‘The King against Papamma’ and Mankumari: Indentured Women, Mercy and the Death Penalty in Fiji 1897–1905

2025/03/07 by Margaret Mishra · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Island Studies and Pacific Affairs

paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/1468-0424.12841

openalex publication_date 2025/03/07 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/16

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines the testimonies of two indentured Indian women, Mankumari and Papamma, who were sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of Fiji for murdering their husbands in 1897 and 1905, respectively. While their paramours, Tulisiram and Krishnamma, were judicially executed, Mankumari and Papamma were shown mercy by the governors. Nestled within the backdrop of British colonialism and indenture, this article will fill a gap in the small body of scholarship on capital punishment in Fiji. It will focus on the intricate relationship between gender, ethnicity and law, in particular the authorities’ reluctance to judicially execute indentured women.

Discussions

• In this article, Margaret Mishra examines testimonies of two indentured Indian women sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of Fiji for murdering their husbands in 1897 and 1905 to draw out the intri [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]

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