Ratu is a title inherited by Fijians of chiefly rank. An equivalent title, Adi (pronounced ahndi) is used by female chiefs.The Fijian nobility consists of fifty-two chiefly families, each of which traditionally ruled a certain mataqali , or tribe, which inhabited a certain area. The chiefs are of differing rank, with some chiefs traditionally subordinate to other chiefs. The Cakobau clan is regarded as the highest chiefly clan. They are descendants of Seru Epenisa Cakobau, the Tui Bau (Paramount Chief of Bau, on the eastern side of Viti Levu, Fiji's most populous island), who was the first chief to unite the entire country under his authority in 1871, when he was proclaimed Tui Viti (King of Fiji). He subsequently ceded the islands to the United Kingdom in 1874. Other prominent chiefly clans include Mara (the traditional rulers of the Lau Islands ), and Ganilau .
In its near-century of colonial rule ( 1874- 1970), the British upheld Fiji's traditional chiefly structure and worked through it. They established what was to become the Great Council of Chiefs, originally an advisory body, but which grew into a powerful constitutional institution. Constitutionally, it functions as an electoral college to choose Fiji's President (a largely honorary position, modelled on the British Monarchy), and 14 of the 32 Senators, members of Parliament's "upper house" which has a veto over most legislation. The remaining 18 Senators are appointed by the Prime Minister (9), the Leader of the Opposition (8), and the Rotuman Islands Council (1); these appointees may, or may not, be of chiefly rank also. (The Senate was modelled on Britain's House of Lords, which consists of both hereditary noblesThe Peerage is a system of titles of nobility which exists in the United Kingdom and is one part of the British honours system. The term can be used to refer to the entire body of titles in a collective sense, or to a specific title. All British honours, and Life Peers).
The Presidency and fourteen Senate seats are the only constitutional offices reserved for Ratus. In all other capacities, they compete on an equal footing with "commoners." In the years following independence, almost all ethnic FijianFijians are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands. They are indigenous to all parts of Fiji except the island of Rotuma. As of 2004, they constitute slightly more than half of the Fijian population. The great majority are Christian; around half members of the House of RepresentativesOverview The House of Representatives is the lower chamber of Fiji's Parliament. It is the more powerful of the two chambers; it alone has the power to initiate legislation (the Senate, by contrast, can amend or veto most legislation, but cannot initiate, which is elected by universal suffrage, were Ratus; in recent elections this has diminished and fewer than half of the Fijian Representatives are currently of chiefly rank. The distinction between Ratus and commoners is slowly narrowing, as commoners are becoming better educated and have begun to work their way into the power structure. The chiefs, however, retain enormous respect among the Fijian people. In times of crisis, such as the coups of 1987Fiji Coups of 1987 refers to the 1987 overthrow of the government of Fiji by Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, then third in command of the Royal Fiji Military Forces. Depending on perspective, one may view the event either as two successive coups d'eta and the third coup of 2000Timeline ( 2000 May 19, 20, 26, 27, 29, 30. June 7, 20. July 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 27. November. Aftermath and Investigation (2001-2004 May 19, 2000 A group led by George Speight takes Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry and others hostage in the Parliament bu, the Great Council of Chiefs has often stepped in to provide leadership when the modern political institutions have broken down. Although the distinction between chiefs and commoners will inevitably continue to lessen, the chiefly institutions are unlikely to disappear any time soon.
