By Ariela Zibiah
Our identity, our sense of belonging, the space we inhabit, our spirituality, our totems – all these and more comprise fundamental elements of our existence. They dictate, to a certain extent, our interactions.
For diasporic populations, some choose to be completely immersed in the country and culture they’ve adopted, while some will continue to seek answers – perhaps to respond to gaps in stories passed down by family.
Another common characteristic of diasporic populations is the prevalence of sub-nationalism, usually illustrated by the freedom to express cultural differences within a nation. In Aotearoa New Zealand for example, Pacific languages are celebrated throughout the year. We Fijians celebrate Fijian Language Week in the leadup to Fiji Day on October 10th.
Last year’s Vosa-Vakaviti week preceded the Te Waipounamu South Island 2024 Fiji Day Celebration in Otautahi Christchurch, which saw some 3000 Fijians walk through the Selwyn Council Sports Centre. It also marked the first attempt at a collective Fiji Day celebration, open to anyone who had Fijian heritage regardless of one’s ethnic background, religious and/or political affiliation.
People also came to meet and hang out with filmmakers Dave Lavaki and Tumeli Tuqota, and staff of the National Archives of Fiji, Losena Tudreu and Aloisio Ranasoisoi. Lavaki, Tuqota, Tudreu and Ranasoisoi were able to join us thanks to Fiji Airways and the Pacific Knowledge and Culture Hub (PKCH) of
the University of Canterbury (UC).
Apart from the main Fiji Day celebration, the four were involved in other activities during their five-day stay. They had talanoa sessions with local Fijians, screening Elections in Paradise, setting up a photography exhibition and a records table at each venue, including a day at the Christchurch City
Council. They were hosted by and held talanoa sessions with PKCH staff and students at the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies and connected with fellow archivists and librarians.
Historical context-setting
For Carl Andrews, citing his paternal (Waiqori, Oneata) and maternal links (Wainaloka, Ovalau) comes easily. Andrews’ mother traces ancestry to Malaita in the Solomon Islands, through the horrific black birding period.
He knew all of that, but on Friday, October 11th, he was able to trace a copy of a land sale transaction from before Cession, which affirmed his place in his familial space, in Fiji. He said that as a part-European man, he would often be told that their land was bought with a bottle of rum, or a shovel.
“Au sa marau saraga! Today I saw, and now I have a record of that land sale. My grandfather paid money for that land,” he said, speaking in iTaukei vernacular. “In Fiji, I never even thought about going to the Archives, but when I heard a team was here, I had to come. I didn’t even have breakfast – just came straight here because I didn’t want to miss them.”
Andrews said his daughter spoke Maōri and performed kapa haka. As part of the “technology generation”, he said, most Fijian children may not be as interested in their history as their parents would like. “But when the service is brought to you like this, this will help us parents affirm for them their Fijian identity and links. This will have a big impact on our children, knowing and seeing documentation of stories we’ve passed on to them.
And when they come back home, they know who they are, the why, and where they belong.” Moneel Pratap is a born-and-bred Wellington man, although he now lives in Christchurch. His parents, Jiten and Babita, who are originally from Rakiraki, moved to Wellington in 1987.
At the Selwyn Sports Centre, Pratap provided basic information to Tudreu, with his father in Wellington, connected via telephone. After finding a possible match on the index in front of her, Tudreu then communicated details to staff on standby in Suva, who provided feedback and scanned documents back in real time.
“The process was very easy and quick with the information I gave her, was probably 15 minutes. They narrowed it down very quickly,” Pratap said. “We were able to access his immigration pass which had all the information: the boat he was on, the exact year he came, his parents’ names, the district he came from, height, age, and fingerprint. It was huge for us as you can imagine, and emotional, especially for my
Dad.”
A total of about 60,000 people came to Fiji from India between 1879 and 1916. While most came as indentured labourers, there were also those, towards the latter part of the period, who paid for their passage.
Past to present, present to future
For Tudreu and Ranasoisoi, it is the satisfaction of seeing people leave with their questions answered, with documents, or just happy they’ve started a process of finding out more about themselves that keeps them going. Ranasoisoi said they gained so much more than just being able to provide services; both agree that this outreach tour affirmed that “there is demand for our services”. They also returned with a basket full of lessons of how they can do things better.
Tudreu considers the establishment of connections to Canterbury libraries and archives during the visit an
unexpected bonus. “This is a niche service area or field, and we do not often have the opportunity to meet colleagues. Really grateful to Fiji Airways and the Pacific Hub for enabling that, and to connect past to present for those who came with questions: what they get from us is evidence, helps them move into the future,” she said.
