained in legal documents, to minimize the exploitation and cheating that he was being subjected to. That became an obsession that spawned Fiji’s Indian lawyers who almost naturally became politicians.

The girmitiya also realized the importance of political representation in a hostile environment that was totally stacked against him. Thus they struggled for political rights to regain their izzat (respect) that had been compromised when they signed the girmit and lost when they lived through the narakh (hell) of girmit in Fiji.

The focus of the girmitiya who stayed behind after 1920 was on hard work, frugality and education for their children as the only means to rise above the poverty and squalor in order to secure their future. Each of these objectives was glorified through religious doctrine that naturally played a central role in life at the time.

This focus continued among the descendents who built schools, temples, mosques and other places of worship through sheer hard work and mutual charity. Schools popped up in remote farming enclaves as the search for education led to the establishment of ever bigger and better schools in central locations. Fiji’s more prominent schools now are Indian because of the foresight and sacrifice of these pioneers.

Another subtle development that was only realized much later and erroneously seen as a sign of Indian dishonesty, was the pride the Indian placed in building/improving his own house. This was not only a status symbol, but it was an attempt to display one’s success – a success that was sweeter because it was achieved amid continued adversity.

The girmitiya had finally overcome narakh to educate his children and carve out a niche for himself in Fiji. He was there to stay because, after all, his soul, toil, tears and tax had helped make the country what it was in 1970 – a model of peace, progress and prosperity. The girmitiya’s role in building Fiji can only be discredited by the devious and dishonest.

My next article will focus on the plight of the Fiji Indian after Fiji’s first coup in May 1987. It is interesting that the search for meaningful acceptance continues as the girmitiya is repeatedly rebuked, castigated and reviled by a country that he still loves. PS. The Government by Greed series will continue after that.
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Subhash Appana is an academic and political commentator. The opinions contained in this article are entirely his and not necessarily shared by any organizations he may be associated with both in Fiji and abroad. Email subhasha@ais.ac.nz