In this article we are going to analyze Fiji Museum in detail, a topic that has gained relevance in recent times. It is important to understand the importance of Fiji Museum in various spheres of daily life, since its influence is considerable in aspects such as health, economics, politics, technology and culture. Along these lines we will explore the different facets of Fiji Museum, as well as its implications in today's world. From its origin to its possible future developments, we will delve into an exhaustive analysis that will allow us to better understand the role that Fiji Museum plays in the contemporary world.
Type | National museum |
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Location |
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Origins | Form by the Friends of Fiji Museum |
Area served | Fiji |
Services | Curation and research of Fiji's national heritage |
Website | fijimuseum |
The Fiji Museum is a museum in Suva, Fiji located in the capital city's botanical gardens, Thurston Gardens.
The museum is a statutory body and is under the administration of the Fiji Museum Act and the Preservation of Objects of Archaeological & Palaeontological Interest Act.
The museum was founded in 1904 by a voluntary association - the Friends of Fiji Museum. During the twentieth century its location moved several times before its current location in Thurston Gardens. Its original location was in the old Town Hall. The museum was opened in 1955 by the Governor of Fiji, Sir Ronald Garvey. In 2019 a proposal was put forward that part of the site of Thurston Gardens could be developed by the Indian High Commission; this proposal was opposed by the Director of the Fiji Museum, Sipiriano Nemani. In 2021, former director of the museum, Timaima Sagale Buadromo, had an acquittal for corruption charges and abuse of office reversed, in order to await a new trial.
The museum is part of the Museums & Climate Change Network. The Fiji Museum was the host institution for the Pacific Islands Museums Association (PIMA) secretariat until 2006, when the secretariat transferred its base of operations to Port Vila, Vanuatu.[citation needed]
The Fiji Museum holds the most important collection of Fijian artifacts in the world. The centrepiece of the museum's collection is the 13 metre-long double-hulled canoe, Ratu Finau. Other important objects include the rudder from HMS Bounty, objects relating to cannibalism, as well as objects that record the impact of colonial impact on the islands. This includes a display about Indo-Fijian communities. The museum collects oral histories and undertakes archaeological excavations. The museum has a collection of contemporary art. It also has a manuscript collection.
The museum's archaeological collections date back 3700 years. Osteological material from the archaeological collection was used for stable isotopic (δ13C, δ15N) analysis of bone collagen in order to identify the "percent contribution of human flesh" to prehistoric diets. The study's results showed that this was "low for all individual Lauans".
The museum organised and partnered on archaeological excavations across the islands, including:
In 2021 the museum signed a memorandum of understanding with four British museums to mark Fiji's 50th anniversary with a knowledge exchange programme. Under the proposal staff from the Fiji Museum would provide cultural information about iTaukei artefacts held in British collections.