As its rich history would suggest, Fiji is a multiracial and multicultural nation, with a population that includes indigenous Fijians, Indians (known as Indo-Fijians), Rotumans and other minorities such as Chinese and Europeans. Indo-Fijians first came to Fiji in the colonial era as indentured labourers and played a large role in the growth of the country’s sugar industry. Rotumans are Polynesian natives from the neighbouring island of Rotuma with a long history of ties to Fiji. Since the military coups of 1987, 2000 and 2006, cultural groups have become polarized, especially in the case of indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians, and race has become a political issue of late.