Cakaudrove : ideology and reality in a Fijian confederation

This thesis examines the ideology of chieftainship in Cakaudrove, a confederation of chiefdoms in eastern Fiji, and then contrasts it with the reality of power possession. According to the ideology, the paramount Tui Cakau was a godlike figure who, by mediating between the temporal and spiritual worlds, controlled the material and political prosperity of the confederation. His senior descent from the ancestor-gods, and his access to their supernatural powers, gave him the right to hold the paramouncy. Any challenge to this right was a challenge to the religious basis of the society: custom asserts that supernatural punishment would be the consequence. Yet an historical perspective reveals that challenges to ruling lineages were normal. The i Sokula -- the semi-divine lineage headed by the Tui Cakau -- achieved their own pre-eminence relatively recently, while an examination of political configurations before their emergence indicates that their rise did not take place in the context of an immutable power structure. There was nothing unusual in a newly emergent group overpowering others; rebellions against the authority of established leaders were normal. Control of the supernatural is no explanation of power possession, therefore. Rather, a powerful position may be explained by the successful use of human resources. Access could be acquired either by overt political relationships, or by tho forming of sociopolitical relationships -- marriage and kinship connexions. Subordinate peoples and allies were a source of both labour, and the produce of their labour, which could be used to purchase, encourage, or enforce allegiance and support. Such power resources needed to be used skilfully so leaders could receive the maximum benefit from their expenditure; thus the politically astute could increase their power. Such conclusions, while placing Cakaudrove within the historically realistic context of a constantly changing balance of power, help elucidate the history of Caknudrove after the initial emergence of the i Sokula. Competitions for power among the i Sokula themselves indicate that political status needed to be achieved, and then maintained against the encroachment of other relatives; the ideological sacredness of the Tui Cakau is, invariably, at odds with the reality of his genealogical rank and often at odds with his actual role. The history of Cakaudrove' s development and the i Sokula's relationships with other powerful Fijian lineages and a Tongan chief illuntrate the complexity of Fijian politics: power positions needed to be achieved and then constantly maintained. The i Sokula managed to withstand pressure from the confederation of Bau, but the Tongan was to dispossess the i Sokula of their territory of northern Lau, n rich power resource.

Author dc:creator

• Sayes, Shelley Ann

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

b1318942

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au:1885/110290