1914 TO 1920

Ending indenture

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What we know

  • Totaram Sanadhya’s account of his years as a labourer in Fiji, published in India in 1914, raised public anger.
  • In India, Gopal Krishna Gokhale moved a resolution against indenture in 1912, and Mahatma Gandhi also campaigned against it.
  • C. F. Andrews and W. W. Pearson reported on conditions in Fiji in 1916.
  • The last indentured arrivals reached Fiji in 1916; remaining indentures ended on 1 January 1920.

The story

Workers’ complaints and resistance formed part of a wider challenge to indenture. Totaram Sanadhya’s published account brought plantation experiences to readers in India; campaigners and visiting investigators also drew attention to the system.

The last indentured arrivals reached Fiji in 1916. Remaining indentures ended in 1920. These are different milestones: stopping new migration did not immediately release everyone already serving a contract. Nor did abolition itself end unequal access to land, political power or secure livelihoods.

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