LIFE IN A FIJIAN VILLAGE:
THE STRUGGLE OF SELF AND COMMUNITY
by Megan Lee

Conclusion

Conclusion
Works Cited

Fijian society is dominated by a share and care mentality that revolves around a common theme of creating group solidarity and fulfilling the needs of individuals through the larger kin group. The structure of Fijian society dictates an individual's role in the larger group. Ideally, an individual's actions should always be made in consideration for the larger kin group. This structure does not create an environment in which individuality and personal autonomy are encouraged. The patriline and hierarchy of the society dictate that each person has an assigned role that he or she is required to perform in order for the society to function properly. However, individuals often look for ways to create some autonomy in their lives.

The share and care ideology revolves around an intricate series of respect and avoidance relationships. The social structure dictates how each individual is required to act towards other people. How grown sisters and brothers are expected to avoid each other and the way a woman must avoid her father-in-law are examples of avoidance relationships as signs of respect and are dictated by the individual's position in the social structure.

The social organization of the village, however, differs from the structure of the village. In order to find some sense of autonomy and individuality, the relationships between some members of the community do not follow what is dictated by the structure of the society. I often saw married sisters and brothers eating and talking together. A young woman I knew treated her father-in-law in the same way she treated her own father, with respect but not to the point of avoidance as the social structure dictates. These departures from what is expected by the social structure can be seen as attempts to find individuality by the members of the community.

A desire to find individuality and autonomy is apparent in all aspects of Fijian village life. The traditional economic system epitomizes the share and care mentality, in that items held value socially, not monetarily, and were exchanged to promote social relations between groups. With the introduction of a Western economy, the monetary demands placed on Fijians has increased. As it becomes harder for people to meet traditional demands, a feeling has arisen among some members of the community that the traditional system needs to be changed in order for individuals to meet their own needs before contributing to the larger society. The people who hold this opinion are usually those who have the least amount of money and therefore cannot benefit from the traditional system. This disenchantment with the traditional system has created in some individuals the desire to place personal needs and wants before those of the larger group, a major departure from the traditional economic system, in which the needs of the group always came before those of the individual. Although everyone feels it is crucial to maintain the traditional share and care ideology, some also feel that with increasing financial demands placed on them, it is necessary to modify the system so that those who have less are not forced to give more than they can afford.

Major life altering events are marked by a series of rituals and ceremonies, that in keeping with the share and care mentality, focus not on the needs of the individual, but again, on the needs of the larger kin group to which the individual belongs and is responsible to. These ceremonies revolve around creating group solidarity through the individual. As one moves from one role or social status to another, the bonds that were created between the groups to which he belongs are reaffirmed and strengthened. This is done through a series of exchanges by the elders or highest ranking men of each group. Because these ceremonies do not focus on the individual but rather on the group as a whole, the individual may not feel a sense of fulfillment through his role in the group. As a result, individuals often try to find ways to gain a sense of individualism in their own life. However, through their actions in the larger group some people are able to find a sense of individuality. By contributing willingly to the group, many feel a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment. Young, married women, as an example, find personal fulfillment through their children. By caring for and celebrating their children's lives, they find a sense of fulfillment and autonomy in their own lives. Beginning a family and living in their own home with their husband and children gives these women, who do not have a high social status in the community, a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

Religion plays an important role in the social structure of the Fijian community. The structure of the Methodist church parallels that of the larger society. Like the society in general, in order to gain respect and within the church, one must perform in his role and rise through the ranks using the proper channels. Therefore, people who do not feel satisfied with the larger society, often do not find fulfillment within the structure of the Methodist church either. Many people feel that Methodism is only a series of empty rituals, performed in order to find acceptance within the larger community. The teachings of the Methodist church are not adhered to in everyday life, and therefore the church is not fulfilling its role in bringing people closer to God. In order to find a more fulfilling personal religious experience, many people find it necessary to look outside the Methodist church. Many people feel that the structure of the other sects offers more individuality and freedom to worship in the way the are most comfortable with and they feel offers them the best experience. Therefore, because the structure of the Methodist so closely parallels that of the society in general, a rejection of the Methodist church can also be seen as a rejection of the larger society, and therefore an assertion of their own individuality.

Some people, however, have been able to find a fulfilling experience through the Methodist church. In order to do so, one must be willing to rise through the ranks of the church and the social structure to come to a higher level of communalism to find God in their life and therefore a sense of autonomy and fulfillment.

The structure of Fijian society does not encourage individuality or personal autonomy. However, individuals have found ways to experience them within the larger framework of the society. In some instances, people have been able find a sense of autonomy within the larger group, as avoidance relationships and the actions of some young women indicate. Others however, have found it necessary, as in the case of religion, to depart from the established and accepted social structure in order to find personal fulfillment.

Works Cited

Nayacakalou, R. R. 1978. Tradition and Change in the Fijian Village. Suva, Fiji: South Pacific Social Sciences Association.

Ravuvu, A. 1983. The Fijian Way of Life. Suva, Fiji: University of the South Pacific.

Rika, N. 1975. Is Kinship Costly? In The Pacific Way: Social Issues in National Development. S. Tupouniua et al., eds. Suva, Fiji: South Pacific Social Science Association. Pp. 27-31.

Vusoniwailala, L. n.d. Communication, Social Identity and the Rising Cost of Fijian Communalism. Pacific Perspective. Vol. 12 No. 2.