Pre‐Marital Sex and Social Control among the Rotumans 1

The island of Rotuma is located some 300 miles to the north of the Fiji group, on the western fringe of Polynesia. It is a volcanic island of about 17 square miles, and supports a population of approximately 3,000 persons. Racially the Rotumans are somewhat mixed, a consequence of the island's proximity to islands with Micronesian, Melanesian and Polynesian populations. There is also a Caucasian admixture introduced by renegade sailors early in the 19th century. The Rotuman language also reflects the island's anomalous position and its classification has recently been the focus of considerable discussion in the professional literature (cf. Grace 1959; Capell 1962). Culturally, however, Rotuma manifests a Western Polynesian base, Samoan and Tongan influences being most clearly evident. Following discovery by Europeans in 17912 Rotuma was subjected to rather intensive acculturation from whalers, traders, and missionaries. The latter consisted of English Methodist ministers and French priests, who divided the island between them. In 1960 approximately two-thirds of the population were Methodist and one-third were Catholic. Politically Rotuma has been affiliated with Fiji since 1881, when it was ceded to Great Britain at the request of the chiefs.