'Mountains of Israel': Fijians' Judaic Origins and the Use of the Old Testament in Highland Viti Levu

The suggestion that the iTaukei (indigenous Fijians) are a lost tribe of Israel has gained currency among Methodists in the interior of Viti Levu, coexisting with a firm and widely held belief in the ancestors' emergence from the mystical Nakauvadra hills. For the people of Nabobuco, the Hebrew...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Oceania 2015-11, Vol.85 (3), p.271-282
Main Author: Jones, Edwin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bible
Christianity
Coexistence
Cultural anthropology
Exegesis & hermeneutics
Fijian highlands
Fijians
Genealogy
God
Hebrew language
Indigenous peoples
Israel
Jews
Judaic studies
Judaism
Lost tribes of Israel
Marine
Money
Morality
Mountains
Native culture
Old Testament
Redemption
Social life and customs
Theological anthropology
Wrongdoing
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Summary:The suggestion that the iTaukei (indigenous Fijians) are a lost tribe of Israel has gained currency among Methodists in the interior of Viti Levu, coexisting with a firm and widely held belief in the ancestors' emergence from the mystical Nakauvadra hills. For the people of Nabobuco, the Hebrew Bible's depiction of the relationship between Jehovah and the Israelites also contains powerful analogies with contemporary Christian experiences of collective sin and redemption. This paper discusses local genealogies and the use of the Old Testament to posit Nabobuco and Israel's moral equivalence within the Kingdom of God.
ISSN:0029-8077
1834-4461
DOI:10.1002/ocea.5107