What do you expect to see in the state museum? A collection of paintings of local artists, models of the first streets and buildings, stuffed animals ...But not the wooden cannibal forks. The Fijian Museum of History has a lot of surprises for those who decide to visit it. 

One of Fiji's most famous sights is based in the Capital city of Suva in the Thurston Gardens. After learning more about the local traditions and centuries-old history of the island, do not forget to walk along shady paths of the garden and enjoy rare tropical plants.

The museum has several collections. The first one is the Maritime Gallery. The locals of Fiji, as islanders, have strong connections with the ocean. Fishing, transport, trading… Even the inhabitants of the regions, located in the center of the large islands, depended on salt and other essentials trading with the seaboard communities. There you can see boats, fishing gear, baskets for products’ transporting, mascots of sailors, maps and even those letters in bottles.

In the next halls, you can learn the 3 thousand-year history of the island from the settling of first people to the present days. In the gallery, there are some household items of ancient tribes: tableware, weapons, clothes, and jewelry. After that, you can see the artifacts representing the life of later centuries. Personal photos of residents’ archives, tools of artisans, porcelain tableware, traditional embroidery and much more. In a separate room is presented a collection of national musical instruments.

One of the museum halls tells about an unpleasant part of the island's history - cannibals. There you can see batons, nets, cutlery, and jewelry made of human bones or teeth.

The final point of the museum tour is a gallery of natural history. On land and in the water of Fiji you can see a large number of animals and plants. Some of them are living only in these places. Many have a cultural meaning and are considered as totems for various clans on the island.