Fiji

Fiji combines Melanesian and Polynesian heritage with strong traditions of communal life, ceremony and seafaring across its many islands.

Textile & dress Spirituality & rites Music & dance Food & cooking Building & habitat

Knowledge in this place

Masi barkcloth

Masi barkcloth

Cloth beaten from mulberry bark and decorated with geometric patterns for ceremonies, gifts and dress.

Textile & dress

Yaqona kava ceremony

Yaqona kava ceremony

A formal ritual of preparing and sharing a drink from pounded pepper plant root to mark respect and community bonds.

Spirituality & rites

Meke dance

A combined dance and chant form that narrates legends and history through coordinated movement and song.

Lovo earth oven cooking

Lovo earth oven cooking

Food cooked slowly over heated stones buried in an earth pit, prepared for feasts and gatherings.

Drua sailing canoe

Drua sailing canoe

A large double-hulled sailing canoe built for ocean voyaging, once the fastest vessel of the central Pacific.

Building & habitat