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__**Fijians**__

Language:

English is the official language of Fiji, although Fijian and Hindi are spoken as well. Before English was the official language of Fiji, Fijians spoke different dialects of Fijian because of the different villages they were from. There are two major groups of people that live in Fiji. One group, the native Fijians are Melanesians. The second group are descendants of laborers that were brought to Fiji in 1879-1916 to work on the sugar plantations.

Beliefs:

The Fijians were once cannibals and later turned to christianity, but they also believe in "life after death." Written in an article by Roger Vaughan, a Fijian woman said, "As Christians, we try to ignore certain myths and legends, but we can't. We combine both." Among many of the myths Fijians believed, one was "fire walking." In order for Fijian men to prepare for this "ceremonial occasion" they would be seperated from women for three days and they wouldn't be allowed to eat coconut. Other Fijians would dig a large pit and fill it with large stones. On top of these stones, they would build a fire and wait six hours for the coal to heat so it was extremely hot. The men would dress in grass skirts and without any protection for their feet, the men would walk around the pit. Aside from myths and legends, Christianity isn't the only religion found in Fiji, although it is the most common; methodists, Roman Catholic, Hindu, and Muslim are found there as well. In Fiji you will find native Fijians and Indo-Figians. Native Fijians are Christians or methodists and Indo- Fijians tend to practice Hinduism or Islam. Fiji celebrates national holidays such as; Easter, Diwaili, the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad, and Christmas.

Values:

The Fijians value agriculture. Many Fijians are farmers and harvest Fijis cash crop, sugar cane. The sugar plantations began in 1879 when Fiji brought in Indian laborers because it was cheap laber. Not only is sugar cane a cash crop, but they also rely on coconuts and more recently gold. Since sugar cane is Figi's cash crop, bad weather drought could be fatal for markets and the nation's income. Without sugar cane and coconuts Fiji wouldn't receive money for the nation, making it harder for Fijians to live.

Behaviors:

The Fijians society is very interesting. They prefer a marriage between cross-cousins and men were allowed to have more than one wife. A man could gain a higher social status if he had multiple wives. When the couple were married they tended to live in the house of the "groom's father." These households had extended families and the leader of the family was the senior male. Divorce was very easy, it could be done by either the husband or the wife.

Impact of cultural changes in Fiji: Travel: A lot of people travel to Fiji to explore the island. Those who travel to the island enjoy hiking, scuba diving, snorkeling, and deep sea fishing. The island beaches and waterfalls are also very popular.

Technology: Fiji has gone from no technology to cell phones that have internet access and computers. There are hotels and many resturants in Fiji to accommodate tourists. It is common to see those in Fiji with cell phones and internet access. Fiji is changing just like everywhere else in the world is changing and relying they more and more on technology.

Commercialism: Sugar cane is Fiji's cash crop and is still common. Sugar cane trade is important to the nations income as well as the trade of coconuts. Tourism is also important to Fiji because it has a lot of tourist attractions and many people visit Fiji.

[] (travel) [] (technology)

[] This is a picture of Fijian men reeancting the "fire dance" that is a major tourist attraction in Fiji. It is a myth that the Fijians believe in.

Primary source(video): Youtube-Fiji Music.YouTube-Broadcast Yourself.Web.27.Jan.2011 [] This video shows a Fijian group dancing and singing. You can also see the kind of enviroment they live in and get the feel for the kind of music they enjoy. The song they are singing is Fijian so you can also hear how they speak the language and see how different it is compared to english.

Print Source: //The World Book Encyclopedia of People and Places.// Chicago: World Book, 2000. Print This print source was important because it talked about the language in Fiji and how they became christans and strayed from cannibalism. It mentions modern life and the enviroment so I could get the feel of what it would be like to live in Fiji.

Journal: Vaughan, Roger. "The Two Worlds of Fiji." //National Geographic// 188.4 (1995): 114-37. Print. This journal was important because it gave me more insight to the Fijians religion and the different kinds of people that live there. This source covered all four component of culture and was a little more in depth.

Secondary Source: 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. This source was important because it helped me to better understand the Fijians and their different behaviors. It also showed me different beliefs they have and ceremonies they reenact.