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.

Also Read – Sightseeing Tours in Fiji

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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, so I thought an island would be a perfect way to spend time.

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

Last day in Fiji

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

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

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

The driver immediately responded, “Yes, madam!” After a dramatic short pause, he added, “Don’t worry, madam! Cannibalism is stopped now.” He 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, so I asked him to take us to meet the tribes. Since we had developed a good rapport, he agreed and took us to a tribal village, Viseisei. He 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, including sea shells on the roof, which belonged to the Chief of the tribe.

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!“

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

History of Cannibalism in Fiji

As history goes, Fiji was once known as the ‘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 once lived a giant who had eaten about 999 people, and if he had crossed the mark of 1000, he would have been immortal.

Read – 10 bucket list items for Fiji.

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.