Indo-Fijians are people born in Fiji, but are ethnically Indian. The constitution of Fiji defines "Indian" as anybody who can trace, through either the male or the female line, their ancestry back to anywhere on the Indian subcontinent. They are mostly descended from indentured labourers brought to the islands by Fiji's British colonial rulers between 1879 and 1916 to work on Fiji's sugar plantations. These were complemented by the later arrival of Gujarati and Punjabi immigrants. Satellite image of the Indian subcontinent Map of South Asia (see note) The Indian subcontinent is a peninsular landmass of the Asian continent occupying the Indian Plate and extending into the Indian Ocean, bordered on the north by the Eurasian Plate. ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Gujarati can mean two distinct things: The Gujarati language is a language spoken in India and Pakistan, mostly in and around the Gujarat state. ... Punjabi (also Panjabi; in Gurmukhī, Panjābī in Shāhmukhī) is the language of the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. ...

Origins

The colonial authorities promoted the sugar cane industry, recognizing the need to establish a stable economic base for the colony, but were unwilling to exploit indigenous labour and threaten the Fijian way of life. The use of imported labour from the Solomon Islands and what is now Vanuatu generated protests in the United Kingdom, and the Governor Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon decided to implement the indentured labour scheme, which had existed in the British Empire since 1837. A recruiting office was set up in Calcutta, followed by another in South India in 1905. Species Ref: ITIS 42058 as of 2004-05-05 Sugarcane is one of six species of a tall tropical southeast Asian grass (Family Poaceae) having stout fibrous jointed stalks whose sap at one time was the primary source of sugar. ... Fijians are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands. ... As a multiracial and multicultural nation, Fijis culture is a rich mosaic of indigenous, Indian, and European traditions. ... Fiji was a British Crown Colony from 1874 to 1970, and an independent dominion in the British Commonwealth from 1970 to 1987. ... Sir Arthur Charles Hamilton-Gordon, 1st Baron Stanmore ( November 26, 1829- January 30, 1912). ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... | Queen Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom (1837 - 1901) 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

The Leonidas, a labour transport vessel, disembarked at Levuka from Calcutta on 14 May 1879. The 463 indentured servants who disembarked were the first of over 61,000 to arrive from the South Asia over the following 37 years. More than 70 % were from impoverished districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, such as Basti, Gonda, and Faizabad. Another quarter came from the emigration prone districts of Tamil nadu state of South India such as North Arcot, Chingleput, and Madras (see Tamil diaspora). The Leonidas was the first ship to bring indentured Indian laboutrers to Fiji. ... Beach Street, Levuka, Fiji Levuka is a town on the south-east coast of the Fijian island of Ovalau, in Lomaiviti Province, in the Eastern Division of Fiji, of which it is the capital. ... This article is on Calcutta/Kolkata, the city. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... An indentured servant is a labourer under contract (an indenture--explained below) to work (for a specified amount of time) for another person or a company/corporation, often without any monetary pay, but in exchange for accommodation, food, other essentials, training, or passage to a new country. ... Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: उत्तर प्रदेश, Urdu: اتر پردیش), also popularly known by its abbreviation UP, is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Union of India. ... For other uses, see Bihar (disambiguation). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Gonda is a town in Uttar Pradesh, India. ... This article or section needs to be wikified. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... South India is a region of India that includes the entire Indian Peninsula, south of the Vindhya ranges. ... Chingleput or Chengalpattu is a city in northern Tamil Nadu state of India. ... Madras refers to: the Indian city of Chennai, formerly known as Madras, the former Indian state, now known as Tamil Nadu (Plural of Madra): Ancient people of Iranian affinites, who lived in northwest Panjab in the Uttarapatha division of ancient India. ... The Tamil diaspora is a term used to denote people of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan Tamil origin who have settled in many parts of rest of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Middle East, Reunion, South Africa, Mauritius, Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, French Caribbean islands, Europe, Australia and North...

There were smaller numbers from Punjab, Kashmir, Haryana, and other parts of India. Their contracts, which they called girmits, required them to work in Fiji for a period of five years. After a further five years of work as a Khula, or free labourer, they would be given the choice of returning to India at the expense of the British government, or remaining in Fiji. The great majority opted to stay. After the expiry of their girmits, many leased small plots from Fijians and developed their own sugarcane fields or cattle farmlets. Others went into business in the towns that were beginning to spring up. Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 Punjab (meaning: Land of five Rivers (c. ... Shown in green is the Kashmiri region under Pakistani administration. ... Haryana (Hindi: ) is a state in north India. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ...

Living conditions on the sugar cane plantations, on which most of the girmits worked, were often squalid. Hovels known as "coolie lines" dotted the landscape. The two-to-one ratio of males to females (the scheme brought in 31,458 males but only 13,696 females) created a social crisis as competition for wives and sexual partners led to occurrences of rape, murder, and suicide. Female girmits were exploited not only by male labourers, but also by colonial overseers. Public outrage in the United Kingdom at such abuses was a factor in the decision to halt the scheme in 1916. Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of willfully ending ones own life. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Political participation : early 1900s

The colonial rulers attempted to assuage Indian discontent by providing for one of their number to be nominated to the Legislative Council from 1916 onwards. Badri Maharaj, a strong supporter of the British Empire but with little support among his own people, was appointed by the Governor in 1916. His appointment did little to redress the grievances of the Indian community. Buttressed by the Indian Imperial Association founded by Manilal Maganlal, a lawyer who had arrived in Fiji in 1912, the Indians continued to campaign for better work and living conditions, and for an extension of the municipal franchise; literacy tests disqualified most Indians from participation. A strike by Indian municipal workers and Public Works Department employees, which began on 15 January 1920, ended in a riot which was forcibly quelled on 12 February; Manilal, widely blamed for the unrest, was deported. Another strike, from January to July in 1921, led by Sadhu (priest) Basist Muni, demanded higher rates of pay for workers of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR), the unconditional return of Manilal, and the release of imprisoned 1920 strikers. The authorities responded by deporting Muni from Fiji. The Fijian Legislative Council was the colonial precursor to the present-day Parliament, which came into existence when Fiji became independent on 10 October 1970. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Badri Maharaj // His Contribution to Education Badri Maharaj was a Fiji Indian farmer, politician, and educator. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Fiji is divided administratively into four divisions, which are further subdivided into fourteen provinces. ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 3 - Babe Ruth is traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... In Hinduism, sadhu is a common term for an ascetic or practitioner of yoga (yogi) who has given up pursuit of the first three Hindu goals of life: kama (pleasure), artha (wealth and power) and even dharma (duty). ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 3 - Babe Ruth is traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time. ...

Demands increased for direct representation in the legislature. In 1929, Indian immigrants and their descendants were authorised to elect three members to the Legislative Council on a communal roll. Vishnu Deo, James Ramchandar and Parmanand Singh were duly elected. Agitation continued for a common roll, which the colonial administrators rejected, citing the fears of European settlers and Fijian chiefs that a common electoral roll would lead to political domination by Indians, whose numbers were rapidly increasing. 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Communal constituencies have been the most durable feature of the Fijian electoral system. ... Open constituencies represent one of several electoral models employed in the past and present in the Fijian electoral system. ... Ratu is a title used by Fijians of chiefly rank. ...

Religious and social divisions : 1920 - 1945

Two major Hindu movements attracted widespread support in the 1920s, and relationships between Hindus and Muslims also became increasingly strained. Hinduism (Sanskrit - Sanātana (eternal) Dharma also known as Vaidika (Vedic) Dharma) is a religion or philosophy that originated from the Indian subcontinent and nearby surrounding areas. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Social issues of the 1920s. ...

The Arya Samaj advocated purging Hinduism of what it saw as its superstitious elements and expensive rituals, opposed child marriage, and advocated the remarriage of widows, which orthodox Hinduism forbids. The Arya Samaj began by establishing schools and by founding a newspaper, the Fiji Samachar, in 1923. Arya Samaj (Aryan Society or Society of Nobles) is a Hindu reform movement in India that was founded by Swami Dayananda in 1875. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Preachers like Shri Krishna Sharma toured the country, promoting the education of women and the learning of the English language. More controversially, it called in 1929 for the forced conversion of Muslims to Hinduism. Legislators Deo and Singh were both Samaj activists. Deo was eventually arrested and forced to resign from the Legislative Council after making a public speech attacking traditional tenets of his own faith, ridiculing Hindu deities, and publishing extracts from the Hindu scriptures which the authorities considered to be obscene (source). 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... For other uses, including people named Islam, see Islam (disambiguation). ...

The Sanatan Dharma, was more orthodox than the Arya Samaj. It affirmed traditional Hindu rituals, supported child marriage, discouraged the remarriage of widows, and adopted conciliatory policies towards Muslims.

The Fiji Muslim League was founded in 1926. It defended the Muslim community against Arya Samaj attacks, and appealed to the British colonial authorities for help. Fiji Muslim League is a Muslim political party based in Suva, Fiji. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Divisions also arose between Indian immigrants and Fiji-born Indians, who later became known as Fiji Indians or Indo-Fijians. A.D. Patel, who later founded one of Fiji's first political parties, the National Federation Party, arrived in Fiji in 1928 and advocated unrestricted immigration. He was opposed by the Fiji-born legislator Parmanand Singh, who argued that immigrants came with skills that gave them an economic advantage over the locally-born Indo-Fijian community. Moreover, Gujarati and Punjabi immigrants often failed to assimilate with the Indo-Fijians, and persisted with caste distinctions that had been largely forgotten by the native-born community. Dr. Ambalal Dahyabhai Patel, better known simply as A.D. Patel, was a Fijian politician. ... Politics of Fiji Categories: Stub | Fijian political parties | Fiji-related stubs ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Gujarat (Gujarati: , , IPA ; also spelled Gujrat and sometimes Gujarath. ... Punjab, 1903 Punjab Province, 1909 Punjab (meaning: Land of five Rivers (c. ... Caste systems are traditional, hereditary systems of social stratification, such as clans, gentes, or the Indian caste system. ...

The onset of World War II in 1939 heightened divisions, not only between indigenous Fijians and Indians, but also between the native-born and the immigrants. The Arya Samaj-inspired Kisan Sangh cane growers association wished to defer any strike action until the end of the war, but Patel and some supporters founded the more militant Maha Sangh in 1941. A strike organized by the Maha Sangh in 1943, while World War II was at its height, embittered relationships between the Indian community and the colonial government, and also the indigenous Fijian community. Forty-four years later, this strike was cited by supporters of the military coup which overthrew a largely Indo-Fijian dominated government, as grounds for mistrusting the Indian community. Some claimed that the strike was politically motivated, with Patel seeing it as a means to strike at colonial rule. Combatants Allies: Poland, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, France/Free France, United States, China, Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Greece, Norway, Honduras, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Burma, Slovakia Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Fiji Coups of 1987 refers to the 1987 overthrow of the government of Fiji by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, then third in command of the Royal Fiji Military Forces. ...

Developments since 1945

A post-war effort by European members of the Legislative Council to repatriate Indo-Fijians to India, starting with sixteen-year-old males and fourteen-year-old females, was not successful, but reflected the tensions between Fiji's ethnic communities.

Differences between ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians complicated preparations for Fijian independence, which the United Kingdom granted in 1970, and have continued to define Fijian politics since. Prior to independence, Indo-Fijians sought a common electoral roll, based on the principle of "one man, one vote." Ethnic Fijian leaders opposed this, believing that it would favour urban voters who were mostly Indo-Fijian; they sought a communal franchise instead, with different ethnic groups voting on separate electoral rolls. At a specially convened conference in London in April 1970, a compromise was worked out, under which parliamentary seats would be allocated by ethnicity, with ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians represented equally. In the House of Representatives, each ethnic group was allocated 22 seats, with 12 representing Communal constituencies (elected by voters registered as members of their particular ethnic group) and a further 10 representing National constituencies (distributed by ethnicity but elected by universal suffrage. A further 8 seats were reserved for ethnic minorities, 3 from "communal" and 5 from "national" constituencies. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... Constitutional Structure See main article: Constitution of Fiji and linked articles. ... London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom, and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ... Overview The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fijis Parliament. ... Communal constituencies have been the most durable feature of the Fijian electoral system. ... National constituencies are a former feature of the Fijian electoral system. ... Universal suffrage (also general suffrage or common suffrage) consists of the extension of suffrage to all adults, without distinction as to race, sex, belief, or social status. ... General Electors is the term used in Fiji to identify citizens of voting age who belong, in most cases, to ethnic minorities. ...

Indo-Fijians outnumbered indigenous Fijians from 1956 through the late 1980s, but by 2000 their share of the population had declined to 43.7 %, because of a higher ethnic-Fijian birthrate and particularly because of the greater tendency of Indo-Fijians to emigrate. Emigration accelerated following the coups of 1987 (which removed an Indo-Fijian-supported government from power and, for a time, ushered in a constitution that discriminated against them in numerous ways) and of 2000 (which removed an Indo-Fijian Prime Minister from office). Fijians are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive, informally sometimes including the years 1979, 1990 and 1991. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Fijians are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands. ... Fiji Coups of 1987 refers to the 1987 overthrow of the government of Fiji by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, then third in command of the Royal Fiji Military Forces. ... The Fiji coup of 2000 was a complicated affair involving a civilian putsch by hardline Fijian nationalists against the elected government of Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry on 19 May 2000, the attempt by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara to assert executive authority on 27 May, and his own resignation, possibly... Fiji received its independence in 1970. ...

Political differences between the two communities, rather than ideological differences, have characterized Fijian politics since independence, with the two communities generally voting for different political parties. The National Federation Party founded by A.D. Patel, was the party favoured overwhelmingly by the Indo-Fijian community throughout most of the nation's history, but its support collapsed in the parliamentary election of 1999, when it lost all of its seats in the House of Representatives; its support fell further still in the 2001 election, when it received only 22 % of the Indo-Fijian vote. The party currently favoured by Indo-Fijians is the Fiji Labour Party, led by Mahendra Chaudhry, which received about 75 % of the Indo-Fijian vote in 2001, and won all 19 seats reserved for Indo-Fijians. Originally founded as a multi-racial party in the 1980s, it is now supported mostly by Indo-Fijians. Politics of Fiji Categories: Stub | Fijian political parties | Fiji-related stubs ... Dr. Ambalal Dahyabhai Patel, better known simply as A.D. Patel, was a Fijian politician. ... The general election to the Fijian House of Representatives, held in May 1999, was historic. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Overview The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fijis Parliament. ... The Constitution of Fiji was restored by a Supreme Court decision, following the failure of the Fiji coup of 2000. ... The Fiji Labour Party is a political party in Fiji. ... Mahendra Pal Chaudhry (born 9 February 1942) is the leader of the Fiji Labour Party and currently the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive, informally sometimes including the years 1979, 1990 and 1991. ...

Demographic factors

Indo-Fijians are concentrated in the so-called Sugar Belt and in cities and towns on the northern and western coasts of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu; their numbers are much scarcer in the south and inland areas. The majority of Indo-Fijians are Hindi speakers, with large minorities speaking Bhojpuri, Urdu, Tamil, Bihari, Gujarati, and Punjabi, among others. Almost all Indo-Fijians are also fluent in English, and in the younger generation, English appears to be gradually replacing Indian languages. Viti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji. ... Vanua Levu is the second largest island of Fiji, and was formerly known as Sandalwood Island. ... Hindi (हिन्दी) is a language spoken mainly in North and Central India. ... Categories: Indo-Aryan languages | Languages of India | Language stubs ... The phrase Zaban-e Urdu-e Mualla written in Urdu Urdu () is an Indo-European language of the Indo-Aryan family that developed under Persian, Turkish, Arabic, Hindi, and Sanskrit influence in South Asia during the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire (1200-1800). ... Tamil (தமிழ் ) is a classical language and one of the major languages of the Dravidian language family. ... Bihari is a name given to a group of Indo-Aryan languages spoken in the Bihar region of India. ... Gujarati (ગુજરાતી Gujarātī) is an Indo-European, Indo-Aryan language. ... Punjabi (also Panjabi; in Gurmukhī, Panjābī in Shāhmukhī) is the language of the Punjabi people and the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

According to the 1996 census (the latest available), 76.7 % of Indo-Fijians are Hindus and a further 15.9 % are Muslims. Christians comprise 6.1 % of the Indo-Fijian population, while about 0.9 % are members of the Sikh faith. The remaining 0.4 % are mostly nonreligious. 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1870 US Census for New York City A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ... Hinduism (Sanskrit - Sanātana (eternal) Dharma also known as Vaidika (Vedic) Dharma) is a religion or philosophy that originated from the Indian subcontinent and nearby surrounding areas. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... A Christian is a follower of Jesus, whom they regard as a/the Christ. ... A Sikh (IPA: [siːk] or [sɪk]; Punjabi: , , IPA: [sɪk. ...

Hindus in Fiji belong mostly to the Sanatan sect (74.3 % of all Hindus); a minority (3.7 %) follow Arya Samaj. There are smaller sects, as well as numerous unspecified Hindus, comprising 22 % of the Hindu population. Muslims are mostly Sunni (59.7 %) or unspecified (36.7 %); there is an Ahmadiya minority (3.6 %). Indo-Fijian Christians are a diverse body, with Methodists forming the largest group (26.2 %), followed by the Assemblies of God (22.3 %), Roman Catholics (17 %), and Anglicans (5.8 %). The remaining 28.7 % belong to a medley of denominations. Arya Samaj (Aryan Society or Society of Nobles) is a Hindu reform movement in India that was founded by Swami Dayananda in 1875. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... Ahmadi Muslims are followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. ... Methodism or the Methodist movement is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... The Assemblies of God is the worlds largest Pentecostal denomination. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The Anglican Communion uses the compass rose as its symbol, signifying its worldwide reach and decentralized nature. ...

See also

• Desi
• Hindustani
• Non-resident Indians (NRI) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO)

Desi (pronounced or , and alternatively spelled Deshi), is a term used by Indians and some South Asians to refer to themselves (in a manner that avoids any allusion to the specific state of origin and pointing to a common broader identity). ... The word Hindustani is an adjective used to denote a connection to India, or, more precisely, the historical region that encompasses Northern India, Pakistan, and nearby areas. ... A non-resident Indian (NRI) is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country. ...

External links

• Article from Fromers
• The CIA World Fact Book - Fiji

• Tamils in Fiji