A Study Of Indian Indentured Labour On Fiji Sugar Plantation(1879-1916)

In 1833 Britain announced the abolition of slavery and replaced it with a new system of labour recruitment-indentured labour.In the 1870 s,with the establishment of numerous sugar cane plantations in Fiji,the colonial government turned to the more reliable Indian indentured laborers after successive failed attempts at Pacific Islander labour and Fijian labour.Indian indentured laborers recruited by immigration agents in Calcutta and Madras were transported across the ocean to Fiji with the assistance of immigration agents.The low standard of living of Indian indentured labour and their frequent exploitation by plantation owners and overseers led to occasional struggles of indentured labour against oppression.However,due to the internal constraints of the indentured labour and the contract system,the further development of the struggle was hindered,and gradually non-resistance became a common strategy for the indentured labour to get along with the plantation owners.Indentured labour were given the option of staying in Fiji or returning to India after completing their required period of service,and migration reports from Fiji indicate that the majority of Indian indentured labour stayed in Fiji as ’free men’ to work in other industries.The Indian presence in Fiji has been a new force in Fiji,contributing to the formation of a multi-ethnic nation with far-reaching political,economic and cultural implications.