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F. Gelves-Gómez and S. Brincat
As the underlying basis for these shared worldviews, metaphysics can therefore play
a crucial role in promoting ecological thought (Tucker 1994) and, by extension,
climate change adaptation (Pearson et al. 2020). In Fiji, iTaukei conceptions of
Nature and local ecological knowledge are infused with meanings, values, perceptions and cosmologies derived from a rich tapestry of traditional belief systems,
myths, and various forms of Christian theology (especially Methodist), and other
faith-systems such as Hinduism and Islam. This is in conversation with modernist
notions of science, philosophy, and policy—each of which carry with their own metaphysical assumptions—also introduced to the islands as part of the steady ingress
of globalisation For instance, as evidenced by France (1966), part of this tapestry
includes the colonial mindset that manipulated and altered key aspects of iTaukei
metaphysics related to land and community for its own purposes of ownership and
alienation. In everyday life, these ideas about Nature and the human-Nature relationships developed from them, become cumulative practices, beliefs, knowledges and
relations with the environment (Berkes 2018) in which conceptions of Nature form
a worldview together with an ethic that are to be understood holistically (McGregor
2004).
The question of whether the complex metaphysical system/s within Fiji offers
a means by which its communities can harmonise human-Nature relations, especially in terms of future climate change and adaptation, remain largely unexplored. Ravuvu’s (1987) comprehensive interrogation of the Fijian ethos thoroughly
describes the traditional iTaukei worldview, including its metaphysical basis. Similarly, Tuwere (2002) reveals the metaphysical basis of Fijian society in a theology
that links spirit, place, land, custom, and community in complex and overlapping
layers of lived practice. Others like Kaplama (2016) or Miyazaki (2004) have
compared aspects of Fijian metaphysics with or against dominant Western forms.
Others still have looked to the metaphysics behind specific historical practices in Fiji
(see e.g. Obeyesekere 2005). Most recently, Fache and Pauwels (2020) have highlighted the relational ontology and knowledge system in iTaukei thought, looking to
combine such traditional knowledge systems and western ecological science. These
explorations serve as the basis for our examination of the metaphysical content of
the belief-system and cultural practices in traditional Fijian (iTaukei) communities
1 as a potential way to increase effectiveness of climate adaptation policy and
communication.
Fiji, along with many other Pacific Islands, is highly vulnerable to climate change
and requires environmental policies and adaptive strategies amenable to its context,
inclusive of its philosophical and cultural systems. Environmental policy aspires to
be neutral and objective, framing solutions to environmental problems and decisionmaking processes in secular terms and language. In reality, neither environmental
policy nor the science underpinning and driving such policymaking are objective or
1 We are aware of the religious plurality in Fiji. However, to limit the scope of our chapter we focus
on iTaukei population (around 57% of the population) that are predominantly Christian (around
90%) and nearly 2/3 of which are Methodist. See https://www.statsfiji.gov.fj/index.php/statistics/
social-statistics/religion.
F. Gelves-Gómez and S. Brincat
As the underlying basis for these shared worldviews, metaphysics can therefore play
a crucial role in promoting ecological thought (Tucker 1994) and, by extension,
climate change adaptation (Pearson et al. 2020). In Fiji, iTaukei conceptions of
Nature and local ecological knowledge are infused with meanings, values, perceptions and cosmologies derived from a rich tapestry of traditional belief systems,
myths, and various forms of Christian theology (especially Methodist), and other
faith-systems such as Hinduism and Islam. This is in conversation with modernist
notions of science, philosophy, and policy—each of which carry with their own metaphysical assumptions—also introduced to the islands as part of the steady ingress
of globalisation For instance, as evidenced by France (1966), part of this tapestry
includes the colonial mindset that manipulated and altered key aspects of iTaukei
metaphysics related to land and community for its own purposes of ownership and
alienation. In everyday life, these ideas about Nature and the human-Nature relationships developed from them, become cumulative practices, beliefs, knowledges and
relations with the environment (Berkes 2018) in which conceptions of Nature form
a worldview together with an ethic that are to be understood holistically (McGregor
2004).
The question of whether the complex metaphysical system/s within Fiji offers
a means by which its communities can harmonise human-Nature relations, especially in terms of future climate change and adaptation, remain largely unexplored. Ravuvu’s (1987) comprehensive interrogation of the Fijian ethos thoroughly
describes the traditional iTaukei worldview, including its metaphysical basis. Similarly, Tuwere (2002) reveals the metaphysical basis of Fijian society in a theology
that links spirit, place, land, custom, and community in complex and overlapping
layers of lived practice. Others like Kaplama (2016) or Miyazaki (2004) have
compared aspects of Fijian metaphysics with or against dominant Western forms.
Others still have looked to the metaphysics behind specific historical practices in Fiji
(see e.g. Obeyesekere 2005). Most recently, Fache and Pauwels (2020) have highlighted the relational ontology and knowledge system in iTaukei thought, looking to
combine such traditional knowledge systems and western ecological science. These
explorations serve as the basis for our examination of the metaphysical content of
the belief-system and cultural practices in traditional Fijian (iTaukei) communities
1 as a potential way to increase effectiveness of climate adaptation policy and
communication.
Fiji, along with many other Pacific Islands, is highly vulnerable to climate change
and requires environmental policies and adaptive strategies amenable to its context,
inclusive of its philosophical and cultural systems. Environmental policy aspires to
be neutral and objective, framing solutions to environmental problems and decisionmaking processes in secular terms and language. In reality, neither environmental
policy nor the science underpinning and driving such policymaking are objective or
1 We are aware of the religious plurality in Fiji. However, to limit the scope of our chapter we focus
on iTaukei population (around 57% of the population) that are predominantly Christian (around
90%) and nearly 2/3 of which are Methodist. See https://www.statsfiji.gov.fj/index.php/statistics/
social-statistics/religion.