‘Na Viti’: A Magazine for Young Fiji

The early 20th century was a tumultuous period for Indigenous Fijians who were coming to terms with a changing social and economic environment while constrained by colonial British regulations that placed them firmly under the supervision of their chiefs. Although the intentions of the ‘Native Administration’ were to protect and preserve Fijian populations, evidence of local responses to this system of indirect rule are less well known. This article proposes to examine a Fijian language publication between 1924 and 1925 known as ‘Na Viti’, which was addressed to young Fijians under the editorship of a colonial official who was also involved in two Fijian social movements – Viti Cauravou and Ruve. We explore how the magazine ‘Na Viti’ negotiated the complex political relationship between Europeans and Fijians at the time and reflect more broadly on the perspectives towards colonial rule that were expressed in the publication in the 1920s.