I am pleased to share an important update to Girmit.org for those researching their Girmitiya ancestry.
Previously, Girmit.org provided an online index covering names from A–M. The database has now been significantly expanded, and the full range of eligible records that we have been able to decipher and index is now available to search online.
The database relates specifically to Indians who came to Fiji during the indenture period and is intended to make it easier for descendants to search for and identify their Girmitiya ancestors.
How to Search
Visit Girmit.org – The arrival of Indians to Fiji during the Indenture System and SEARCH GIRMITIYA RECORDS.
You do not need to know all the details about your ancestor. You can search using information such as their name, father’s name, ship, year of arrival, immigration pass number, village or district.
A few search tips: Names in historical records were not always recorded or spelt consistently. If you cannot find someone immediately, try using only part of the name, a different spelling, the father’s name, an approximate year of arrival, or their village or district. When you find a possible match, compare details such as age, father’s name, next of kin, village/district, ship, year of arrival and pass number to help determine whether you have found the correct person
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Where available, the results also provide a link to the relevant digitised immigration-pass collection.
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Make a note of the Pass Number, as you may need to locate that individual pass within the collection.
If you searched Girmit.org previously and couldn’t find your ancestor, especially if their name fell within N–Z, I encourage you to search again.
Please feel free to share this information with your members, family and wider community. I hope making these records easier to search will help more descendants discover and reconnect with their Girmitiya family history.
The National Archives of Fiji holds the original records, which have been digitised and made available online through the National Library of Australia.
Thank you all
Vanita Kumar
