The Tuka movement and Ndugumoi in Fiji

Record summary

The Tuka movement arose in Fiji after cession to Britain in 1874 and is associated with prophetic leaders including Ndugumoi. “Tuka,” often translated in discussions as immortality or eternal life, became linked to hopes for restoration, indigenous autonomy, ancestral return, and relief from colonial taxation and labor demands. The movement matters for Pacific comparison because its religious vocabulary cannot be separated from land loss, epidemic disruption, and new colonial administration. Dates, leadership succession, and the precise meaning of Tuka vary across colonial reports and later anthropological interpretations.