Rusiate Nayacakalou (1927 – 6 February 1972) was a

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

social anthropologist Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...

. His work illustrated the ways in which anthropological reflexivity can inspire moral critique from its subjects when a critical stance toward tradition is mistaken as an attack on indigenous sovereignty.

Biography

Following his education at

Lelean Memorial School Lelean Memorial School is the largest school in Fiji. It was established in 1943 and is run by the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma. It is co-located at the Davuilevu Methodist Compound with thDavuilevu Theological Collegeand the Young People ...

Nausori Nausori () is a Local government in Fiji, town in Fiji. It had a population of 57,866 at the 2017 census. This makes it the List of cities and towns in Fiji, fourth most populous municipality in the country. Situated 19 kilometers from the Fiji ...

, Nayacakalou joined the Fijian public service where his excellent academic potential was recognised by the colonial government and was sent for tertiary education in New Zealand. He completed a BA at the

University of Auckland The University of Auckland (; Māori: ''Waipapa Taumata Rau'') is a public research university based in Auckland, New Zealand. The institution was established in 1883 as a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. Initially loc ...

in 1956, before becoming a lecturer and researcher at the university. He later joined

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, graduating with a PhD in 1963. Nayacakalou worked as a lecturer at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

, before returning to Fiji in 1964 to implement administrative reforms agreed by the

Great Council of Chiefs The Great Council of Chiefs () is a Fijian constitutional body. It previously existed from 1876 to March 2012 and was restored in May 2023. It is different from the House of Chiefs, a larger body that includes all hereditary chiefs, although m ...

. In 1969 he was appointed manager of the Native Land Trust Board. He was awarded an OBE in the

1971 Birthday Honours The 1971 Queen's Birthday Honours were appointments to orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms to reward and highlight citizens' good works, on the occasion of the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. They were announced in suppleme ...

. His citation read "''The general acceptance and successful implementation of the important reforms of the Fijian Administration are largely the works of Dr Nayacakalou and in this achievement he has made a significant contribution to the future of his people and the dominion.''" Nayacakalou died in February 1972 at the age of 45 after a heart attack, and was survived by his wife and six children.Dr. R. Nayacakalou
''Pacific Islands Monthly'', March 1972, p107 Following his death, the

Polynesian Society The Polynesian Society is a non-profit organisation based at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, dedicated to the scholarly study of the history, ethnography and mythology of Oceania. History The society was co-founded in 1892 by Percy S ...

of the

created a medal named in his honour, recognising distinguished scholarly publications on the island communities of Polynesia. The Nayacakalou Medal was designed by Robert Ellis, and was awarded for the first time in the centennial year of the Society in 1986.

References

*Reflexivity, Tradition, and Power: The Work of R.R. Nayacakalou; Matt Tomlinson Ethnos: Journal of Anthropology, 1469-588X, Volume 71, Issue 4, 2006, Pages 489 – 506 *Nayacakalou,R.R: Tradition and change in the Fijian village 1 edition - first published in 1978 {{DEFAULTSORT:Nayacakoula, R 1927 births 1972 deaths Alumni of the London School of Economics Fijian civil servants Fijian anthropologists University of Auckland alumni People educated at Lelean Memorial School I-Taukei Fijian people Alumni of the University of London Academic staff of the University of Sydney Members of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century anthropologists 20th-century Fijian scientists 20th-century Fijian writers Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire