Fiji

Due to its colonial history, the South Pacific island country of Fiji has a variety of religious communities on its territory. Prior to the British colonial conquest, Fijians believed in the divine forces of earth and sea, which are now technically classified as animist. Aboriginal Fijians did not have a unified system of beliefs or a hierarchy of deities, but they highly venerated personified forces of nature, their ancestors, and totems. They prayed to patrons of certain trades (fishing, canoe building). Certain types of fish, birds, animals, and trees were venerated and protected as ancestral totems. Both gods and ancestors were called Kalou. Various rocks, giant trees, and stones were venerated as Kalou. In their villages, native Fijians had temples called Bure Kalou. Priests (Bete) as well as Fijian chiefs played an important role in the social life of the aboriginal Fijians.

In the 19th century, British colonial occupation and economic activity led to the replacement of the local religion by Christianity and the introduction of Indian religions in the islands with the indentured labor from South Asia brought by the British to work on their sugar plantations. Christian churches of Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Methodist missions replaced the old Fijian Bure Kalous. Fijians chiefs converted to Christianity. The old beliefs mostly disappeared, though some places are still considered as the abode of old deities, and aboriginal witchcraft is still practiced by certain native Fijian magicians.

Today, Indo-Fijians, the descendants of the Indian indentured laborers and “the passengers” (free migrants), constitute about 40% of Fiji's population of approximately 830,000. As such, they constitute the largest population group in Fiji. They are not, however, united in ethnic and religious terms. Many of the early Indian laborers were from Bihar and elsewhere in eastern India and from various parts of South India; later immigrants were more wealthy, and came from Gujarat and the Punjab. The major religions of the Indo-Fijians are Hinduism, Islam, and Sikhism. Hindus are represented by both the reformist Arya Samaj and the traditionalist Sanatana dharmi Hindus. The former are followers of the Indian religious reformer Swami Dayananda Saraswati (1824–1883). The reformist movement founded in 1875 in Bombay (now Mumbai) appeared to be more successful outside India, particularly in Fiji, rather than in the country of origin. The Arya Samajists advocate the revival of Vedic religion, though their interpretation of this religion is different from that of the traditionalists. The latter in the diaspora are united under the umbrella name of Sanatana Dharma, or the true religion. Both branches of Hinduism in Fiji have their temples, educational [Page 403]institutions, missions, and charity organizations. The Hindu sect of Kabir Panthis also has its branches in Fiji.

Muslims of South Asian origin in Fiji are both Sunnīs and Shi'i, traditionalists (Barelvis) and reformists (Deobandis). The Ahmadiyya sect in Islam is also present in Fiji.

Sikhs represent one of the largest communities of Indo-Fijians. They have their worship centers (gurdwaras) in many Fijian cities. The Sahajdhari Sikhs are popularly known as “shaven Sikhs” because they do not maintain the traditional Sikh appearance of the beard and turban. This group is distinct from the Keshdhari, or “bearded Sikhs.” In Fiji, there is no apparent conflict between the groups despite their different styles of observance.

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