Fiji, history of cannibalism

Fiji has a History – History of Cannibalism! (2024)

One afternoon during my lunch hour at work, my ex-colleague and I were walking around the Circular Quay in Sydney. He had mentioned about Fiji and how there were some software companies that had opportunities. “Where is this Fiji?“, I had asked him without knowing how beautiful and exotic location that country was.

This article may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. For complete information, please see our affiliate disclaimer here.

About Fiji

Fiji, I had learned, is an island country in South Pacific Ocean and is most visited country by Australians. The country island has more than 300 islands and is a heaven for scuba divers and beach lovers.

  • There are two ways to reach Fiji from other countries, one is by taking a flight (Virgin Australia and Fiji Airways) and two is by taking a cruise that stops at the island. The flight is the fastest way to get there as the journey between Sydney and Fiji only takes 5 hours one way.

Hmm! It just takes about 5 hours by flight from Sydney. So, why not plan a trip with my mother!‘ I had thought. My mother was visiting me that year from India and I wanted to go somewhere exotic and hence I had thought an island is a perfect way to spend time.

Are you short on time? Do you have only few days in Fiji? Read my post 4 days in Fiji for the things to do in Fiji during the 4 days of travel.

Last day in Fiji

On my last day in Fiji, I had decided to take a taxi to visit the second largest city in Fiji, Lautoka. Lautoka is on the west coast of the island Viti Levu. It is known for its sugar cane fields and is known as the Sugar city of Fiji.

The taxi driver had picked us up promptly, early in the morning.

As he was was a local native Fijian, I had inquired, “Do you still have tribes here?

The driver had immediately responded, “Yes, madam!“. Giving a dramatic short pause, he had added, “Don’t worry madam! Cannibalism is stopped now.” He had grinned looking for my response.

Dude! what do you expect me to respond? Should I be glad that my mom and I are not eaten because Cannibalism is stopped?‘ I had thought to myself.

But I wanted to listen to his story more, and hence I had asked him to take us to meet the tribes. Since, we had developed a good rapport, he had agreed and had taken us to a tribal village Viseisei. He had arranged for one of the tribal women to show us around the village.

The tribal village had huge houses around an arena. One of the houses had extra decoration of sea shells on the roof and that had belonged to the Chief of the tribe.

Chiefs house
Chief’s house decorated with shells

The arena had a white pillar in the middle. The tribal woman, seeing me clicking the picture of the pillar, had casually remarked, “Generations back, that pillar used to be decorated by the human skulls!

Centre at the village
At Lautoka, we stayed at Anchorage Beach Resort and it was really beautiful and a lovely stay. I highly recommend this resort.
 

History of Cannibalism in Fiji

As the history goes, Fiji was once known as ‘Cannibal Isles‘. If the stories are to be believed, one tribal chief is said to have eaten about 850+ people and to have collected a pile of stones to record his achievement (‘Oh My God! Scary, isn’t it?’). There is also a belief that there lived a giant once who had eaten about 999 people and in case he had crossed the mark of 1000, he would have been immortal.

Read - 10 bucket list items for Fiji.
Fiji village

Closing Notes

Cannibalism or not? Don’t know! True stories or not? Not sure! But Fiji is one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen and would remain as one of my favourites for a long time. The legends that have been passed on by generations are truly fascinating and the island has many stories to unfold.

How can you support me?
You know how much I love coffee, so you can buy me a coffee – Buy me Coffee!

Or you can purchase from one of the below travel resources without any extra charge to you:
Travel Resources
Book your flight on Skyscanner.com or Trip.com
Reserve your accommodation on Stay22
Reserve your stay at a hostel on HostelWorld
Use RentalCars or DiscoverCars for hiring self-driven cars
Book your tours and travels or purchase tickets on Viator or GetYourGuide
For a universal SIM card, use DrimSim
Buy comprehensive travel insurance on SafetyWing and WorldNomads

If you liked this article and if it was helpful in your planning or traveling, do share, tweet, or pin this post.

Follow me on Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | LinkedIn

Do you have a question? Do you want any suggestions and tips for travel, hikes, and scuba dives? Use the Subscription box below to sign up and get updates by email.

Learn how to plan more, travel more, & live more

Get valuable travel tips and tricks, travel inspirations and listen to my stories in your inbox.

Fiji has a History - History of Cannibalism! (2024)
    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.