1800S TO 1850S

Bêche-de-mer, whalers and beachcombers

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What we know

  • Bêche-de-mer (sea cucumber) was collected on Fiji’s reefs, then boiled, dried and smoked for sale in China.
  • Processing needed large drying sheds, huge amounts of firewood and many workers, supplied through chiefs.
  • Whaling ships called for water and supplies, and brought whale teeth into trade.
  • Beachcombers — runaway or shipwrecked sailors — lived with Fijian communities and worked as interpreters and go-betweens; muskets, iron tools and cloth changed hands.

The story

Bêche-de-mer, or sea cucumber, was gathered and processed for overseas sale. Preparing it required labour, fuel and drying facilities. Trading relationships therefore reached beyond a single exchange on a beach.

Whalers and resident sailors added other connections. Some beachcombers became interpreters or intermediaries within Fijian communities. Imported goods entered local life through choices made by chiefs, craftspeople and households; the effects were uneven and sometimes violent.

Pictures in this chapter

Sources

More in Traders and Levuka

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