1875 TO 1880

Governor Gordon and the new order

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What we know

  • The measles epidemic of 1875 caused catastrophic loss of life; historical estimates of the toll vary.
  • Governor Arthur Gordon pursued protection of Indigenous land and indirect administration through chiefs.
  • Colonial forces fought resistance in the interior in 1876.
  • Gordon also brought in indentured labour from India for the plantations.

The story

The measles epidemic of 1875 devastated Fijian communities and disrupted leadership and care. Historical estimates of the death toll differ; its scale should not be presented as an exact count.

Arthur Gordon, governor from 1875, pursued indirect administration through chiefs and protection of Indigenous land against further alienation. These policies also placed communities within colonial authority. The 1876 campaign against resistance in the interior shows the coercive side of that order.

Plantation employers still sought labour. Gordon’s policy helped turn that demand towards indentured migration from India, connecting the histories of land, empire and Girmit.

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Sources

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