In time, the right of the fa 'es ho'aga to distribute land gave way to the rights of household heads and their descendants. It is used to describe animal and plant species as well as human kinship, and it applies to personal kin who function during life-crisis ceremonies (e.g., the bride's relatives), as well as to descent-based landholding units (see section on land tenure). The Resurgence of Rivalry: Politics in Post-Colonial Rotuma.Dialectical Anthropology 14:145-158. This is considerably below their potential rate of increase, but we have no reason to anticipate that Rotuman fertility will increase significantly during the projection period. There is less agreement on several other points, however. Marriage. [back to text]. The only place I have seen the name is in a list of mua provided by Henry Gibson's great-grandmother, Akanisi (his FaFaMo), to A.M. Hocart in 1913. This right has either been attributed to the dominant district chief (fakpure) or to a council of district chiefs. Rotumans are generally noted as being of a light olive to medium brown complexion, with generally wavy black hair, although some individuals have naturally copper-ginger colouring to their hair. Coordinates: 12°30′S 177°4.8′E / 12.500°S 177.0800°E / -12.500; 177.0800. The precontact religion involved a combination of animism, ancestor worship, and pantheism. The Fiji Rotumans at that time expressed the view that someone appointed by the Council of Chiefs would be more respected, but the chiefs opted out and suggested that the people choose their own headman. When chiefs take on such responsibilities, especially if they are inept, their moral authority is undermined, subverting the dignity of Rotuman custom. [ 1] See Gardiner (1898:497); also Eason (1951:88, 122-123) [back to text], [ 2] This paper was prepared from published materials, unpublished archival sources and ongoing anthropological field work among Rotumans by Howard and Rensel. [10] Rotuma was visited as part of the United States Exploring Expedition in 1840. This will contribute to Rotumans' maintaining a relatively young population into the twenty-first century. At some point, after the options have been thoroughly debated and narrowed down to those that are practicable, a referendum might be held so that an accurate assessment can be made concerning Rotuman opinion. Colonial administration and the Rotuma district council. in the Suva/Lami area (64.1 percent in 1986). These were closed communities from a migratory viewpoint. [back to text], [ 20] Fiji Times, 10 June 1988, p. 13. Others make regular sojourns abroad, resulting in significant variations from month to month. The Paramount chief was granted the name of Albert by the Queen in honour of her husband Prince Albert who had died twenty years earlier. The consensus among the early reports is that the sau exercised no secular power and that his main tasks were to eat gluttonously, drink kava and take part in the six-month ritual cycle. [back to text], [ 7] Some commentary on the claims of Henry Gibson to the sauship and the title Lagfatmaro may be in order here. 1996 ke census me iske population 2810 rahaa. Although official counts in other countries do not enumerate Rotumans separately, data collected from Rotuma residents in 1989 and from Rotuman migrants to Australia, New Zealand and the United States in 1994 suggest that between 500 and 1,000 Rotumans live abroad. The Fiji Connection: Migrant Involvement in the Economy of Rotuma. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. to an all time low of 1,983 following a measles epidemic in 1911. It is clear from this figure that Rotumans have experienced explosive population growth since the 1920s, growing from a total population of 2,112 in 1921 to 8,652 in 1986. Following contact, cannons obtained from European vessels were sometimes used as grave markers. In general, women enjoy high status on Rotuma and while they do not serve as chiefs (although the idea is not inconceivable), they freely express opinions and exert considerable influence. Associated with each fuaq ri are sections of bush land, and membership in a given kainaga entitles one to rights in this land. Ii ek jagha article ke baare me ek chhota panna hae. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). A Recent Visit to Several of the Polynesian Islands. Rotuma is also represented in the influential Great Council of Chiefs by three representatives chosen by the Council of Rotuma. [back to text], [ 18] For an analysis of authority in Rotuman legends see Howard 1986. The main Rotuman handicrafts are Pandanus mats and baskets. A.M. Hocart, Notes on Rotuman Grammar, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, London, 1919, 252. It did not have any substantive support, majority opinion appears to favor remaining with Fiji, but rumblings of discontent remain. Rotuma in the 1990s: From Hinterland to Neighbourhood. Some chiefs have been accused of skimming funds from development projects in their districts, from ships' landing fees, and from cooperative and church accounts. . Titles 'belong' to the descendants of previous title holders. 2,061. with them--the population profile approaches that for the overall Rotuman In the context of Rotuman cultural logic, such excesses justify rebellion. Under colonial rule the Rotuman chiefs apparently expected to be granted privileges commensurate with those enjoyed by their Fijian counterparts (Howard 1966:69), but the new administration resisted increasing their powers beyond what was allowed by Rotuman custom. But while economic development has progressed slowly on the island, Rotumans elsewhere have continued to make their mark, not only in Fiji but abroad as well. Medicine. Although the dependency ratio is dropping on Rotuma, the percentage of the population 60 and over has more than doubled, from 4.3 percent (129 persons) in 1956 to 10 percent (258 persons) in 1986. Off-island Rotumans are heavily concentrated They lack the education and experience required to manage an expanding economy and to make informed choices concerning development opportunities. Howard. Internally, they are perceived by most Rotumans as self-interested and ineffective, lacking in moral authority. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. P&O Cruises landed on the island twice in the 1980s. Virtually all formal ritual at ceremonies involves chiefs; without them nearly everything that is distinctly Rotuman would disappear. The records show that in the first two decades following cession epidemics Rotuman oranges, for example, are famous for their quality and are extremely abundant, but as yet they have not been commercially exploited because of difficulties with storage and transportation. According to published accounts and unpublished reports by early visitors to Rotuma, family groups (or 'clans' as they are called in Rotuman-English vernacular) do not have the right to bestow the office of sau on individuals. only 30 percent of the total Rotuman population lived there. The term kainaga, in its most general sense, denotes common Membership in a class.