The research referred to below, if one can ethically regard it as such, can only be regarded as a loopy and potty attempt to cast the illegal regime's Charter in a historically convenient context for native Fijians. Given the publicity and platform afforded the findings, no less than the illegal Attorney General's conference, it confirms to all the real motive behind the sordid enterprise. No one with their right mind to the known and accepted history of Fijian migration, would ever accept the findings of a research aimed at historically sugarcoating a key platform of the illegal Bainimarama regime's rule. Those able to see through it, will know it is no more than a fraudulent attempt at linking the regime's Look North Policy to the migration of Fijians.
I would be interested to know who commissioned the research and what in fact could possibly link the question of the illegal regime's Charter to the migration of Fijians? We all know the Charter has been forced on the people of Fiji by the regime. It has not been endorsed in any transparent way or implemented in a manner where its impact can be reasonably assessed. How on earth can Ms Daurewa embark on researching its impact? With such questions in mind, it is plausible to then question her motive or those of her sponsors. In my view, one gets a good glimpse of that from the platform given to the research and Ms Daurewa's known sympathy of the Bainimarama regime. It is a sad day for native Fijians when people of her ilk allow themselves to be exploited in such ways.
Fiji Times News
India link to 1st Fiji settlers
Ms Daurewa said her presentation titled Colonial Structures: Understanding the experience of the iTaukei - was a small part of findings of a research project on the impact of the (illegal regime') People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress on provincial councils.
THE iTaukei is a conflict-ridden society and much of this predicament was created by a colonial history which created anomalies — one of them being teachings of where the iTaukei originated from.
In a presentation immediately after the opening of the Attorney-General's 14th Conference at the Intercontinental Resort in Natadola yesterday, participants were told that Lutunasobasoba was not the founder of the iTaukei race.
In fact, according to educationist and civil society leader Alisi Daurewa (picture above left), the iTaukei arrived in different canoes and ships, and primarily are a mixed breed of Melanesian and Polynesian, "added to which, Indian, if it can be proven that the Lapita people were sea merchants from Tamil Nadu in India".
"The education system teaches that Lutunasobasoba is the founder of the iTaukei race. Anthropological and oral records reveal he was a late arrival, possibly as late as the 17th century. He was, in fact, the ancestor of some chiefs who worked in the colonial administration in the 19th century."
"Coincidentally, this was during a time when a competition for tales was organised by Namata 1892 newsletter, and the author with the Lutunasobasoba theory won." Ms Daurewa said the latest Indian connection came out of a research on the Lapita people by the East West Centre in Hawaii.
While some historians and scholars claim the dark-skinned Melanesian people made their way to Fiji first from the islands of Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the eastern Solomon Islands, evidence suggest the Lapita people — tall light-skinned people with straight hair — were first.
The Lapita people are described as the ancestors of Polynesia and came from South East Asia.
They are believed to have travelled through Melanesia in which the Lapita people lived among the Melanesians for 1500 years (1900BC to 400BC) before expanding out to colonise all of Polynesia. The Lapita people are believed to have spread eastwards and colonised Fiji, Samoa and Tonga 3500 years ago, which predates the arrival of the Polynesian people in the Pacific by about 1300 years.
Ms Daurewa said her presentation titled Colonial Structures: Understanding the experience of the iTaukei - was a small part of findings of a research project on the impact of the People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress on provincial councils.
"In exploring the historical context of the subject, as a participant researcher, I discovered some interesting facts about the iTaukei, their origin and local government system, and the implications of these at a time when we are working towards an effective constitution for Fiji," said Ms Daurewa.
The Kadavu native and University of the South Pacific lecturer Ashwin Raj, were speakers in the Constitution and Constitutionalism segment of the conference, along with Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
Ms Daurewa said the Fiji local government system, adopted from our colonial past, separated the iTaukei group from other ethnic groups. Colonialism, she added, had four common features that effectively transformed the lives of people - support for local elite group, economic, geographical demarcation, law and order
"For Fiji, these features translated to five institutions - the Native Administration which supports the local elite group; the Native Land Trust Board for economic development; the Native Land Commission for geographical demarcation; and the Wesleyan missionaries who arrived much earlier and pacified the people to ease law and order by the Native Constabulary. "These five institutions remain with us today under changed names," she said.
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How it was written up in the Fiji media:
India link to 1st Fiji settlers
Margaret Wise
Saturday, December 08, 2012
THE iTaukei is a
conflict-ridden society and much of this predicament was created by a colonial
history which created anomalies — one of them being teachings of where the
iTaukei originated from.
In a presentation immediately
after the opening of the Attorney-General's 14th Conference at the
Intercontinental Resort in Natadola yesterday, participants were told that
Lutunasobasoba was not the founder of the iTaukei race.
In fact, according to
educationist and civil society leader Alisi Daurewa, the iTaukei arrived in
different canoes and ships, and primarily are a mixed breed of Melanesian and
Polynesian, "added to which, Indian, if it can be proven that the Lapita
people were sea merchants from Tamil Nadu in India".
"The education system
teaches that Lutunasobasoba is the founder of the iTaukei race. Anthropological
and oral records reveal he was a late arrival, possibly as late as the 17th
century. He was, in fact, the ancestor of some chiefs who worked in the
colonial administration in the 19th century."
"Coincidentally, this was
during a time when a competition for tales was organised by Namata 1892
newsletter, and the author with the Lutunasobasoba theory won."
Ms Daurewa said the latest
Indian connection came out of a research on the Lapita people by the East West
Centre in Hawaii.
While some historians and
scholars claim the dark-skinned Melanesian people made their way to Fiji first
from the islands of Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the eastern Solomon Islands,
evidence suggest the Lapita people — tall light-skinned people with straight
hair — were first.
The Lapita people are described
as the ancestors of Polynesia and came from South East Asia.
They are believed to have
travelled through Melanesia in which the Lapita people lived among the
Melanesians for 1500 years (1900BC to 400BC) before expanding out to colonise
all of Polynesia.
The Lapita people are believed
to have spread eastwards and colonised Fiji, Samoa and Tonga 3500 years ago,
which predates the arrival of the Polynesian people in the Pacific by about
1300 years.
Ms Daurewa said her
presentation titled Colonial Structures: Understanding the experience of the
iTaukei - was a small part of findings of a research project on the impact of
the People's Charter for Change, Peace and Progress on provincial councils.
"In exploring the
historical context of the subject, as a participant researcher, I discovered
some interesting facts about the iTaukei, their origin and local government
system, and the implications of these at a time when we are working towards an
effective constitution for Fiji," said Ms Daurewa.
The Kadavu native and
University of the South Pacific lecturer Ashwin Raj, were speakers in the
Constitution and Constitutionalism segment of the conference, along with
Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum.
Ms Daurewa said the Fiji local
government system, adopted from our colonial past, separated the iTaukei group
from other ethnic groups.
Colonialism, she added, had
four common features that effectively transformed the lives of people - support
for local elite group, economic, geographical demarcation, law and order
"For Fiji, these features
translated to five institutions - the Native Administration which supports the
local elite group; the Native Land Trust Board for economic development; the
Native Land Commission for geographical demarcation; and the Wesleyan
missionaries who arrived much earlier and pacified the people to ease law and
order by the Native Constabulary.
"These five institutions
remain with us today under changed names," she said.
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