Fiji

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Humanities and Social Sciences


Selected Abstracts


POST-COLONIZATION INTERACTION BETWEEN VANUATU AND FIJI RECONSIDERED: THE RE-ANALYSIS OF OBSIDIAN FROM LAKEBA ISLAND, FIJI*

ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 1 2010
C. REEPMEYER
PIXE,PIGME analysis of 19 obsidian artefacts from Lakeba Island in east Fiji identified contact with northern Vanuatu in the post-colonization period (c. 2500,1000 bp) of Fiji. The Lakeba obsidian is the only physical evidence for interaction across the 850 km water gap separating the archipelagos of Vanuatu and Fiji in the first millennium ad. New research on the Vanuatu obsidian sources with laser ablation , inductively coupled plasma , mass spectrometry (LA,ICP,MS) casts serious doubt on the validity of a long-distance inter-archipelago connection in the post-Lapita era. This paper presents the re-analysis of 18 obsidian artefacts from Lakeba using LA,ICP,MS and radiogenic isotope results that demonstrate that the Lakeba obsidian is not from Vanuatu, and it most likely derives from the Fiji,Tonga region. Geochemical evidence for long-distance interaction and migration between the West and Central Pacific in the post-Lapita era has yet to be identified. [source]


Conflict resolution education in the Asian Pacific

CONFLICT RESOLUTION QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2007
Bruce E. Barnes
Conflict Resolution Education (CRE) is taking hold in the Oceania-Island Pacific-East Asia and Southeast Asia region. This article highlights several promising programs from New Zealand-Aotearoa, Singapore, Hong Kong, Fiji, and Australia. Peer mediation programs range from the Cool Schools programs present in more than half of all the schools in New Zealand to newer programs in Singapore. Restorative justice programs are operating in New Zealand, Australia, and Hong Kong. International efforts in both CR and CRE by universities in the region are discussed, highlighting regional centers in South Australia (uniSA) and Queensland (ACPACS). Information is also given about the Asia Pacific Mediation Forum, which will be presenting its third regional conference in June 2008 in Malaysia. [source]


Philopatry and Homing Behavior of Sea Snakes (Laticauda colubrina) from Two Adjacent Islands in Fiji

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2002
Sohan Shetty
Even in highly vagile species, local populations may comprise ecologically separate entities if most animals display strong and consistent site attachment. We conducted a mark-recapture study on yellow-lipped sea kraits ( Laticauda colubrina) on two small Fijian islands separated by 5.3 km. These snakes forage over many kilometers in the ocean, but return to land to reproduce, slough, and digest their food. Recovery of marked snakes showed that the populations on these two islands were essentially separate. Relocated snakes returned "home" almost immediately after they were released. Growth rates and mean adult body sizes of male sea snakes also differed between the two islands. This high site fidelity means that activities such as resort development or commercial harvesting for the skin trade are likely to have intense localized effects rather than diffuse broad-scale effects on sea snake populations. Our results also call into question the feasibility of plans to reintroduce snake populations to areas where a species has been eliminated by overexploitation. Resumen: La escala espacial a la que las perturbaciones antropogénicas afectan a una población de animales depende del grado de filopatría y de la búsqueda del hogar de individuos dentro de esta población. Aún en especies altamente móviles, las poblaciones locales pueden contener entidades ecológicamente separadas si la mayoría de los animales presentan un apego fuerte y consistente por un sitio. Llevamos a cabo un estudio de marcado-recaptura en las serpientes marinas de labios amarillos ( Laticauda colubrina) de dos islas pequeñas de Fiji, separadas por 5.3 km. Estas serpientes forrajean a lo largo de muchos kilómetros en el océano, pero regresan a tierra a reproducirse, mudar de piel y digerir su comida. La recuperación de serpientes mostró que las poblaciones en estas dos islas estaban substancialmente separadas. Las serpientes reubicadas regresaron a "casa" casi inmediatamente después de haber sido liberadas. Las tasas de crecimiento y el tamaño promedio de machos también difirieron entre las dos islas. Esta alta fidelidad al sitio significa que las actividades tales como el desarrollo de un centro turístico o de la cosecha comercial para el comercio de la piel son probablemente factores que tendrán efectos localizados en lugar de efectos difusos de amplia escala sobre las poblaciones de serpientes marinas. Nuestros resultados también cuestionan la viabilidad de planes para reintroducir poblaciones de serpientes en áreas donde una especie ha sido eliminada por sobreexplotación. [source]


Crafting Sociocentric Selves in Religious Discourse in Rural Fiji

ETHOS, Issue 4 2001
Associate Professor Karen J. Brison
This article examines narratives about religious experience among rural Fijians in order to reexamine the claim that Fijians and other Pacific Islanders have "sociocentric selves." Individuals insisted in their narratives that they had actively chosen to commit to churches in order to become more sociocentric. They suggested that sodocentrism was only a satisfying orientation if freely chosen. This article suggests that in our contemporary global village, Fijians choose to adopt a sociocentric orientation to define a worthy place for themselves vis-à-vis urban relatives and Western visitors. [source]


Times of sand: Sedimentary history and archaeology at the Sigatoka Dunes, Fiji

GEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2006
Atholl Anderson
The orthodox archaeological sequence at the Sigatoka Dunes site (VL 16/1) in Fiji proposes three phases of occupation spanning Fijian prehistory, each associated with a period of dune stability. It has been taken as the standard model of Fijian prehistory for more than 30 years. Recently, however, it has been argued that there is no stratigraphic support for three discrete levels and that the occupation history was fragmented, complex, and continuous within a volatile dune system. We present new data, from optical and radiocarbon dating, to argue that a three-phase model, although somewhat more complex in detail, remains the most robust interpretation of site history. The longest stable phase (Level 2) began 2500,2300 cal yr B.P. and is possibly associated with relatively low ENSO frequency. Substantial sand dune accumulation began after ,1300 cal yr B.P. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


,I Can't Eat That, It's Purple': a Geography Field Course in Vanuatu and Fiji

GEOGRAPHICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2006
JOHN CONNELL
Abstract A month-long field course in the Pacific island states of Vanuatu and Fiji focused on development issues, involving lectures, seminars and much informal interaction. Students completed daily journals as a means of learning, a form of self-assessment of learning, a way of evaluating their participation in the course and their perception of its value. Journal themes reflected an evolution from unsettling rhetorical questions towards notions of discovery, autonomy, reflexivity and emerging cultural sensitivity. Students developed valuable social skills, and gained first-hand experience of various concepts of development and social justice. Grading the journals was difficult because of the extent of subjectivity and diverse personal experiences. The course, and the journals, emphasised the diverse values and roles of courses both on, and particularly in, developing countries, despite the substantial costs. [source]


A reflector at 200 km depth beneath the northwest Pacific

GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2001
S. Rost
SUMMARY We present an analysis of precursors to PP produced by underside reflections from discontinuities in the upper mantle beneath the NW Pacific. The events used for this study occur in the western Pacific Rim (New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Solomon, New Guinea, Philippine Islands) and are recorded at the short-period Yellowknife Array (YKA) in northern Canada. The source,receiver combination results in PP reflection points which allow us to study the upper mantle structure in a corridor from the Hawaiian Islands to the Kuril subduction zone. To detect the weak precursors in the time window between the P arrival and the PP onset and to identify them as PP underside reflections, special array techniques are used. Our analysis indicates a reflector at a depth of ,200 km beneath the northwestern Pacific. This reflector shows strong topography of some tens of kilometres on length scales of several hundred kilometres, complicating the detection of this reflector in global or regional stacks of seismograms. Different models for the impedance jump across the reflector, the thickness and the possible fine structure of the reflector are modelled using synthetic seismograms and are compared with the data. The thickness of the reflector has to be less than 7 km and the P wave impedance contrast has to be larger than 5.0,6.5 per cent to be detected by this study. This corresponds to a P -velocity jump of ,4 per cent assuming the PREM density model. [source]


Three-dimensional seismic structure beneath the Australasian region from refracted wave observations

GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2000
Y. Kaiho
The earthquakes in the seismicity belt extending through Indonesia, New Guinea, Vanuatu and Fiji to the Tonga,Kermadec subduction zone recorded at the 65 portable broad-band stations deployed during the Skippy experiment from 1993,1996 provide good coverage of the lithosphere and mantle under the Australian continent, Coral Sea and Tasman Sea. The variation in structure in the upper part of the mantle is characterized by deter-mining a suite of 1-D structures from stacked record sections utilizing clear P and S arrivals, prepared for all propagation paths lying within a 10° azimuth band. The azimuth of these bands is rotated by 20° steps with four parallel corridors for each azimuth. This gives 26 separate azimuthal corridors for which 15 independent 1-D seismic velocity structures have been derived, which show significant variation in P and S structure. The set of 1-D structures is combined to produce a 3-D representation by projecting the velocity values along the ray path using a turning point approximation and stacking into 3-D cells (5° by 50 km in depth). Even though this procedure will tend to underestimate wave-speed perturbations, S -velocity deviations from the ak135 reference model exceed 6 per cent in the lithosphere. In the uppermost mantle the results display complex features and very high S -wave speeds beneath the Precambrian shields with a significant low-velocity zone beneath. High velocities are also found towards the base of the transition zone, with highS -wave speeds beneath the continent and high P -wave speeds beneath the ocean. The wave-speed patterns agree well with independent surface wave studies and delay time tomography studies in the zones of common coverage. [source]


Moving Up the Ranks: Chiefly Status, Prestige, and Schooling in Colonial Fiji

HISTORY OF EDUCATION QUARTERLY, Issue 4 2006
Carmen M. White
[source]


Change in mean temperature as a predictor of extreme temperature change in the Asia,Pacific region

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 10 2005
G. M. Griffiths
Abstract Trends (1961,2003) in daily maximum and minimum temperatures, extremes and variance were found to be spatially coherent across the Asia,Pacific region. The majority of stations exhibited significant trends: increases in mean maximum and mean minimum temperature, decreases in cold nights and cool days, and increases in warm nights. No station showed a significant increase in cold days or cold nights, but a few sites showed significant decreases in hot days and warm nights. Significant decreases were observed in both maximum and minimum temperature standard deviation in China, Korea and some stations in Japan (probably reflecting urbanization effects), but also for some Thailand and coastal Australian sites. The South Pacific convergence zone (SPCZ) region between Fiji and the Solomon Islands showed a significant increase in maximum temperature variability. Correlations between mean temperature and the frequency of extreme temperatures were strongest in the tropical Pacific Ocean from French Polynesia to Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and southern Japan. Correlations were weaker at continental or higher latitude locations, which may partly reflect urbanization. For non-urban stations, the dominant distribution change for both maximum and minimum temperature involved a change in the mean, impacting on one or both extremes, with no change in standard deviation. This occurred from French Polynesia to Papua New Guinea (except for maximum temperature changes near the SPCZ), in Malaysia, the Philippines, and several outlying Japanese islands. For urbanized stations the dominant change was a change in the mean and variance, impacting on one or both extremes. This result was particularly evident for minimum temperature. The results presented here, for non-urban tropical and maritime locations in the Asia,Pacific region, support the hypothesis that changes in mean temperature may be used to predict changes in extreme temperatures. At urbanized or higher latitude locations, changes in variance should be incorporated. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society. [source]


Trends in extreme daily rainfall and temperature in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific: 1961,1998

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2001
M.J. Manton
Abstract Trends in extreme daily temperature and rainfall have been analysed from 1961 to 1998 for Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. This 38-year period was chosen to optimize data availability across the region. Using high-quality data from 91 stations in 15 countries, significant increases were detected in the annual number of hot days and warm nights, with significant decreases in the annual number of cool days and cold nights. These trends in extreme temperatures showed considerable consistency across the region. Extreme rainfall trends were generally less spatially coherent than were those for extreme temperature. The number of rain days (with at least 2 mm of rain) has decreased significantly throughout Southeast Asia and the western and central South Pacific, but increased in the north of French Polynesia, in Fiji, and at some stations in Australia. The proportion of annual rainfall from extreme events has increased at a majority of stations. The frequency of extreme rainfall events has declined at most stations (but not significantly), although significant increases were detected in French Polynesia. Trends in the average intensity of the wettest rainfall events each year were generally weak and not significant. Copyright © 2001 Royal Meteorological Society [source]


Migration and Transnational Families in Fiji: Comparing Two Ethnic Groups

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 4 2008
Carmen Voigt-Graf
In the past two decades, international migration patterns out of Fiji have undergone changes with important implications for the formation of transnational families. The focus of this paper is on a comparison between the formation of Indo-Fijian transnational extended families and indigenous Fijian transnational nuclear families. These are discussed within the framework of "transnational corporations of kin." For several decades, Indo-Fijians have permanently migrated to the Pacific Rim as a consequence of the economic and political situation in Fiji. They have resettled in complete nuclear family units and have subsequently attempted to sponsor the migration of their extended family members. Recent years have witnessed an increasing number of indigenous Fijians migrating temporarily for work. In contrast to Indo-Fijians, indigenous Fijian migrate as individuals, leaving their spouses and children behind in Fiji. Women migrate autonomously as caregivers and nurses while men find employment as soldiers and security officers. The main purpose of their mostly temporary migration is to send remittances. However, these economic benefits have to be contrasted with the social and psychological costs associated with the separation of nuclear families. The paper also discusses policy implications arising from the comparative analysis, especially in the light of the current situation in Fiji which is characterised by a lack of policies addressing the implications of migration. Migration et familles transnationales à Fidji: comparaison de deux groupes ethniques Durant ces vingt dernières années, les tendances migratoires internationales au départ de Fidji ont subi des changements qui ont eu d'importantes conséquences sur la constitution de familles transnationales. Le thème central de cette publication porte sur une comparaison entre la constitution de familles transnationales indo-fidjiennes élargies et les familles transnationales fidjiennes indigènes nucléaires. Celles-ci sont examinées dans le cadre de ce que l'on appelle les sociétés familiales transnationales. Depuis plusieurs dizaines d'années, les Indo-Fidjiens migrent à demeure vers la ceinture du Pacifique en raison de la situation économique et politique de Fidji. A partir de là, ils reprennent le schéma de la famille nucléaire complète et tentent ensuite de financer la migration des membres de leur famille élargie. Les dernières années ont mis en évidence une tendance croissante des Fidjiens indigènes àémigrer temporairement en quête de travail. A la différence des Indo-Fidjiens, les Fidjiens indigènes émigrent seuls, en laissant derrière eux femmes et enfants. Les femmes émigrent de façon autonome en quête d'un emploi d'aidante ou d'infirmière tandis que les hommes se font embaucher comme soldats ou agents de sécurité. L'objectif principal de leur migration le plus souvent temporaire est de rapatrier des fonds. Cependant, ces avantages économiques doivent être rapportés aux conséquences sociales et psychologiques découlant de la séparation des familles nucléaires. L'article examine également les répercussions politiques résultant de l'analyse comparative, surtout à la lumière de la situation actuelle à Fidji, laquelle dénote l'absence de politiques appropriées pour faire face aux conséquences de la migration. La migración y las familias transnacionales en Fiji: Comparación de dos grupos étnicos En los últimos veinte años, los patrones de migración internacional desde Fiji han sufrido cambios que han repercutido notablemente en la conformación de familias transnacionales. En este artículo, se establece una comparación entre la conformación de familias indo-fiyianas transnacionales amplias y las familias indígenas fiyianas transnacionales nucleares. Ambas se debaten en el marco de "corporaciones transnacionales de parentesco". Durante varias décadas, los indo-fiyianos emigraron con carácter permanente a la costa del Pacífico a raíz de la situación económica y política prevaleciente en Fiji. Se reasentaron en unidades familiares nucleares completas y, ulteriormente, intentaron patrocinar la migración de sus familiares. En los últimos años, se ha observado un creciente número de fiyianos indígenas que emigran temporalmente por motivos laborales. A diferencia de los indo-fiyianos, los fiyianos indígenas emigran a título individual, dejando atrás a cónyuges e hijos. Las mujeres emigran de manera autónoma para trabajar al cuidado de personas o como enfermeras, mientras que los hombres encuentran trabajo como soldados o guardias. Su migración es mayormente de carácter temporal y tiene por finalidad el envío de remesas. Ahora bien, estos beneficios económicos tienen que examinarse a la luz de los costos sociales y sicológicos asociados con la separación del núcleo familiar. En este artículo también se debaten las consecuencias políticas resultantes del análisis comparativo, especialmente habida cuenta de la situación reinante en Fiji, que se caracteriza por la falta de políticas que encaren las repercusiones que trae consigo la migración. [source]


Fruit fly liquid larval diet technology transfer and update

JOURNAL OF APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
C. L. Chang
Abstract Since October 2006, the US Department of Agriculture,Agricultural Research Service (USDA,ARS) has been implementing a fruit fly liquid larval diet technology transfer, which has proceeded according to the following steps: (1) recruitment of interested groups through request; (2) establishment of the Material Transfer Agreement with agricultural research service; (3) fruit fly liquid larval diet starter kit sent to the requestor for preliminary evaluation; (4) problem-solving through email or onsite demonstration; (5) assessment on feedback from the participants to decide whether to continue the project. Up to date, the project has involved 35 participants from 29 countries and 26 species of fruit flies. Fourteen participants have concluded their evaluation of the process, and 11 of these 14, have deemed it to be successful. One participant has decided to implement the project on a larger scale. The 14 participants were, Argentina (Ceratitis capitata and Anastrepha fraterculus), Bangladesh (Bactrocera cucurbitae, C. capitata, and Bactrocera dorsalis), China (Fujia province) (B. dorsalis), Italy (C. capitata), Fiji (Bactrocera passiflorae), Kenya (Bactrocera invadens, Ceratitis cosyra), Mauritius (Bactrocera zonata and B. cucurbitae), Mexico (Anastrepha species), Philippines (Bactrocera philippinese), Thailand (Bactrocera correcta), Austria (C. capitata, Vienna 8 and A. fraterculus), Israel (Dacus ciliatus and C. capitata), South Africa (C. capitata, Vienna 8) and Australia (C. capitata). The Stellenbosch medfly mass-rearing facility in South Africa and the CDFA in Hawaii were two mass-scale rearing facilities that allowed us to demonstrate onsite rearing in a larger scale. Demonstrations were performed in CDFA in 2007, and in Stellenbosch, South Africa in 2008; both were found to be successful. The Stellenbosch medfly mass-rearing facility in South Africa decided to adopt the technology and is currently evaluating the quality control of the flies that were reared as larvae on a liquid diet. [source]


Geographical history of the central-western Pacific black fly subgenus Inseliellum (Diptera: Simuliidae: Simulium) based on a reconstructed phylogeny of the species, hot-spot archipelagoes and hydrological considerations

JOURNAL OF BIOGEOGRAPHY, Issue 9 2001
Douglas A. Craig
Aim With six new species of subgenus Inseliellum Rubtsov recently described, a revised reconstructed phylogeny based on morphology is required. Geological history of islands where Inseliellum occurs, plus a cladistic analysis and hydrological considerations, provide the basis for a reconstructed geographical history of the species. Location Inseliellum is widely distributed and occurs in Micronesia, Cook Islands and Polynesia. A single specimen is known from Tonga Islands. Methods Maximum parsimony criteria using PAUP*, plus cytological information, were used to arrive at a preferred phylogenic reconstruction. Island ages of the hot spot archipelagoes involved are well known. The phylogeny was then compared with the palaeogeology. Information on evolution of running water habitats as islands age was incorporated into the biogeography. Results Cladistic analysis of forty of the forty-eight known Inseliellum species with Simulium (Nevermannia) neornatipes Dumbleton from New Caledonia and S. (Hebridosimulium) laciniatum Edwards from Fiji as outgroups, shows basal species and clades to be on widely separated older islands. In the Society Islands basal species are widely spread. Derived species, with morphological adaptations to deal with specialized habitats, are on younger islands (e.g. Tahiti), where a major species radiation has taken place. The reconstructed phylogeny indicates dispersal back to older islands, with minor subsequent species radiation. Main conclusions Palaeogeological evidence provides a basis for postulating that Inseliellum entered the western Pacific area some 20 Ma, with the possibility that it rafted eastwards on proto-Tonga Islands to the edge of southern-central Pacific. Older Cook Islands were present at that time. Movement into the Marquesas Islands was not earlier than 6 Ma and into the Society Islands perhaps 8,10 Ma. Basal species with generalized habitat requirements would have found suitable habitats (inferred from hydrological postulates) on leaves in the original, small shaded streams. With erosion and valley development, in particular on Tahiti, species radiated into specialized habitats such as cascades. Rich seston and high velocity probably drove reduction of filtering fans in some clades. With collapse of the caldera and formation of large rivers at c. 0.9 Ma, S. exasperans Craig and S. tahitiense Edwards adapted to deep, swiftly flowing water, all indicative that specialized habitat availability drove species radiation in Inseliellum. In the Society Islands, dispersal of derived species back to the oldest western islands was not possible because erosion has removed suitable habitats. [source]


Curing and Healing: Medical Anthropology in Global Perspective; Everyday Spirits and Medical Interventions: Ethnographic and Historical Notes on Therapeutic Conventions in Zanzibar Town; Some Spirits Heal, Others Only Dance: A Journey into Human Selfhood in an African Village; The Straight Path of the Spirit: Ancestral Wisdom and Healing Traditions in Fiji; Healing Makes Our Hearts Happy: Spirituality and Cultural Transformations among the Ju!'hoansi

MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2001
Helle Samuelsen
Curing and Healing: Medical Anthropology in Global Perspective. Andrew Strathern and Pamela J. Stewart. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 1999. vii+224 pp. Everyday Spirits and Medical Interventions: Ethnographic and Historical Notes on Therapeutic Conventions in Zanzibar Town. Tapio Nisula. Saarijanjarvi: Transactions of the Finnish Anthropological Society 43,1999. 321 pp. Some Spirits Heal, Others Only Dance:. Journey into Human Selfhood in an African Village. Roy Willis with K. B. S. Chisanga. H. M. K. Sikazwe. Kapembwa B. Sikazwe. and Sylvia Nanyangwe .Oxford: Berg, 1999. xii. 220pp. The Straight Path of the Spirit: Ancestral Wisdom and Healing Traditions in Fiji. Richard Katz. Rochester, VT. Park Street Press, 1999.413 pp. Healing Makes Our Hearts Happy: Spirituality and Cultural Transformations among the Ju!'hoansi. Richard Katz. Megan Biesele. and Verna St. Denis. Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions, 1997. xxv. 213 pp. [source]


Ritual, Risk, and Danger: Chain Prayers in Fiji

AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST, Issue 1 2004
MATT TOMLINSON
Abstract Rituals that defuse immediate senses of danger can perpetuate senses of powerlessness. Ambiguous language used in defensive rituals can heighten people's senses of the risks they are confronting and also compel people to perform those rituals again in the future. In this article, I illustrate this argument by examining Fijian Methodist masu sema (chain prayers), which are conducted to defuse the dangers that beset society, including curses from demonic ancestors. I argue that Fijian cultural themes of present-day human powerlessness are generated largely by competition between Methodist and chiefly authorities. "Chain prayers" are attempts to negate the power of dangerous ancestors, but in requesting God's help, ritual participants cast themselves as powerless. Verbal ambiguity in chain prayers gives "demons" lives of their own, compelling their future circulation. [source]


State of Suffering: Political Violence and Community Survival in Fiji by Susanna Trnka

AMERICAN ETHNOLOGIST, Issue 1 2010
KAREN J. BRISON
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Our Wealth Is Loving Each Other: Self and Society in Fiji by Karen J. Brison

AMERICAN ETHNOLOGIST, Issue 2 2009
ANDREW ARNO
No abstract is available for this article. [source]


Faith and its fulfillment: agency, exchange, and the Fijian aesthetics of completion

AMERICAN ETHNOLOGIST, Issue 1 2000
Hirokazu Miyazaki
In this article, I develop a theory of what I call the abeyance of agency, drawing upon a comparison between Fijian Christian church and gift-giving rituals. I argue that from religious practitioners' viewpoint, religious faith concerns not so much the intentions of an anthropomorphic God as the limits that are temporarily placed on ritual participants' agency. Such abeyance and subsequent recovery of their agency enables them to experience the intimations of an ultimate response,[agency, form, temporality, gift exchange, Christianity, Fiji] [source]


Four new species of Rhodophyceae from Fiji, Polynesia and Vanuatu, South Pacific

PHYCOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2009
Antoine D. R. N'Yeurt
SUMMARY Four new species of Rhodophyceae are described from the South Pacific, with type localities in Fiji, French Polynesia and Vanuatu. Chondria bullata from the Tuamotus (French Polynesia), Vanuatu, Palmerston Atoll (Cook Islands) and Fiji is unique owing to its non-constricted axes with markedly protruding, bubble-like cortical cells. Halymenia nukuhivensis, from the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, is distinguished from others in the genus by its dichotomous, papery blades issued from a strap-shaped basal region, and the equal proportion of anti-clinal, periclinal and oblique filaments in its medullary layer. Jania articulata, so far known only from the Tuamotus in French Polynesia and Manihiki in the Northern Cook Islands, superficially resembles the genus Amphiroa with its articulated branches with numerous genicula between successive dichotomies, and its large axis diameter. Meristotheca peltata from the Fiji Islands is unique among the genus by its distinctly peltate, erect habit. The recent high number of newly described species from the South Pacific region emphasizes the need for more in-depth surveys, particularly in deeper outer reef slope habitats, which remain for the most part unexplored and could yield particularly interesting new taxa or distributional records. [source]


Sebdenia cerebriformis sp. nov. (Sebdeniaceae, Sebdeniales) from the south and western Pacific Ocean

PHYCOLOGICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2008
Antoine D.R. N'Yeurt
SUMMARY A new species of red alga, Sebdenia cerebriformis N'Yeurt et Payri sp. nov. (Sebdeniaceae, Sebdeniales), is described from various localities in the south and western Pacific including Fiji, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Indonesia (Java Sea). The new species is characterized by a ruffled thallus with multiple perennial stipitate holdfasts, large conspicuous inner cortical stellate cells, and a lax filamentous medulla. [source]


Life is sweet in Fiji: the availability of diabetes healthcare and health education, and diabetes awareness amongst diabetic patients in Fiji

PRACTICAL DIABETES INTERNATIONAL (INCORPORATING CARDIABETES), Issue 6 2002
Jay Kuruvatti BSc, MB ChB Pre-registration House Officer
Abstract During an elective visit to Fiji we assessed the knowledge of diabetes possessed by patients who attended the hospital Diabetic Clinic in Lautoka. All the patients interviewed had type 2 diabetes and 15.4% were treated with insulin, 80.8% with oral therapy and 3.8% with diet alone. Blindness was the commonest complication known to patients but almost a quarter could not describe any diabetic complication. All patients had seen a hospital doctor regarding their diabetes; 17.9% also saw a private general practitioner, 80.8% had seen the diabetes nurse, 60.8% a dietician, and 57.7% a chiropodist. When asked about causative factors 12.8% thought diabetes was caused by overeating, 12.8% thought it was due to too much sugar in the diet, and the remaining 60.3% did not know. The methods by which the ever-increasing financial burden of diabetes in Fiji can be reduced are discussed. We feel that the prevention of diabetes and the early detection of complications would be the most cost-effective methods to improve overall diabetes care in Fiji. However, the whole diabetes care service in Fiji is constrained by the poor economic state of the country and the low profile of diabetes in the healthcare plans of the country. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Corrigendum: Becoming a Christian in Fiji: an ethnographic study of ontogeny

THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, Issue 1 2004
Christina Toren
[source]


Becoming a Christian in Fiji: an ethnographic study of ontogeny

THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL INSTITUTE, Issue 1 2004
Christina Toren
By means of an ethnographic and developmental analysis, this article shows how everyday ritual practice is fundamental to people's constitution over time of ideas that, in this case, inform a specifically Fijian Christianity. Focusing on the developmental process that is the fixation of belief, and on the significance of ritual for this process, it explores transformations in ideas about God, Sunday school, and death ceremonies held by Sawaieke girls and boys between 7 years, 10 months and 13 years old. The broader objective is to demonstrate, first, how data obtained systematically from children can illuminate our understanding of ritual and its significance, and, secondly, how an analysis of the developmental process necessarily entails a concomitant analysis of the social relations that inform it. [source]


Fijian seasonal scourge of mango tree falls

ANZ JOURNAL OF SURGERY, Issue 12 2009
Anuj Gupta
Abstract Background:, Mango tree falls are a frequent presentation at any health facility in the South Pacific. This study aims to identify (i) the number of admissions because of falls from mango trees; (ii) epidemiology; (iii) seasonal trend; (iv) injury profile; and (v) hospital care provided. Methods:, Retrospective case review on all mango tree falls related injuries resulting in admissions at the Lautoka Hospital, Fiji during a 1-year period (2007). Patient records were analysed to identify specific injury patterns such as upper/lower limb fractures, spinal cord injury and head injury, caused by mango tree falls. Results:, Thirty-nine cases were identified. Eighty-two percent (n= 32) of the falls occurred in the mango season (June,November). Seventy-two percent (n= 28) of the patients were males and 28% (n= 11) were females. Seventy-six percent were aged 5,13 and only 21% were adults. Also, 77% (n= 30) of the patients were ethnic Fijians and 23% (n= 9) were Fijian-Indians. Sixty-four percent (n= 25) had closed fractures and 17% (n= 7) had open fractures. Fifty-six percent (n= 22) of the fractures were of the fore arm. There were two cases of spinal cord injury, four cases of head injury, one ICU admission and one death. Average hospital stay was 7.56 days. Conclusion:, All these injuries were recreational and the majority in the urban setting. They were all avoidable. [source]


The importance of ecosystem-based management for conserving aquatic migratory pathways on tropical high islands: a case study from Fiji

AQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 2 2010
Aaron P. Jenkins
Abstract 1.Tropical, high islands of the Pacific have developed unique freshwater fish faunas that are currently threatened by a range of human activities. This paper documents distinct differences in life history strategies from fish communities found in streams of Fiji compared with fish assemblages in freshwater systems on larger continental land masses. While river systems of northern Australia and Papua New Guinea have a high proportion of freshwater residents, the Fiji fauna is dominated by amphidromous gobiids that migrate across a broad range of habitats throughout their life cycle. 2.The number of amphidromous fish species and the number of all fish species in mid-reaches of Fiji rivers are significantly affected by loss of catchment forest cover and introductions of tilapia (Oreochromis spp.). On average, stream networks with established Oreochromis spp. populations have 11 fewer species of native fish than do intact systems. The fish that disappear are mostly eleotrid and gobiid taxa, which have important dietary and economic value. 3.Based on the strong links between catchment land clearing, non-native species introductions and loss of migratory pathways for freshwater fish, spatial information was compiled on a national scale to identify priority areas for conservation in Fiji with intact connectivity between forests, hydrologic networks and coral reefs. Areas with high connectivity included remote, largely undeveloped regions of Vanua Levu (Kubulau, Wainunu, Dama, Udu Point, Natewa, Qelewara) and Taveuni, as well as smaller mapping units (Naikorokoro, Sawakasa) of Viti Levu with low density of roads and high relative amounts of mangroves and reefs. 4.These priority areas for conservation can only be effectively protected and managed through cross-sectoral collaboration and ecosystem-based approaches. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


POST-COLONIZATION INTERACTION BETWEEN VANUATU AND FIJI RECONSIDERED: THE RE-ANALYSIS OF OBSIDIAN FROM LAKEBA ISLAND, FIJI*

ARCHAEOMETRY, Issue 1 2010
C. REEPMEYER
PIXE,PIGME analysis of 19 obsidian artefacts from Lakeba Island in east Fiji identified contact with northern Vanuatu in the post-colonization period (c. 2500,1000 bp) of Fiji. The Lakeba obsidian is the only physical evidence for interaction across the 850 km water gap separating the archipelagos of Vanuatu and Fiji in the first millennium ad. New research on the Vanuatu obsidian sources with laser ablation , inductively coupled plasma , mass spectrometry (LA,ICP,MS) casts serious doubt on the validity of a long-distance inter-archipelago connection in the post-Lapita era. This paper presents the re-analysis of 18 obsidian artefacts from Lakeba using LA,ICP,MS and radiogenic isotope results that demonstrate that the Lakeba obsidian is not from Vanuatu, and it most likely derives from the Fiji,Tonga region. Geochemical evidence for long-distance interaction and migration between the West and Central Pacific in the post-Lapita era has yet to be identified. [source]


,The Taste of Paradise': Selling Fiji and FIJI Water

ASIA PACIFIC VIEWPOINT, Issue 3 2006
John Connell
Abstract: Effective global competitiveness is rare in the Pacific islands, yet FIJI Water has been a major success story since 1997, exporting bottled water to the USA and elsewhere. A bland commodity has been linked to an ,exotic' place, and sold to elite consumers, as a form of cultural capital. The company website and newspaper extol the virtues of a ,pristine' product, produced in a natural context, in an environmentally sensitive manner. Marketing these themes and product placement have enabled success in a highly competitive market. Place has been used as a means of marketing perceived taste, distinctiveness and quality. [source]


Regulation of space in the contemporary postcolonial Pacific city: Port Moresby and Suva

ASIA PACIFIC VIEWPOINT, Issue 3 2003
John Connell
Abstract:,National development problems in the weak states of Papua New Guinea and Fiji have resulted in external intervention. However neo-liberal development strategies have not resolved development problems and may have further weakened state structures. In both capital cities rural-urban migration, rising urban unemployment, and the expansion of squatter settlements and the informal sector have all continued in recent years. The numbers of beggars, street kids and prostitutes have increased, as has domestic violence and crime. Governments have opposed all these trends, by regulation and intolerance, violence, routine repression and eviction, rather than by pro-poor policies. Settlers, prostitutes, beggars, street kids and market vendors have been evicted and moved on, on the ideological premise that that their true place is in rural areas, and that their urban presence challenges and threatens notions of urban order. Moral regulation, social exclusion and moral panic have divided ,good citizens' from marginal and possibly criminal others, intensifying social divisions within the cities. Sustainable urban development has proved difficult to achieve. [source]


A family business: Women, children and smallholder sugar cane farming in Fiji

ASIA PACIFIC VIEWPOINT, Issue 2 2003
Sue Carswell
Abstract: This paper highlights the contribution of women and children to the sugar industry in Fiji by examining the importance of family labour in the historical development of the smallholder system and describing the present situation for the study participants. It is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted during 1996,97, on the island of Vanua Levu in the northern region of Fiji. The twenty smallholder households in the study comprised both Fijian and Fiji Indian respondents who relied primarily on selling sugar cane for their cash income. How inequalities within the household in terms of allocation of labour and resources are legitimated is outlined. Resource distribution within the household in regards to two important issues for the sugar industry, land and trade liberalisation, are examined. In light of global trends in trade liberalisation and probable falls in sugar prices, future strategies for survival identified by Fijian and Fiji Indian smallholders are also discussed. The case study demonstrates that the sugar industry is still largely reliant on family labour and, particularly for low socio-economic smallholders, the unremunerated labour of family members makes an essential contribution to the production of sugar cane. [source]