Abstract
From documentations about the plight of Kunti and Naraini (the two indentured women) to writings about indenture system and its similarity to servitude and slavery, one can imagine the lives of women during the Girmit era or the indentured period in Fiji. The end of misery for all, including women, was through the efforts of Mahatma Gandhi, CF. Andrews, W. W. Pearson and Totaram Sanadhya that led to the abolition of the indenture system in Fiji. Post-indenture period saw the emergence of a group of people free from the tentacles of slavery who worked hard to create an identity for themselves and a place in the nation-building process. Women, in all these efforts, played an important role in the post-indenture Fiji. However, a cursory look at the documents and record on Indo-Fijian women in Fiji shows a scant reference to their efforts in the overall success of Indo-Fijians and their role in nation-building. Are the Indo-Fijian women still living in the shadows like they did during the Girmit era in Fiji? The following chapter looks at various sources on Indo-Fijian women and highlights their roles in post-indenture Fiji and why there is a need to recognise these unsung heroines of the likes of Kunti and Naraini.
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Notes
- 1.
Colonial Refinery Company (CSR) was established in Sydney in 1855. In 1882, it began sugar production in Fiji after establishing its first sugar mill in Nausori. When the indenture system ended in 1920, CSR began a tenant farming system in 1924 to reduce the labour problems in Fiji’s sugar industry. It remained as the company responsible for sugar production in Fiji until 1974. See http://archivescollection.anu.edu.au/index.php/colonial-sugar-refinery-limited and (Hooks and Stewart 2007) for more details.
- 2.
Native Land Trust Board was established in 1940 to safeguard native land. Close to 87% of Fiji’s land is managed by NLTB. Native land cannot be sold, rather leased for 30 (for agricultural purposes) and 99 years for other uses.
- 3.
Missionaries set up schools as early as 1930. However, Indians and in particular, Indian girls stayed away from education due to a number of reasons—the Indian settlement was different from Fijian village structure, Indians refused to attend schools set up by Christian missionaries and Indian children’s engagement in farm and domestic did not give the educational opportunities for girls. No government school was set up specifically for Indians.
- 4.
Lathi: a heavy pole or stick.
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Chand, R. (2020). Under the Shadows of Girmit Era. In: Pande, A. (eds) Indentured and Post-Indentured Experiences of Women in the Indian Diaspora. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1177-6_10
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