Joni Madraiwiwi - Fijian Quotes

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We all belong to this country, what are we going to call ourselves? Recognizing the sensibilities of most indigenous people here about the term 'Fijian', let us find some other name. But let us not leave it unresolved because it is an important symbol of belonging here.

Joni Madraiwiwi
They (Indo-Fijians) came as indentured laborers to this land and were treated harshly. They had little reason to be grateful to their colonial masters and like the indigenous Fijians. The British crown colony of Fiji was funded in part from their toil, yet they were treated like second-class citizens.

Joni Madraiwiwi
I trust you will bear in mind the deeply-held fears and insecurities Fijian have as an ethnic community. This is a subject I dwell on repeatedly because, while I do not share them, I am sufficiently Fijian to appreciate the depths of these emotions.

Joni Madraiwiwi
In order to build a common identity, we must find a name with which all of us are comfortable. While I personally have no problem with the term 'Fijian', I recognize many others in my community are not. But let us not leave it there, let us find other options.

Joni Madraiwiwi
Not five generations distant, Fijians were cannibalizing each other. The missionaries and the colonial administration imposed a veneer of civilization on their native subjects. However, it is not apparent that they imparted to them any profound understanding of the process involved in the maintenance and upholding of the law.

Joni Madraiwiwi
There is some suggestion that the Fijian model ought to be adopted as being the first people, the host culture, the landowners and the majority of the population. I have no issue with that proposition, so long as it is acceptable to all other communities as well.

Joni Madraiwiwi
To say that power should have been returned to the Fijian chiefs is to ignore what occurred between 1874 and 1970.

Joni Madraiwiwi
This was to no doubt reaffirm Indo-Fijian bravery, they suffered greatly under indenture and were often unfairly and needlessly provoked. They bore it with fortitude and grace.

Joni Madraiwiwi