NAVIGATION

The presentation and acceptance of Tabua bound and obligated one party to another. Whale ivory artifacts were th emost valuable form of Fijian property prior to the 1800's. Then the European merchant ships began to bring supplies of ivory together with iron and other merchandise to exchange for the sandalwood and for Beche de Mer. As can be seen from surving artifacts, early 19th century Fijian artistry reached new heights until about 1840 when Christianity, brought by the Methodists missionaries, began sapping the system and undermining the influence of the chiefdoms and the ancestor God's. Fijian art became a spent force as many customs were suppressed and altered.