May 14 is a significant date in the history of Fiji, especially

for the Fiji Indians.

It was on May 14, 1879, that the first

ship - Leonidas - arrived in Fiji with 463 Indian indentured
labourers to work largely in the country's sugar cane
plantations as bonded workers, which came to be referred
as Girmit (a loose modification of the word "agreement'".

The indenture system in Fiji lasted from 1879-1920 and in

this period, 60,495 Indian indentured workers were brought
in.

They were required to work for 12 hours Monday to Friday

and five hours on Saturdays and their daily wage was 10
cents per day for men and 9 pence per day for women.
This year's Girmit Day will celebrate the 144th year of their arrival in Fiji on May 14th, 1879.
It is estimated that 60,965 Girmityas landed in Fiji from 1879 to 1916.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says they have reintroduced Girmit Day to recognize and
celebrate the Girmityas and their descendants and their rightful place in Fiji’s history.

Girmit in Fiji ended on January 1, 1920, which liberated them from

the fetters of slavery. The term “indentured worker” was a
misnomer, as it was slavery by another name. It comprised a
contractual agreement for a five-year term, but working and living
conditions largely replicated slavery
Who were Girmitiyas in Fiji?
In the first decade of resisting indenture in Fiji, indentured Indians began calling
themselves girmitiyas, a term vernacularized from the English word for the indenture
contract; the “agreement” became the “girmit,” and its subject, the girmitiya.

Why did the Girmit came to Fiji?

The Girmit era saw the first ship, the Leonidascarrying Indian indentured labourers to Fiji in
1879 to work in plantations around the country. “Their hardwork has paid dividends as their
grandchildren and great grandchildren have inherited the fruits of their labour.

Who are the Girmits?

The word girmit represented an Indian pronunciation of the English language word
"agreement" - from the indenture "agreement" of the British Government with Indian
labourers. The agreements specified the workers' length of stay in foreign parts and
the conditions attached to their return to the British Raj.
Where did the Girmitiyas come from?
For Fiji, a British colony, 60,965 Indian indentured labourers were recruited to work in the
country's sugarcane plantations. As the workers were generally illiterate, the system came to
be known as 'Girmit' (derived from the word 'agreement'), and later the labourers came to be
called 'Girmitiyas'.

South Asians were initially brought to Fiji as indentured laborers to work on sugar cane
plantations. Between 1879 and 1916, a total of 60,000 South Asians arrived in Fiji.
Approximately 25,000 of these returned to South Asia.

The indenture contract was for a period of five years, but to

qualify for free return tickets to India, the indentured
workers had to stay in Fiji for another five years.

The working and living conditions were so horrendous that

Fiji had recorded the highest number of suicides in the
world.

By the end of the indenture period, the majority of Indian

indentured workers stayed back and became successful
small-scale sugarcane farmers, thus making the sugar
industry the backbone of Fiji's economy until the 1980s.

The descendants of the Indian indentured workers are

evenly spread over the two of the main islands of Fiji
- Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.

While many families still engage in the cultivation of

sugarcane, the younger generation have largely moved away
from it, becoming lawyers, doctors, accountants, teachers
and tradesmen.

However, thousands migrated to other countries, following

the military coups, ironically, which again took place on May
14, in the year 1987.

Poignantly, May 14 evokes painful memories for Fiji Indians

but it also demonstrates their resilience to bear adversity
with courage, vision and fortitude.
This year marks the 141st anniversary of Girmit in Fiji, but
more importantly, this year also marks the 100th
anniversary of the Termination of the Indenture System,
which took place on January 1, 1920.

It effectively gave freedom to all indentured workers

(girmitiyas, as they called themselves) from their bondage.

Fiji Girmit Foundation New Zealand will continue to

advocate and work around identity and census issues, but
we need our people to take responsibility and do their bit.

So please identify yourselves correctly when filling out

forms as Fiji Indians or Fijian Indians.