Rotuma is a
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
an
dependency, consisting of Rotuma Island and nearby islets. The island group is home to a large and unique Polynesian indigenous
ethnic group
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
which constitutes a recognisable minority within the population of Fiji, known as "
Rotumans
The Rotumans are a Polynesian ethnic group native to Rotuma, an island group forming part of Fiji. The island itself is a cultural melting pot at the crossroads of the Micronesian, Melanesian and Polynesian divisions of the Pacific Ocean, and ...
". Its population at the 2017
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...
was 1,594, although many more Rotumans live on mainland Fijian islands, totaling 10,000.
Geography and geology
![Fiji map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Fiji_map.png)
The Rotuma group of volcanic
island
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
s are located (
Suva
Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...
to
Ahau) north of
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
. Rotuma Island itself is long and wide, with a land area of approximately , making it
the 12th-largest of the Fiji islands. The island is bisected by an isthmus into a larger eastern part and a western
peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
. The isthmus is low and narrow, only wide, and is the site of Motusa village (
Itutiu district). North of the isthmus is Maka Bay, and in the south is Hapmafau Bay. There is a large population of
coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...
reefs in these bays, and there are boat passages through them.
Rotuma is a
shield volcano
A shield volcano is a type of volcano named for its low profile, resembling a warrior's shield lying on the ground. It is formed by the eruption of highly fluid (low viscosity) lava, which travels farther and forms thinner flows than the more v ...
made of alkali-olivine
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
and
hawaiite
Hawaiite is an olivine basalt with a composition between alkali basalt and mugearite. It was first used as a name for some lavas found on the island of Hawaii.
It occurs during the later stages of volcanic activity on oceanic islands such as Haw ...
, with many small cones. It reaches above sea level at Mount Suelhof, near the center of the island. Satarua Peak, high, lies near the eastern end of the island. While they are very secluded from much of Fiji proper, the large reef and untouched beaches are renowned as some of the most beautiful in the Kingdom of Fiji.
There are several islands that lie between and distant from the main island, but are still within the fringing reef. They are:
*
Solnohu
Solnohu or Sol Nohu, also known as Solnoho, Solnahu and Solnahou, is a small crescent-shaped uninhabited island in the Rotuma Group of Fiji. The island is of special importance in Rotuman and Tongan funerary customs.
Geography
Solnohu is th ...
(south)
*
Solkope
Solkope is a small and densely wooded island off the southern coast of Rotuma in the Fiji Islands, at the edge of the fringing coral reef. It is separated from the main island of Rotuma by a channel that is between 50 and 200 m wide, and lies imm ...
and
Sari'i (southeast)
*
Afgaha and
Husia Rua Husia may refer to:
* Husia, a village administered by the town of Jibou, Romania
* Husia, an island in the Rotuma Group of Fiji
{{Geodis ...
(far southeast)
*
Husia (Husiatiu) and
Husiameamea (close southeast)
*
Hạuameamea and
Hạua (Hạuatiu) (close together northeast).
There is also a separate chain of islands that lie between and to the northwest and west of Rotuma Island. In order, from northeast to southwest, these are:
*
Uea UEA may stand for:
Universities
* University of East Africa, established in June 1963 and split, in 1970, into:
** Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda
** University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania
** University of Nairobi in Kenya
* University of ...
*
Hạfhai
*
Hạfhahoi
*
Hạfhaveiaglolo
*
Hatana
*
Hạfliua.
The geological features of this island contribute to its national significance, as outlined in Fiji's Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.
Climate
Flora and fauna
![Mofmanu beach in Motusa, Rotuma](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Mofmanu_beach_in_Motusa%2C_Rotuma.jpg)
A area covering the main island and its small satellite islets is the Rotuma
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
. The Important Bird Area covers the entire range of the
vulnerable Rotuma myzomela, and the Rotuman subspecies of
Polynesian starling
The Polynesian starling (''Aplonis tabuensis'') is a species of starling of the family Sturnidae. It is found in the Samoan Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tonga, the Santa Cruz Islands and Wallis and Futuna. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropica ...
and
Fiji shrikebill
The Fiji shrikebill (''Clytorhynchus vitiensis'') is a songbird species in the family Monarchidae. It is found in American Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Taxonomy and systematics
T ...
. Rotuma also supports isolated outlying populations of
Crimson-crowned fruit dove
The crimson-crowned fruit dove (''Ptilinopus porphyraceus'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It is found in American Samoa, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tonga, and Wallis and Futuna Islands. Its natural habitats are subt ...
and
Polynesian triller
The Polynesian triller (''Lalage maculosa'') is a passerine bird belonging to the triller genus ''Lalage'' in the cuckoo-shrike family Campephagidae. It has numerous subspecies distributed across the islands of the south-west Pacific.
It is 15 t ...
. The offshore islets of Haatana, Hofliua and Hatawa have nationally significant seabird colonies.
History
Linguistic evidence
The first settlers on the island of Rotuma were from Tahiti. Whereby after the Samoan and Tongan invasion they created the current unique Rotuman language in order to understand each other. Linguists include the
Rotuman language
Rotuman, also referred to as ''Rotunan'', ''Rutuman'' or ''Fäeag Rotuạm'' (citation form: ''Faega Rotuma''), is an Austronesian language spoken by the indigenous people of the South Pacific island group of Rotuma, an island with a Polynesia ...
in a subgroup with the languages of western Fiji, but Rotuman also has a large number of Polynesian loanwords, indicating later contact with
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
and
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
.
Origins per linguistic evidence and oral history
According to linguistic evidence, the original inhabitants of Rotuma came from Borabora (Tahiti). Later Rotuma appears to have been invaded by Samoa. Still, according to the island's (apparently erroneous)
oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people wh ...
the first settlers of the islands came from Samoa, led by a man named Raho. The island's oral history further states that shortly afterwards additional settlers also arrived from Tonga, Tahiti, Niue, Wallis & Futuna, Tuvalu and other adjacent islands.
Historical Tongan and Samoan invasions
In the 1850s and 1860s, the Tongan prince
Ma'afu claimed possession of Rotuma and sent his subordinates to administer the main island and its neighboring islets.
In 1896, the scholar Friedrich Ratzel recorded a Samoan legend about Samoans’ relationship to Rotuma:
"Thus the Samoans relate that one of their chiefs fished in the vicinity of Rotuma and then planted coco-palms on the main island. In a later migration the chief Tokaniua came that way with a canoe full of men and quarrelled with the Samoan chief Raho about who had the right of possession."
European contact
Tupaia’s Map is among the most important artifacts to have come from late 18th-century European–Indigenous encounters in the South Pacific region. Depicting, in Epeli Hau‘ofa’s terms,1 a ‘sea of islands’ extending for more than 7,000 km from Rapa Nui in the east to Rotuma in the west and more than 5,000 km from Hawai‘i in the north to New Zealand in the south.The earliest known confirmed
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an sighting of Rotuma was in 1791, when
Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Edward Edwards and the crew of
HMS ''Pandora'' landed in search of sailors who had disappeared following the
Mutiny on the Bounty
The mutiny on the Royal Navy vessel occurred in the South Pacific Ocean on 28 April 1789. Disaffected crewmen, led by acting-Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, seized control of the ship from their captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and set h ...
. Some scholars have suggested that the first European to sight the island was, instead,
Pedro Fernandes de Queirós
Pedro Fernandes de Queirós ( es, Pedro Fernández de Quirós) (1563–1614) was a Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain. He is best known for his involvement with Spanish voyages of discovery in the Pacific Ocean, in particular the 1595–1 ...
: His description of an island he sighted is consistent with the characteristics and location of Rotuma. However, this possibility has not been conclusively substantiated.
Mid-19th century
A favorite of whaling ships in need of reprovisioning, in the mid-nineteenth century Rotuma also became a haven for runaway sailors, some of whom were escaped convicts. Some of these deserters married local women and contributed their genes to an already heterogeneous pool; others met violent ends, reportedly at one another's hands. The first recorded whaleship to visit was the ''Loper'' in 1825, and the last known visit was by the ''
Charles W. Morgan'' in 1894. Rotuma was visited as part of the
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...
in 1840.
Cession to Britain
Wesleyan
Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles W ...
missionaries from
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
arrived on Rotuma in June 1841, followed by
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Marists
The Society of Mary ( la, Societas Mariae) abbreviated SM, commonly known as the Marist Fathers, is a men's Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right. It was founded by Jean-Claude Colin and a group of seminarians in ...
in 1847. The Roman Catholic missionaries withdrew in 1853 but returned in 1868. Conflicts between the two groups, fuelled by previous political rivalries among the chiefs of Rotuma's seven districts, resulted in hostilities that led the local chiefs in 1879 to ask
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
to annex the island group. On 13th May 1881, Rotuma was officially ceded to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, when the British flag was hoisted by Mr.Hugh Romilly. The event is annually celebrated as
Rotuma Day.
Demographics
Although the island has been politically part of Fiji since 1881, Rotumans are Polynesians and their culture more closely resembles that of the
Polynesia
Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...
n islands to the east, most noticeably
Tahiti
Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austr ...
,
Tonga
Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...
,
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...
,
Futuna, and
Uvea
The uvea (; Lat. ''uva'', "grape"), also called the ''uveal layer'', ''uveal coat'', ''uveal tract'', ''vascular tunic'' or ''vascular layer'' is the pigmented middle of the three concentric layers that make up an eye.
History and etymolog ...
. Because of their Polynesian appearance and distinctive
language
Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...
, Rotumans now constitute a recognizable minority group within the Republic of Fiji. The great majority of Rotumans (9,984 according to the 2007 Fiji census) now live elsewhere in Fiji, with 1,953 Rotumans remaining on Rotuma.
Rotumans
The Rotumans are a Polynesian ethnic group native to Rotuma, an island group forming part of Fiji. The island itself is a cultural melting pot at the crossroads of the Micronesian, Melanesian and Polynesian divisions of the Pacific Ocean, and ...
are culturally conservative and maintain their customs in the face of changes brought about by increased contact with the outside world. As recently as 1985, some 85 percent of Rotumans voted against opening the island up to
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
, wary of the influence of Western tourists. P&O Cruises landed on the island twice in the 1980s.
Notable Rotumans and people of Rotuman descent
* Robin E. Mitchell, Robin Everett Mitchell">Riamkau was the next-to-last Fakpure -->
* Robin E. Mitchell, Robin Everett Mitchell
: president of the Association of National Olympic Committees; the Oceania National Olympic Committee; and “Olympic Solidarity.”
*Paul Manueli: former commander of the Royal Fiji Military Forces; Fiji cabinet minister; senator; successful businessman
*Jioji Konrote: president of Fiji (from 2015 to 2021); former high commissioner to Australia
*
Marieta Rigamoto
Marieta Rigamoto (born ) is a former Fijian civil servant, politician and Cabinet Minister.
Education and early career
Rigamoto was educated at Dudley High School, and subsequently graduated with a Diploma in Tropical Agriculture from the Fij ...
: former Fiji information minister
*
Daniel Fatiaki
Taniela (Daniel) Vafo'ou Fatiaki CF (born 1954 in Upu, Motusa District, Rotuma) was the Chief Justice of Fiji from 1 August 2002, when he succeeded Sir Timoci Tuivaga, till 5 December 2008. As Chief Justice, he presided over both the High Co ...
:
Chief Justice of Fiji
The chief justice is Fiji's highest judicial officer. The office and its responsibilities are set out in Chapter 5 of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. The Chief Justice is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister
Prime Mi ...
*
Seán Óg and
Setanta Ó hAilpín
Setanta Ó hAilpín (born 18 March 1983) is a Fijian-Irish sportsman. He played hurling at senior level for the Cork county team before becoming a professional Australian rules footballer. Ó hAilpín is of mixed Irish and Rotuman backgroun ...
(brothers of Rotuman descent): Irish sportsmen
*
John Sutton:
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...
player
*
Vilsoni Hereniko
Vilsoni Hereniko (born October 13, 1954) is a Rotuman playwright, film director and academic. He was the writer and director of Rotuma's first ever (and so far only) feature film, ''The Land Has Eyes'' (''Pear ta ma 'on maf'').
Biography
Hereniko ...
: playwright; film director
*
Sapeta Taito: actress (''
The Land Has Eyes
''The Land Has Eyes'' ( Rotuman: ''Pear ta ma ʻon maf'') is a 2004 Rotuman film written and directed by Vilsoni Hereniko. It is the first ever (and so far only) feature film from Rotuma.
Plot
The main character, Viki ( Sapeta Taito), is a young ...
'')
*
Jono Gibbes
Jonathan Brian Gibbes (born 22 January 1977) is a rugby union former player and coach. He is a former New Zealand rugby union player who captained , the Chiefs and the Māori All Blacks, and appeared in various All Blacks teams. He is the form ...
(of Rotuman descent on his mother’s side): New Zealand rugby union player
*
Rocky Khan
Rocky Khan (born 6 May 1989 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand rugby union player. He plays on the wing, flyhalf and fullback in 15's rugby or at halfback in 7's rugby.
Khan studied at Edendale Primary School, Balmoral Intermediate an ...
(of Rotuman descent on his mother’s side): New Zealand Rugby Union player
*
Graham Dewes
Graham Charles Dewes (born 24 January 1982 in Suva) is a Fijian rugby union player. He plays as a prop.
Career
Dewes got his first cap for Fiji on 26 May 2007 in a 30–15 win over Japan. He was a member of the Fiji squad that entered the 2 ...
: Fiji Rugby Union player
*
Daniel Rae Costello
Daniel Rae Costello (17 June 1961 – 22 July 2019) was a Fijian-born musician based in Samoa. He died on 22 July 2019 of cancer.
Personal life
Born in Suva, Fiji, Costello, along with his brother, attended high school in Whangārei, New Zealan ...
(of Rotuman descent): Fijian-born musician
*
Rebecca Tavo
Rebecca Tavo (born 23 March 1983) is a former Australian triple international. She has represented Australia in rugby league, rugby sevens and touch. She has captained the Australian women's sevens team. She competed for Australia at the 200 ...
(has a Rotuman father): Australian touch-rugby player
*
Selina Hornibrook
Selina May Hornibrook (née Gilsenan born 31 May 1978) is a retired Australian netball player. Hornibrook has Rotuman ancestry from her mother.
Career
After a successful year playing in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy premiership-winning team in ...
(has a Rotuman mother): former Australian netball player
*
Ngaire Fuata
Ngaire Fuata is a New Zealand Television producer for TVNZ and a former Pop singer. She is of Rotuman and Dutch descent.
Personal life
Born in England, Fuata later migrated to New Zealand with her parents at a young age. She grew up in Whakat ...
(has a Rotuman father): New Zealand television producer and singer
*
Pene Erenio
Pene Erenio (born 20 January 1981) in Fiji is a footballer who plays as a midfielder. He currently plays for Savusavu in the Senior League (Second Tier) and the Fiji national football team
The Fiji national football team is Fiji' ...
: top Fiji soccer player (Savusavu)
*
Ravai Fatiaki
Ravai Fatiaki (born 1 March 1987) is a Fijian rugby union player who plays for Leicester Tigers in England's Premiership Rugby. He plays as a centre or fly-half.
Biography
Fatiaki's older brother of Fred, coached the former Assistant Ministe ...
: Fiji Rugby Union player
*
Sofia Tekela-Smith
Sofia Tekela-Smith (born 1960) is a New Zealand artist specialising in jewellery and body adornments. Her work is held in the permanent collections of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Life
Tekela-Sm ...
(raised on Rotuma by her grandmother): New Zealand artist
*
David Eggleton (of Rotuman descent on his mother’s side): Poet Laureate of New Zealand
*
Fred Fatiaki
Fred Fatiaki is a Fijian Paralympic athlete, athletics coach and official. He coached the first Fijian and Pacific Islander to ever win a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Iliesa Delana who he had been coaching since 2006.
In 2013 he won ...
: coach
*
Lee Roy Atalifo: Fiji Rugby Union player
Politics and society
In 1881 a group of Rotuman chiefs travelled to Levuka, Ovalau, Fiji, to meet Queen Victoria's official representative to complete the process of secession. A memorial to the seven chiefs and their mission is located in the District of Itutiu. In response to the secession, Queen Victoria bestowed the name of Albert on the paramount chief at the time - Gagaj Vaniak - in honour of her beloved husband, Prince Albert, who had died twenty years before.
After Rotuma was ceded to the United Kingdom, it was governed as part of the Colony of Fiji. Rotuma remained with Fiji after Fiji's independence in 1970 and the military coups of 1987.
Sociopolitical organization
Rotuma is divided into seven autonomous districts, each with its own chief (
Gagaj es Ituu), with villages:
#
Noatau (extreme southeast): Fekeioko, Maragteu, Fafiasina, Matuea, Ututu, Kalvaka
#
Oinafa (east): Oinafa, Lopta, Paptea
#
Itutiu (west, but east of western peninsula): Savlei, Lạu, Feavại, Tuạkoi, Motusa, Hapmak, Losa, Fapufa, Ahạu (Government Station)
#
Malhaha
Malhaha is one of the seven districts on the island of Rotuma, a dependency of Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania ...
(north): Pepheua, Elsee, Elsio
#
Juju (south): Tuại, Haga, Juju
#
Pepjei
Pepjei is one of the seven districts on the island of Rotuma, a dependency of Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania i ...
(southeast): Ujia, Uạnheta, Avave
#
Itumuta (western peninsula): Maftoa, Lopo
The district chiefs and elected district representatives make up the
Rotuma Island Council
Rotuma is a Fijian dependency, consisting of Rotuma Island and nearby islets. The island group is home to a large and unique Polynesian indigenous ethnic group which constitutes a recognisable minority within the population of Fiji, known as " ...
. The districts are divided into subgroupings of households (hoaga) that function as work groups under the leadership of a subchief (gagaj es hoaga). All district headmen and the majority of hoaga headmen are titled. In addition, some men hold titles without headship (as tög), although they are expected to exercise leadership roles in support of the district headman. Titles, which are held for life, belong to specified house sites (fuạg ri). All the descendants of previous occupants of a fuạg ri have a right to participate in the selection of successors to titles.
On formal occasions titled men and dignitaries such as ministers and priests, government officials, and distinguished visitors occupy a place of honor. They are ceremonially served food from special baskets and kava. In the daily routine of Village life, however, they are not especially privileged. As yet no significant class distinctions based on wealth or control of resources have emerged, but investments in elaborate housing and motor vehicles by a few families have led to visible differences in standard of living.
Political organization
At the time of arrival by Europeans there were three pan-Rotuman political positions created by the Samoan invaders: the
fakpure, the
sạu, and the mua. The fakpure acted as convener and presiding officer over the council of district headmen and was responsible for appointing the sạu and ensuring that he was cared for properly. The fakpure was headman of the District that headed the alliance that had won the last war. The sạu's role was to take part in the ritual cycle, oriented toward ensuring prosperity, as an object of veneration. Early European visitors referred to the sạu as "king", but he actually had no secular power. The position of sạu was supposed to rotate between districts, and a breach of this custom was considered to be incitement to war. The role of mua is more obscure, but like the sạu, he was an active participant in the ritual cycle. According to some accounts the mua acted as a kind of high priest.
Following Christianization in the 1860s, the offices of sạu and mua were terminated. Colonial administration involved the appointment by the governor of Fiji of a Resident Commissioner (after 1935, a
District Officer) to Rotuma. He was advised by a council composed of the district chiefs. In 1940 the council was expanded to include an elected representative from each district and the Assistant Medical Practitioner. Following Fiji's independence in 1970, the council assumed responsibility for the internal governance of Rotuma, with the District Officer assigned to an advisory role. Up until the first coup, Rotuma was represented in the Fiji legislature by a single senator.
Administratively, Rotuma is fully incorporated into Fiji, but with
local government
Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
so tailored as to give the island a measure of autonomy greater than that enjoyed by other political subdivisions of Fiji. Rotuma has the status of a Dependency, and its administrative
capital
Capital may refer to:
Common uses
* Capital city, a municipality of primary status
** List of national capital cities
* Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences
* Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...
is
Ahạu in the district of Itutiu, where the "tariạgsạu" (traditionally the name of the sạu's palace) meeting house for the Council of Rotuma is based.
At the national level, Fijian citizens of Rotuman descent elect one representative to the Fijian
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
, and the Council of Rotuma nominates one representative to the
Fijian Senate. Rotuma is also represented in the influential
Great Council of Chiefs
The Great Council of Chiefs ''(Bose Levu Vakaturaga'' in Fijian) was a constitutional body in Fiji from 1876 to March 2012. In April 2007, the council was suspended, due to an unworkable relationship with Frank Bainimarama, leader of an "interi ...
by three representatives chosen by the Council of Rotuma. For electoral purposes, Rotumans were formerly classified as
Fijians
Fijians ( fj, iTaukei, lit=Owners (of the land)) are a nation and ethnic group native to Fiji, who speak Fijian and share a common history and culture.
Fijians, or ''iTaukei'', are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands, and live ...
, but when the
Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When ...
was revised in 1997–1998, they were granted separate representation at their own request. (The majority of seats in Fiji's House of Representatives are allocated on a
communal basis to Fiji's various
ethnic groups
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
) In addition, Rotuma forms part (along with
Taveuni
Taveuni (pronounced ) is the third-largest island in Fiji, after Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, with a total land area of . The cigar-shaped island, a massive shield volcano which rises from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, is situated to the east of ...
and the
Lau Islands
The Lau Islands aka little Tonga (also called the Lau Group, the Eastern Group, the Eastern Archipelago) of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about sixty islands and islets, about thirty ...
) of the
Lau Taveuni Rotuma Open Constituency, one of 25 constituencies whose representatives are chosen by
universal suffrage
Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stanc ...
.
Social control
The ''hoaga'', a kinship community, was the basic residential unit in pre-contact Rotuma.
The basis for social control is a strong socialization emphasis on social responsibility and a sensitivity to shaming. Gossip serves as a mechanism for sanctioning deviation, but the most powerful deterrent to antisocial behavior is an abiding belief in imminent justice, that supernatural forces (the atua or spirits of ancestors) will punish wrongdoing. Rotumans are a rather gentle people; violence is extremely rare and serious crimes nearly nonexistent.
Conflict
Prior to cession, warfare, though conducted on a modest scale, was endemic in Rotuma. During the colonial era political rivalries were muted, since power was concentrated in the offices of Resident Commissioner and District Officer. Following Fiji's independence, however, interdistrict rivalries were again given expression, now in the form of political contention. Following the second coup, when Fiji left the
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is a political association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Co ...
, a segment of the Rotuman population, known as the "Mölmahao Clan" of
Noatau rejected the council's decision to remain with the newly declared republic. Arguing that Rotuma had been ceded to the United Kingdom and not to Fiji, these rebels declared in 1987 independence of
Republic of Rotuma and were charged with sedition. It did not have any substantive support, majority opinion appears to favor remaining with Fiji, but rumblings of discontent remain.
See also
*
List of volcanoes in Fiji
This is a list of active and extinct volcanoes in Fiji.
References
*Islands of Fiji Island Directory, United Nations Environment Programme
{{Fiji topics
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), offic ...
*
Rotuma Airport
*
Rotuman New Zealanders
References
Islands of Fiji Island Directory, United Nations Environment Programme
*A.M. Hocart, Notes on Rotuman Grammar, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, London, 1919, 252.
External links
Rotuma website- an exhaustive website on all things Rotuman by anthropologists Alan Howard and Jan Rensel
The Land Has Eyes- an award-winning film set in Rotuma made by Rotumans.
Rotuman Hafa- Rotuman dance (see also
Tautoga
The tautoga (pronounced ) is considered the most formal and restrained style of Rotuman dance, usually seen performed in large festivities or ceremonies (called '' kato'aga'', a term summing up all traditional Rotuman ceremonies), or in public opp ...
)
Amateur radio- Amateur radio operations from Rotuma, with information on Rotuman history, culture, flora, fauna, geography, etc.; lengthy bibliography.
General information, energy supplyThe Vertebrates of Rotuma and Surrounding Waters, by George R. Zug, Victor G. Springer, Jeffrey T. Wiliams and G. David Johnson, Atoll Research Bulletin, No. 316
{{authority control
Rotuma Group
Geography of Polynesia
Islands of Fiji
Volcanoes of Fiji
Shield volcanoes
Divisions of Fiji
States and territories established in 1881
1881 establishments in the British Empire
Preliminary Register of Sites of National Significance in Fiji
Important Bird Areas of Fiji
Island countries