The Struggles of Suva
Coming from a place where settler colonialism has wrought so much destruction and dispossession for First Peoples, I remember having a discussion with Teresia Teiawa about how colonialism had somehow been better in Fiji. She cautioned me, saying all is not as smooth as it might seem at first glance. Suva serves as a case in point — of ways in which colonialism has triggered processes of dispossession, a lack of recognition, of whitewashing and falsifying, of silencing and minimising.
Suva is today the capital of the Fiji Islands, sitting on the south eastern corner of Viti Levu. Now a multicultural hub for the whole of the Pacific, it was originally settled under the leadership of Tabanimakoveve — this was about 2000–2500 years ago. The community originally settled at Uluvatu, overlooking the beautiful Walu Bay. there were also settlements at Tacirua, near Tamavua, Nai Vuivui (near Colo-i-Suva) and Vuniveilakou (on the Samabula River).
The most significant site of settlement, at least in retrospect, was on the site of what is now the Thurston Gardens, which were established in 1913 and named for the fifth Governor of Fiji, Sir John Bates Thurston, who was in the role from 1888 to 1897. This community’s rara was on what is now the Nasova Police Barracks drill ground. There are no obvious signs that this is a place of signficance — the most visible landmarks are the clock tower and fountain. It’s understandable if even long term residents of Suva did not know the longer history of this site.
While these communities probably had ups and downs over preceding centuries, and there were power plays for possession of this stretch of coastline, we know for sure that the original Suva was significantly damaged by fire in 1843, while under the rule of Tabukaucoro. This was a result of conflict with surrounding leaders and villages.
In decades after Levuka was established as the site of commercial endeavour and central port for incoming and outgoing peoples to the island group, Suva was of increasing interest. The city was eyed off by Europeans, and in the process some boundaries were outlined which left Suva roughly 23–27,000 acres, from Lami to the Waimanu. These boundaries were confirmed in a confirmation deed signed by Ratu Seru Cakobau and the chiefs of Suva on 13 July 1869 (Derrick, 1940, p. 203).
The Polynesia Company was heavily involved in this process, having met to discuss plans in Melbourne in February 1868. They had decided that if there was a ‘conciliatory policy’ and gradual approach to dispossession followed, then they would be able to gradually move the original inhabitants off the desired land. Land was swiftly taken up by Europeans, who established plantations and other commercial ventures across the vanua.
William Brewer and Paul Joske’s plantation was probably the best known. These men were members of the Polynesia Company also. They had established a sugar mill at Naiqaqi by 1873. In 1874 there were about 250 acres under sugar, and 165 workers from Vina, Marilava and Espirito Santo. The sugar crops struggled around Suva because the crops struggled to granulate, due to the shallow soil sitting over soapstone . The plantation sat at Suva Point, next to the reserve set up for the original Suva peoples (Derrick, 1940).
The Europeans therefore increasingly took control over the township and how it transpired. There was a plan for the township designed in 1877, when the population of Europeans was sitting at approximately 200. There were limited supplies of freshwater, which was one of the challenges the Suva residents faced. There were also large numbers of mosquitos and sandflies to combat. At this time, Derrick wrote, the town revolved around the government offices (Derrick).
The decision to import foreign workers also brought shifts to the colony that would change Fiji forever — socially, economically, politically — in every way. By the 1880s, Indian labourers were working in the colony and were involved in constructing a stone pier into Suva Harbour. We have a description which gives some insight into the environmental changes underway:
The roads were mostly still mud at this stage, but Sir Henry Scott wrote that coral was being used to set foundations for the roads by 1883. The sea floor and its occupants were unearthed to solidify the ground, and support the tread of the islands’ new residents.
The European settlement was mostly around Nubukalou Creek to start with. This area became Suva’s hub and central business district, stealing some of the activity from the government area that had been the central locality of the township earlier. This was where the company of Morris Hedstrom had a significant building. The markets that popped up along the banks fo the Nubukalou were a meeting place for Fijian and Indian farmers, who would sell a range of foods and goods. I spent a whole PhD thesis arguing about the ways in which institutions and government policies exacerbated racial segregation in Fiji — but markets seemed to be where people could and would come and go without issue. At least that’s how it seems from the historical records that are available to us.
As time goes on, the early accounts we have of Suva become less interested in the i taukei and Indian residents, and more occupied with technological advances. Telephones were used from 1902. Electric lighting was used from 1920. Until then, it was kerosene lamps along the streets. Innovations continued coming to Suva, marked particularly by the arrival of Charles Kingsford Smith’s plane in 1928. Trees and power lines were removed in preparation for his arrival, and the event attracted huge crowds of onlookers. These changes were occurring in the background while the Council of Chiefs deliberated, various political groups advocated for greater equity, landowners registered their ownership, lineage and aspirations.
Despite all of the changes, the tensions, and processes of displacement, there were still those constants in Suva that drew people together. The markets, as I mentioned earlier, were one such place. The markets are a place that all Suva residents will be familiar with today. The current site was established in the 1950s, offering sellers a chance to have a bit more protection from the weather and more permanent stalls.
The shelter the markets provided are important for the other thing that is constant in Suva — the inclement weather. This is particularly critical in was hurricane season — there have been many significant storms, one of which hit in 1952 and killed 24 people. No matter what a person’s heritage, the rain and harsh aftermath are a leveller, reminding us that no matter what, mother nature has a power that none can restrain. No matter what comes, Suva’s residents stand strong and steady, ready and waiting.
Sources:
‘Sugar growing in Fiji: Messrs Brewer and Joske’s sugar plantation, Suva’, The Albury Banner and Wodonga Express, 10 January 1874, p. 6.
‘The Fiji Islands’, The Argus, 16 September 1870, p. 6.
‘One of the party, Fiji’, The Suva Land Quest, Melbourne, 1880, p. 2.
‘Suva prepares: Albert Park Landing’, Evening News, Sydney, 2 June 1928, p. 1.
‘New public markets in Suva’, Pacific Islands Monthly, vol. 21, no. 2, 1 September 1950, p. 7.
Derrick, R A, ‘The removal of the Capital to Suva’, Fiji Society of Science and Industry, vol. 2, no. 1, 1940.
Scott, Sir Henry, ‘The development of Suva’, Fiji Society of Science and Industry, vol. 2, no. 1, 1940.
Wall, Colman, ‘Historical notes on Suva’, Domodomo, vol. 10, no 2, 1996, pp. 28–39.
