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In Fijian mythology (Fiji), Daucina ("torchbearer") is the great god of seafaring Fiji. When Daucina was a toddler, he was only quiet when looking at a lamp. His mother tied fiery reeds to his head so that he would be calm. He has roamed the coral reefs with a hood on ever since. [1] He is a trickster and a patron of adulterers, and a seducer of women.
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about 1,100 nautical miles northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about 110 are permanently inhabited—and more than 500 islets, amounting to a total land area of about 18,300 square kilometres (7,100 sq mi). The most outlying island group is Ono-i-Lau. About 87% of the total population of 883,483 live on the two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. About three-quarters of Fijians live on Viti Levu's coasts: either in the capital city of Suva; or in smaller urban centres such as Nadi—where tourism is the major local industry; or in Lautoka, where the sugar-cane industry is dominant. The interior of Viti Levu is sparsely inhabited because of its terrain.
Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken by some 350,000–450,000 ethnic Fijians as a native language. The 2013 Constitution established Fijian as an official language of Fiji, along with English and Fiji Hindi, and there is discussion about establishing it as the "national language". Fijian is a VOS language.
Vijay Singh, nicknamed "The Big Fijian", is a Fijian professional golfer. He has won 34 events on the PGA Tour, including three major championships: one Masters title (2000) and two PGA Championships. He is the first person of South-Asian descent to win a major championship. He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2006.
Brigadier-General Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, CF, LVO, OBE, MSD, KStJ, is a Fijian chief who was President of Fiji from 2009 to 2015. He has had a long career in the Military, diplomatic service, and government. From 2001 to 2006 he served as Speaker of the House of Representatives – the lower and more powerful chamber of the Fijian Parliament. He was also the chairman of the Parliamentary Appropriations Committee and of the House Committee. On 8 January 2007, he was appointed the interim Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade; he was moved to the post of interim Minister for Provincial Development and Multi-Ethnic Affairs in September 2008. In October 2008, he became Indigenous Affairs Minister "and effectively Great Council of Chiefs chairman". On 17 April 2009, he was appointed Vice-President by the Military government.
The prime minister of Fiji is the head of government of the Republic of Fiji. The prime minister is appointed by the president under the terms of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. The prime minister is the head of the Cabinet and appoints and dismisses ministers.
Ratu Sir Penaia Kanatabatu Ganilau was the first President of Fiji, serving from 8 December 1987 until his death in 1993. He had previously served as Governor-General of Fiji, representing Elizabeth II, Queen of Fiji, from 12 February 1983 to 15 October 1987.
Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama, commonly known as Frank Bainimarama, is the 8th and current prime minister of Fiji since 2007. A member of the Fiji First Party, he began his career as a naval officer and commander of the Fijian Military Forces.
Waisale Tikoisolomoni Serevi is a Fijian former rugby union football player and coach, and is a member of the World Rugby Hall of Fame. Serevi is renowned for his achievements in rugby sevens, while also enjoying a long career in fifteen-a-side rugby at both club and national team levels. Nicknamed "The Wizard" by commentators, he is widely considered to be the greatest rugby sevens player in the history of the game. A biography of Serevi titled Waisale Serevi: King of Sevens by Nick Darvenzi was published in 2018.
The monarchy of Fiji arose in the nineteenth century, when native ruler Seru Epenisa Cakobau consolidated control of the Fijian Islands and declared himself King or paramount chief of Fiji. In 1874, he voluntarily ceded sovereignty of the islands to Britain, which made Fiji a Crown colony within the British Empire.
Ifereimi Rawaqa is a Fijian rugby union player. He plays as a lock or flanker.
Religiously, Fiji is a mixed society with most people being Christian, with a sizable Hindu (27.9%) and Muslim (6.3%) minority, according to the 2007 census. Religion tends to split along ethnic lines with most Indigenous Fijians being Christian and most Indo-Fijians being either Hindu or Muslim.
Fijian tradition and ceremony is a living way of life that has remained intact for millennia, evolving as the Fijian nation has modernised over time, with various external influences from Pacific neighbours, and European and Asian society. The term Fijian in this article refers to "indigenous Fijians" or "I Taukei" as the term Fijian generally includes all citizens of Fiji. This article is a general overview of various aspects of Fijian tradition, social structure and ceremony, much of it from the Bauan Fijian tradition. There are variations from province to province. Many social intricacies depend on one's inherited social position and the occasion one is confronted with: each will have a particular social etiquette. The Fijian terms in this article are most often of the Bauan dialect.
Sunia Koto Vuli is a Fijian rugby union player. He plays as a hooker.
Among the first published works of Fijian literature, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, were Vivekanand Sharma, Raymond Pillai's and Subramani's short stories and Pio Manoa's poetry. The emergence of Fiji's written literature coincides with the country's transition to independence in 1970.
Simione Tamanisau is a Fijian international footballer, who plays as a goalkeeper and striker for Suva in the National Football League.
Semi Kunabuli Kunatani is a Fiji rugby union player. He plays for the Fiji sevens team and also Top 14 side Castres. He previously played for Top 14 side, Stade Toulousain and Premiership Rugby side Harlequins. Kunatani debuted for Fiji in 2013 Dubai Sevens tournament.
Seremaia Tuwai Vunisa, also known as Jerry Tuwai, is a Fiji rugby union player who plays for the Fiji national rugby sevens team. Tuwai made his debut for Fiji at the 2014 Gold Coast Sevens. He was part of the Fiji Sevens team that won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He was named World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year in 2019.
Levani Botia is a Fijian rugby union footballer. Nicknamed "Demolition Man", plays centre, flanker and wing for La Rochelle and his national team, Fiji.
Ilaitia Savai was a Fijian rugby union player. He played as a lock.
Sairusi Naituku was a Fijian rugby union player. He played as a prop
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