Fijian tabua
This tabua is a Sperm whaleâs tooth. It is regarded very highly in Fijian tradition. They are worn as ornaments and are given in ceremonies between two groups. This can be for weddings, tribal meetings or state occasions.
Once given, the tabua is regarded as a sacred bond. It is a symbol of peace and quarrels can be solved with its presentation.
Fiji is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, halfway between the Equator and the South Pole.
This Fijian Tabua is made with two Sperm whale teeth. They are perforated at the base and tied with vegetable fibre cord. There is no record of what ceremonies they were once linked to.
Fiji is a group of approximately 330 islands, with about one third being inhabited. There are two major islands - Viti Levui and Vanua Levu.
People first settled at Fiji about three and a half thousand years ago. According to Fijian legend, the great chief Lutunasobasoba led his people to the new land of Fiji. Many historians agree that people came into the Pacific from Southeast Asia. Here the Melanesians and the Polynesians mixed and created a highly developed society.
The European discoveries of the Fiji group were accidental. The first of these discoveries was made in 1643 by Abel Tasman, a Dutch explorer. It was later discovered by English navigators, including Captain James Cook.
Captain William Bligh also sailed through Fiji in 1789 and recorded the islands in detail.
The first Europeans to live among the Fijians were shipwrecked sailors and runaway convicts from the Australian penal settlements. Sandalwood traders and missionaries came to Fiji by the mid 19th century.
Cannibalism was practiced in Fiji at that time but it disappeared as missionaries gained influence. A chief Ratu Seru Cakobau accepted Christianity in 1854. The rest of the country soon followed and tribal warfare came to an end. However, much of Fijian culture has survived.
Fiji has been independent from Britain since 1970.
