Public Health Through a Diasporic Lens: Embracing the Indo-Fijian Identity
By Shama Farhad
Our History
As an Indo-Fijian woman, navigating my identity has been a challenging yet fulfilling journey. Indo-Fijian identities are quite complex and nuanced, and are often not seen at all throughout the general media. It is empowering to have this platform to speak on the existence of our community. I invite you to read about our history, stories, and what it means to be Indo-Fijian. To fully understand the significance of the Indo-Fijian identity, we must dive into our history.
Let’s explore this identity together.
Indo-Fijians are individuals who have ancestry from South Asian (particularly India), but have lived in Fiji Islands for generations. This is a result of British colonization and their use of the Indentured Labor System after the British Parliament ended slavery in 1834. My ancestors were also known as ‘girmitiyas’ derived from the English word ‘agreement.’ Many Indo-Fijians have stayed on the islands because they either could not return or would be looked down on by their families in India as ‘less than.’ Our history, culture, language, and identity was heavily influenced on the islands. For example, our cuisine has been inspired by the island’s traditional ingredients like taro, coconut, and seafood. Our people have also maintained close ties to our South Asian heritage; many wear traditional sarees and hold onto our religious beliefs. With roots from both South Asia and the Pacific Islands our culture is unique and rich in diversity.
I would also like to take a moment to highlight the diasporic Indo-Caribbean community, as they have been through a quite similar experience. The British used Indians on plantations all around the world, from Trinidad and Tobago, to Guyana, Suriname, Mauritius, etc. Many Indo-Fijians now reside in the state of California, a huge geographic jump. Sometimes I even have a hard time understanding how a group of people were displaced not just once, but twice. This emerged as an important part of our identity as a twice migrant.
Because of this complex identity, many Indo-Fijians are curious about their origin, myself included. As indentured servants sailed these long journeys ranging over 7,000 miles from India to Fiji, every single servant was given a immigration pass that listed their name, father’s name, the ship’s name, and their immigration pass number. I have tried to search for my own family’s passes through different resources online with no luck. It has always left me curious and honestly, quite sad. I always yearn to understand where my lineage came from as I navigate my own identity.
Indo-Fijian Identity in Public Health
There is a lack of representation of the Indo-Fijian community in general media, and even less or no data within Public Health.
To gain more insight from my community, I interviewed Indo-Fijian community members on their thoughts on our identity in Public Health. Ria Maharaj, an aspiring physician assistant, shared ”I used to think that we could easily fit into the South Asian or Pacific Islander mold. However, upon deeper exploration, I came to understand the complexities of our identity, which are often overlooked in conversations. Without these discussions, no one will ever understand the struggles of identity, representation, and finding a place in society.” As Ria has highlighted, our identity is too complex to fit into one category. When Indo Fijians fill out the census, there is no proper option for us to mark.
Additionally, I wanted to understand how data disaggregation can highlight our community in public health data. Dr. Nirshila Chand, founder of Deiya Health, stated ”I believe we need to disaggregate data among the populations. However, there is a problem because many also identify as of South Asian heritage, born in Fiji raised in California such as myself. It becomes complex. I do believe every identity should and deserves to be represented.” Tools like data disaggregation are crucial, as this data displays the presence and needs for underrepresented communities like us.
This poses the question: Does our twice migrant identity double the health risks of our community? For example, AAPCHO has acknowledged risk of diabetes among Asian Americans (AAs) and Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (NH/PIs), with South Asian communities being one of the highest. Indo-Fijians have both South Asian ancestry and are influenced by the lifestyle in Fiji, which also has a high risk population for chronic diseases like diabetes.
This is alarming, since there is a serious need for representation of our Indo-Fijian community within healthcare, yet no one is speaking about it. I want to encourage our community members and supporters to spark these conversations about our identity, and what it means to be properly represented in public health.
Embracing the Indo-Fijian Identity
As a kid, when I was asked the question about my ethnicity/culture, I have always wondered why it was so difficult to explain my identity to other people. No one seemed to know where Fiji was or simply the existence of the Indo-Fijian community. Our identity is so complex as a twice migrant navigating the intersection of South Asian, PI, and American identities. This has posed a lot of challenges in conversations about my identity and feeling the need to prove if I am one or the other.
Whether I interacted with South Asian or PI communities, I felt like I wasn’t “Indian” or “Fijian” enough. We have been looked at differently because of our indentured ancestry. Our Fiji Hindi, also known as Fiji Baat, isn’t ‘formal’ enough or sounds ‘weird.’ This resulted in downplaying either one of my identities to fit in with others. Having been the only person born in the United States in my family, I struggled to find a balance between all three identities, especially when trying to incorporate and understand Western values/cultures. I started to lose my sense of belonging within AA and NH/PI communities. I felt incredibly lost.
As I entered the realm of public health in my academic career, I realized how our identities and backgrounds shape our health outcomes. Representation of our underrepresented and minoritized communities are crucial. I want to encourage members of our community to have these conversations about identity. After experiencing a life-long identity crisis myself, I learned to embrace the beautiful diversity between both AA and PI identities. It’s okay to not fit into one single box.
As I am continuing to transition into the workforce as a new professional, I am finding that it is vital to voice the existence of our community and the importance of our identity. I am now finding myself on a path where I am becoming that voice. I am so grateful to organizations like AAPCHO, where I can truly be in a safe space to embrace my identity and uplift my own community through my work. It is a lifelong journey, and because my community is so resilient, they give me the strength to give back to our underserved AA and NH/PI communities throughout my public health career.
