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The official language of the Fijian's is English. Most people there speak English, but they also speak Fijian. Fijian is a mix of three hundred different dialects. It is based on the Bau language. Fijian is a language that belongs to the Oceanic branch of Austronesian family. The written form of Fijian was first developed in 1850. Since then, Fijian is spoken and written all over the island of Fiji.
 * __FIJIANS:__**
 * __Language__**

A large body of the beliefs in Fiji, exist in folklore, mythology, and oral history. Fijians believe in and listen widely to stories about the miraculous feats of their cultural hereos and gods. Story telling is very important in Fiji. An example of this would be their myth of their Shark God. The myth explains why the Fijians do not fear the sharks that roam the waters around their island. The Fijians also practice "fire-walking." This is when coals are heated white hot and then a man must walk across them without showing any pain. The major religions in Fiji, are Hinduism, Methodist, Islam, and Western Catholic. The majority of Fijians are Methodist. Also, every Sunday is reserved for church. There is no work or play on this day.
 * __Beliefs__**

The Fijians have many important values. One value, is that the children must always recognize the social hierachy of their extended family and of society. The children must take orders from senior males or their fathers. Punishment is the job of the father and mothers are more indulgent. Respect and strict obedience is always expected of the children in Fiji. Another value is marriage. At the time of marriage, all women are expected to be virgins. After marriage, a women may move in and live with the man that she married.
 * __Values__**

Fiji has many behaviors or social "norms" that are usually followed. One of these is that a man could have more than one wife at a time. The more wives a man had, the higher his social status was. A chief would have many wives. A divorce is easy to come by for men or women. The clothing that Fijian's wear is conservative and modest. Women usually cover their legs. In Fiji, the employed must share their resources with others who are poor, or those who do not have as much. For housing, it is not unlikely that several generations would live in the same house. The elders are cared for by their extended family in their homes, not in nursing homes. In the work force, women usually remain at home and men work, but everyone receives the same education.
 * __Behaviors__**

The Fijian culture is changing just as much as any other culture. The main change is the internet. The internet is playing a growing role as a new means of communication for the Fijians. Also, emails and cell phone text messages are allowing imediate communication at low costs. The internet is serving as an emerging medium of cultural learning. It is continuing to gain importance in the Fijian's day to day lifestyle. It affects them most importantly because the fast access to unlimited information beyond time and space, gives the Fijians access to information of their cultural heritage such as mythology and oral histories. This is very important to their society, as a whole.
 * __Cultural Change__**


 * __Works Cited__**
 * "Fijians." // Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life //. Ed. Jeneen Hobby and Timothy Gall. 2nd ed. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2009. 245-249. // Gale Virtual Reference Library //. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. **

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//Ebookbrowse.com//. Web. 25 Jan. 2011. []. Hereniko, Vilsoni. "Interdisciplinary approaches in Pacific studies: understanding the Fiji coup of 19 May 2000." // The Contemporary Pacific // 15.1 (2003): 75+. // Student Resource Center - Gold //. Web. 26 Jan. 2011.

"Negotiating Cultural Identity in the Age of ICT Pdf Free Ebook Download from Www.usp.com.fj." //Ebook Search & Free Ebook//

//Downloads - Ebookbrowse.com//. Web. 25 Jan. 2011. .

Williams, J. "Fijians." // Live DOIs from CDI Customers //. 1998. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. doi=10.1223/0787605522>. 2 Primary Sources- 1.) My first primary source was a pdf file, called __Fijian Culture Profile__. This document was helpful because it explored the different elements of culture and I could easiy find information that I needed to put in my paragraphs. 2.) My second primary document was another pdf, called __Negotiating Cultural Identity In the Age Of ICT__. This document was helpful because it explained the effect of the cultural changes, with the internet and cell phones. 1 Secondary Source- This was a website, that I found from Gale. It was helpful because it gave me important information on language, beliefs, values, and behaviors. 1. Print Source- This source was very helpful because it had very good information about the culture of the Fijians. The article was from an encyclopedia and it had information about the religion, food, clothing, folklore, and more in Fiji. 1. Journal-This journal article was helpful because it helped me to get my first insight of the Fijians. The journal introduced me to the Fijians lifestyle and helped me to see a different point of view and understand the Fijians better.
 * __Sources__**