WEAVING THE COMMUNITY:
AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF A FIJIAN VILLAGE
by Stephanie Sienkiewicz

Conclusion

Conclusion
Works Cited

To understand the Fijian lifestyle, one must first comprehend the relationship between the individual and the community. Within Fijian society, the individual is not an autonomous disconnected entity. A person is less an entity than a point in the community where various relationships intersect. The individual is a composition of all his/her relations. For this reason, a meeting between two people is seen as the point of connection of two communities. Interaction between individuals is always framed as interaction between groups.

Hierarchy works as the means of control for this group living. A chief represents the entire community. He is the apex of the village and everyone should respect his position. Everyone has their location within the hierarchy. Fijian culture emphasizes that each person has a set role to act out and each role has its own particular social status. People accord less respect to people who are lower than them on the hierarchy. Elders have more status than youth and men have more status than women. It is also the case that those with higher social status are responsible for maintaining the hierarchy since people see them as the bearers of tradition.

Kinship rules demonstrate the divide between those with higher status and those with lower status. As each person has a set place in the community, so is each person related to each other person in an exact way. Kin relations are always defined and there are rules as to how one should treat his/her different relations. These methods of treatment reinforce the overall hierarchy of the community.

An individual is connected so strongly to his/her community because Fijians live in small tightly knit villages. Because the same people live in close proximity to each other, often work together, attend church together, and celebrate ceremonies together, there is a strong communal spirit and law in the village. Fijians work toward a communal goal. Doing something for one's own selfish desires is considered improper and non-Fijian.

Communal life provides for its members. Since each person sees him/herself as part of the whole, he/she does not need to be concerned for his/her own downfall because he/she knows that the community is there for support. This situation is reflected in the economic life of the village. Villagers do not pay a great deal of attention to how much money they make or spend per year or over some such long term. This is because villagers focus on reinforcing social ties whenever possible. Economic means are one way to do this. If a Fijian person makes a great deal of money, he/she is expected to distribute some of that wealth to relatives. Or a person might perform a job for another for less money than it should cost in order to reinforce the tie between him/herself and that fellow community member.

The communal ties which bind people together and provide support for villagers can also have an oppressive effect. People must act according to the rules that their culture and those above them on the hierarchy impose. Those with lower status usually resent these restrictions more so than those with higher status. Higher status people tend to look at their own personal actions as the result of their free will rather than in agreement with society's rules.

At times, communal life may be overbearing for villagers. It is often the case that people seek escape from the life of hierarchy and social status. They may seek out alternative religions or involve themselves in sub-groups of the community which allow them an egalitarian atmosphere for some time during their days. This is an outlet from their normal existence within those communal regulations.

Community life in a Fijian village dominates individuals. People act for the good of the community, and as representatives of their community. As people give to the community, it supports them and fulfills their needs. They must act according to their position in society. In return, they enjoy the security of group living.

Works Cited

Becker, Anne E. 1995. Body, Self, and Society. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.

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

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