SUVA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Ro Teimumu Kepa, the paramount chief of Fiji's Burebasaga Confederacy and Opposition leader, declared on Friday that the descendants of the Indentured Laborers belonged to the people of Noco and Rewa traditionally.
In a moving ceremony of acceptance on Friday, Kepa said these Indians of Fijian descent would be forever known with the indigenous identity of "Luvedra na Ratu" or (The children of the chief).
This was after the people of Noco presented the descendants of indentured laborers to Kepa as the paramount chief of Rewa.
Kepa unveiled a plaque to declare their acceptance and for the first time ever, the descendants of Indentured Laborers were bestowed a new indigenous Fijian identity.
While accepting the I Cavuti (traditional name), Kepa said this was the beginning of a new journey for her people.
Kepa said their acceptance was through principles accepted by the Fijian chiefs in 1838 and it was about loving one's neighbor, according to reports on Fijivillage news website.
Sashi Kiran, a representative of the descendants of Girimitiyas, said they finally had a feeling of belonging after the acceptance by the chiefs and the new indigenous identity they were given on Friday.
The district of Noco and the province of Rewa celebrated the birth of a new relationship on Rewa Day in 2016 through the traditional adoption of the descendants of indentured labourers into the Noco and Rewa family.
