The Fijians: A Study of the Decay of Custom

In this vivid account, a former magistrate shares a decade of close‑up experience with Fiji’s island communities as they grapple with the clash between age‑old customs and the pressures of modern law. He sketches daily life, marriage practices, and the ceremonial “Path of the Shades,” while showing how colonial administration, new revenue systems, and outside education begin to fray the fabric of traditional authority. The narrative balances careful observation with personal anecdotes, drawing on interviews with chiefs, healers, and ordinary families to reveal both the resilience and the uncertainty of a society at a crossroads.

The author treats the subject with scholarly rigor yet writes in an approachable tone, avoiding dense jargon while still referencing the broader debate about “custom” versus “progress” that animated early‑twentieth‑century anthropology. Readers come away with a nuanced portrait of a culture striving to retain its identity while confronting inevitable change, making the work a compelling window into a pivotal moment in Pacific history.