Indigenous Fijians could be formally referred to as “iTaukeinivanua o Viti” under the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2026, while all Fiji citizens would continue to share the common national identity of Fijian.
The proposed national identity provision states: “All citizens of Fiji are to continue to be known as Fijians.”
It then provides a specific reference for the country’s Indigenous population, stating: “Indigenous Fijians may be referred to as iTaukeinivanua o Viti.”
The proposed terminology is also used throughout the Bill’s Preamble, which recalls the settlement of the islands by the ancestors of the iTaukeinivanua o Viti and Rotuman people.
The Bill separately gives constitutional recognition to Fiji’s Indigenous languages.
Under section 52, iTaukei and Rotuman would be recognised as indigenous languages, with all State bodies required to “respect, protect and promote” their use.
At the same time, the proposed Constitution states that all other languages used in Fiji must be recognised and respected.
The provisions establish a distinction between the common national identity of all citizens as Fijians and the proposed constitutional terminology iTaukeinivanua o Viti for Indigenous Fijians.
