Another story where minorities brought in by colonials complicate a country post independence. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
Here is another attractive stamp showing native fauna and Queen Elizabeth. In other words directly aimed at commonwealth and specialty stamp collectors. This is fine and I am sure made sense from a revenue raising point of view. They do seem to take on a could be from anywhere feel.
Todays stamp is issue A55, a one penny stamp issued by the Dominion of Fiji on July 15th, 1968. It displays a passion fruit flower. It was part of a 17 stamp issue in various denominations. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents used.
The colonization of Fiji went well with one caveat. The first Governor banned sales of land from native Fijians. He also ceded much local control to the chiefs under the proviso that they not fight each other. He also specified that they could not be made to work the fields.
The big caveat was the large sugar cane and cotton plantations that grew up. Not being allowed local labor, indentured laborers were brought in. The first brought in were from other Pacific islands. They fit in well on the island, took Fijian wives, and integrated. A notorious incident ended this though.
A white English doctor concocted a scheme where recruiters in New Guinea posed as missionaries with turned collars and small black bibles. Religious services where organized where guns were pulled out and the attendees were shanghied for work in Fiji. The captives rebelled on the ship and 140 were shot. The English Doctor got away with it by providing evidence against the ship’s captain, who was hung. The practice was banned and the Royal Navy increased patrols.
From then on Indians were brought in under 5 year contracts to work the plantations. As the laborers had to pay their own way back to India after 5 years many stayed. This practice ended in 1916, but not before creating a substantial Indian minority.
The Indians felt the restrictions on non native land ownership punished them and pushed to end it or at least allow longer leases. They were also much more in favor of independence from Great Britain. Great Britain also wanted independence for Fiji and forced it to happen in 1970.
The struggle between the Indians and the native Fijians continued post independence. The Indians had gradually took more and more control of the government. One thing they did not control was the armed forces. Great Britain during World War II created volunteer Fijian regiments that fought bravely attached to the New Zealand military. Since almost none of the Indians volunteered, the force was entirely native. Fiji chose to maintain a large army post war. This army remained native and began staging coups when they felt the Indians were too powerful in government. After one such coup, in 2007 a large number of the Indians emigrated from Fiji.
Well my drink is empty and so I will open the discussion in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.