What’s in a Demonym? A Note on a New and Uplifting Ethnonym

Abstract

Ethnicity is all important in Fiji, and labels for the different ethnic groups are a constant source of debate. A significant proportion of Fiji’s population are descendants of indentured laborers from the Indian subcontinent. An appropriate name for these citizens has for a long time been a contentious issue. In 2017 a new name was proposed; one that signals the beginning of a change in attitude. This note reports on the new name.

Keywords:

• Fiji
• Fijian
• Indo-Fijian
• ethnicity
• demonym

Notes

1. A vanua (broadly translated as “land”) is a concept that encompasses a number of inter-related meanings. In the sense it is used here, it refers to the land area with which a person is identified. It is a confederation of several yavusa (“clans” established through descent from a common ancestor). See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanua

2. Standard Fijian has five pairs of vowels, long and short /i, e, a, o, u/, seven diphthongs /iu, ei, eu, oi, ou, ai, au/, and 18 consonants /p, t, k, ^mb, ⁿd, ^ŋɡ, f, s, β, ð, m, n, ŋ, ⁿr, l, r, y, w/. Orthographic b = /^mb/, d = /ⁿd/, q = /^ŋɡ/, v = /β/, c = /ð/, g = /ŋ/, r = /ⁿr/, j = /tʃ/~/ⁿdʒ/, and y = /j/.

3. Girmit from “agreement (of indenture)”.

4. A person of mixed Fijian and European parentage.

5. Throughout the Pacific, the term “European” is used to refer to any Caucasian (or so-called “white person”), not necessarily someone from Europe.

6. Literally “Land-owner”, a Fijian term to refer to Indigenous people in general.

7. Literally, “a person in between”.