It's now believed that people reached the Fijian archipelago as early as 2,000 years before the birth of Christ.
Extraordinary when you consider that the Vikings, Europe's greatest sailors, didn't reach America until three thousand years later and Columbus only five hundred years ago.
Who exactly were the first settlers? To be honest, no-one really knows. It's believed that the first inhabitants of Fiji were of
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Negrito stock with dark skin, and woolly hair and a liking of human flesh. Then newcomers came who were lighter skinned, had straight or wavy black hair and finer features. They appear to have been good sailers and craftsmen and excellent potters. And while they were not vegetarians, they did not appear to be cannibals.
Experts believe that this second group of people came from northern or central Vanuatu or the eastern Solomons, and were originally called "Lapita people" after the distinctive type of fine pottery they produced.
This would seem to be true if you take the massive volcanic eruption that occurred in southern Vanuatu around the 12th century and coincided with the disappearance of a certain pottery style and its sudden emergence in Fiji.
These "Lapita people" were believed to be good sailors, navigators, adventurers and consummate craftsmen.. They colonised Rotuma to the north, Tongo and Samoa to the east. They also crossed vast distances to settle in Hawaii, Rapanui (Easter Island) and Rotearoa (New Zealand).
While the first group - now classified as Melanesians- were to retain their grip on Fiji, a great deal of "Lapita" or Polynesian blood, found its way into the population.
More proof of Fiji's Melanesian roots is that Fiji was a feudal society where Fijian chiefs had absolute power of life and death over commoners. This was in direct conflict with the Polynesian system that opposed such tyranny.
Also, when you compare Fijians today with what must have been the parent stock back in Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands or New Caledonia it is obvious that they are not truly Melanesian.
For more history
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