Fiji’s indentured labourers: An introduction to the Fiji Girmitiyas

The British government introduced the indentured labour system in 1835, following the abolition of African slavery. This system brought Indian labourers to work on plantations in various colonies, including Fiji. From 1879 to 1916, Indian labourers in Fiji faced harsh conditions, low wages, social problems and violence in Fiji. The indentured labourers who came to Fiji were recruited primarily from North India, where village Panchayati rule, caste oppression, drought and unemployment dominated the lives of mainly the Indian agricultural caste. The recruitment process from India to Fiji was often deceptive, with recruiters misleading labourers about the conditions in Fiji and the proximity of the colony to India. Living conditions in Fiji were treacherous, with an inadequate diet, lack of proper sanitation and privacy, and an environment rife with physical violence and sexual abuse, resulting in disillusionment and revolt. The system also led to the breakdown of the caste system and significant psychological issues among labourers, including rage, guilt and suicide. The low female-to-male ratio exacerbated sexual jealousy and violence on the plantation. The stories of exploitation of indenture were used by anti-British Raj activists in India and in the sugar colonies to end the indenture system in 1917, with all indenture agreements ended by 1920. In Fiji, a majority chose to live in the colony as their adopted home and demanded equal political rights with the Europeans.