120-527: Langa Langa Lagoon or Akwalaafu is a natural lagoon on the West coast of Malaita near the provincial capital Auki within Solomon Islands . The lagoon is 21 km in length and just under 1 km wide. The "lagoon people" or "salt water people" live on small artificial islands built up on sand bars over time where they were forced to flee from the headhunters of mainland Malaita. The islands in
240-453: A cash equivalent. It is also worn as an adornment and status symbol . The standard unit, known as the tafuliae , is several strands 1.5 m in length. Previously the money was also manufactured on Makira and Guadalcanal . It is still produced on Malaita, but much is inherited, from father to son, and the old traditional strings are now rare. Porpoise teeth are also used as money, often woven into belts. Laulasi Laulasi island
360-403: A hardwood forest of banyans , Canarium , Indo-Malayan hardwoods, and, at higher altitudes, bamboo . In forested groves, there is relatively little undergrowth. In this zone is also the most intense human cultivation, which, when abandoned, a dense secondary forest grows, which is nearly impassably thick with shrubs and softwoods. Above about 2,500 feet (760 m) is a cloud forest , with
480-485: A calm, clear morning, followed by a breeze blowing in from higher pressures over the sea, culminating in a cloudy and drizzly afternoon. At night, the weather pattern reverses, and drizzle and heavy dew dissipate the cloud cover for the morning. Tropical cyclones are the only violent weather, but they can be destructive. Like the other islands in the archipelago, Malaita is near the Andesite line and thus forms part of
600-631: A dense carpeting of mosses , lichens , and liverworts , with cycads as the dominant tall plant. Like most Pacific islands, there are not large numbers of mammals. Apart from several species of bats, there are introduced species of pigs, cuscuses and rodents. There are also dugongs in the mangrove swamps, and sometimes dolphins in the lagoon. Reptiles and amphibians are common as well, especially skinks and geckos . Crocodiles were once common, but have been so frequently hunted for their hides that they are nearly extinct. There are several venomous sea snakes and two species of venomous land snakes, in
720-485: A founding ancestor ) and cognatic descent (through links of outmarrying women) are important. These lineages determine rights of residence and land use in a complex way. In the northern area, local descent groups, united in ritual hierarchies, are largely autonomous, but conceptualize their relationship as a phratry in a manner similar to certain groups in highland New Guinea . In the central area, local descent groups are fully autonomous, though still linked by ritual. In
840-554: A protectorate with the only opposition by the Laulasi villagers who refused the British flag. When Gibson asked why the flag was refused, the villages were afraid that their acceptance of it would signify to the bush people that by aligning themselves with Britain the lagoon dwellers were preparing for war and this would lead the bush people discontinuing trade with the lagoon people, who had no gardens and were dependent on food. Britain
960-619: A research paper by the Australian National University claimed: "Laulasi has become one of the notable tourist attractions of the South Pacific ;– with all the predictable consequences for the integrity of the ancestral religion and the fabric of community social life. Moreover, the expatriate entrepreneurs were Baha'is, and offered a ready-made religious accommodation between ancestors and capitalism". In 1997 an author stated: "Laulasi village, at
1080-901: A sand bank – literally built up". On the morning of 7 August 1942 (same date as the US Landings on Guadalcanal ), "..seven US planes bombed the island. The reason was due to an error namely that the Americans mistook Laulasi for the Japanese camp at Afufu in North Malaita. Which resulted in the killing 24 children, destroying the shell money industry and the incident still remains the subject of an unresolved compensation claim". The British resident commissioner wrote in his diary: "7 US planes bombed Laulasi village – 18 killed – most inexplicable as no enemy repeorted there"(Marchant 7 Aug 1942) "The bombing of Laulasi island
1200-628: A settlement, and proposed the formation of the Malaita Council, which would have a president elected by members, though they would have to recognize the government's authority and agree to cooperate with their administrators. The council became the first installment of local government in the Solomon Islands, and its first president was Salana Ga'a. The establishment of the council reduced the tension on Malaita, although Maasina Rule elements did continue until at least 1955. The council
1320-487: A shark to rescue him; after being rescued and returned to shore, he must sacrifice a pig, or else the shark will eat him next time he goes out to sea. By the 1960s many of the LangaLanga villages were Christian. Many of the communities previously sited on the artificial islands had been shifted to the mainland, with encouragement from the missionaries anxious to promote a clean break with the pagan past, and inducement in
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#17327720490771440-447: A site that has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it supports populations of threatened or endemic bird species. At 58,379 ha, it encompasses the highest peak of the island and the surrounding montane and lowland forest. Significant birds for which the site was identified include metallic pigeons , chestnut-bellied imperial pigeons , pale mountain pigeons , duchess lorikeets and
1560-401: A straight hook (lana). Malaita Malaita is the primary island of Malaita Province in Solomon Islands . Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with a population of 161,832 as of 2021, or more than a third of the entire national population. It is also the second largest island in the country by area, after Guadalcanal . The largest city and provincial capital
1680-404: A value for trade, brideprice ceremonial traditions, funeral feasts , and compensation. The teeth of melon-headed whale were traditionally the most desirable; however, they were over-hunted and became locally rare. The other species hunted are spinner dolphin and the pantropical spotted dolphin . While Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops aduncus ) have been captured for live export,
1800-619: A variety of languages within the Malaitan language family , a subbranch of the Malayo-Polynesian languages . The diversity is not as great as once thought, and some of the groups are mutually intelligible. Some of the exaggeration in the number of languages may be due to the inappropriateness of lexicostatistical techniques and glottochronological analysis , given the widespread use of word taboo and metathesis as word play . According to Harold M. Ross , from north to south along
1920-500: A village at Lalana near Laulasi. Shell money has been used as a cultural token that is handed over on marriage (bride-price) or as compensation for a wrong done to a person (such as to the wronged husband following adultery being exposed). As the production rate increased, shell resources were depleted, particularly in Langalanga lagoon. Even in the 1970s some types of shell were rare. The limited land available for agriculture, has
2040-542: A yacht in 1908. "We ran down the lagoon from Langa Langa, between mangrove swamps through passages scaresly wider than the Monota, and passed the reef villages of Kaloka and Auki. Like the founders of Venice, these salt water men were originally refugees form the mainland. Too weak to hold their own in the bush, survivors of village massacres, they fled to the sand banks of the lagoon. These sand banks they built up into islands and they were compelled to seek their provender from
2160-463: A young drainage pattern. At higher altitudes waterfalls are common, and in some places canyons have been cut through the limestone. Nearer the coasts, rivers are slower and deeper, and form mangrove swamps of brackish water , along with alluvial deposits of gravel, sand, or mud. The coastal plain is very narrow. Inland soils are of three types, wet black, dry black, and red. The wet black soil, too poorly drained for most horticulture except taro ,
2280-651: Is Auki , on the northwest coast and is on the northern shore of the Langa Langa Lagoon . The people of the Langa Langa Lagoon and the Lau Lagoon on the northeast coast of Malaita call themselves wane i asi ‘salt-water people’ as distinct from wane i tolo ‘bush people’ who live in the interior of the island. South Malaita Island , also known as Small Malaita and Maramasike for Areare speakers and Malamweimwei known to more than 80% of
2400-589: Is also believed the early settlers originated from Mt. Kolovrat (Alasa'a), the highest peak on the main Malaita Island. The early settlers were believed to be castaways from the Alasa'a community. Some said they chose not to return to Alasa´a because of the distance. It is an approximately two days walk. And the main reason why they came is to fish and in search for other sea foods in the island of Launasi meaning I'm stuck now known as Laulasi. From then they named
2520-580: Is also the main source of the shell money now made in Solomon Islands. In Malaita legend, the first settlement on the island began around 3,000 BC at a place called Siale. The first places in the Malaita area to be settled were Dukwasi (Kwara'ae speaking people), and the Asi (man-made islands) namely: Aoke, Kaloka and Rarata in Langa Langa lagoon, Laulasi, Alite Koalia and Gwa'ata – Ta'alulolo. It
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#17327720490772640-543: Is an artificial island in the Langa Langa Lagoon , South of Auki on the island of Malaita in Solomon Islands . It is believed that hostilities among the inlanders of Malaita forced some people into the lagoon where over time they built their islands on sandbars after diving for coral. The religion of the island was based on prayers and offerings to the ghosts of dead ancestors, mediated by priests who kept their skulls and relics in tabu houses. Some ancestors were incarnated as sharks which protected their descendants. Langalanga
2760-531: Is endemic. Malaitans once believed in anthropoid apes that lived in the centre of the island, which are said to be 4.5 to 5 feet (1.4 to 1.5 m) tall and come in troops to raid banana plantations. There are a great number and variety of birds. Almost every family of avifauna were found in Ernst Mayr 's 1931 survey. Several species of parrots , cockatoos , and owls are kept as pets. Some bird species are endemic to Malaita. The Malaita Highlands form
2880-520: Is found in valleys or at the foot of slopes. Dry black makes the best gardening sites. The red soil, probably laterite , does not absorb runoff and forms a hard crust, and is preferred for settlement sites. There are several vegetation zones based on altitude. Along the coast is either a rocky or sandy beach, where pandanus , coconuts , and vines predominate, or a swamp, supporting mangrove and sago palms. Terminalia grows in some drier areas. The lower slopes, up to about 2,500 feet (760 m), have
3000-502: Is how to make shell money". Historically, chiefs in the Langalanga lagoon are looked upon as very important in uniting communities. Normally, chiefs are chosen from chiefly tribes or clan. Villages in the past used to have threes chiefs, Fa'atabu who makes offering and communicated with the spirits and ancestors, the Ramo is responsible for tribal warfare and Waenotolo is the chief responsible for controlling, organising, leadership and uniting
3120-566: Is in a north-northwest-to-south-southeast direction, but local custom and official use generally rotate it to straight north–south orientation, and generally refer to the "east coast" or "northern end," when northeast or northwest would be more accurate. To the southwest is the Indispensable Strait , which separates it from Guadalcanal and the Florida Islands . To the northeast and east is open Pacific Ocean , except for
3240-509: Is kept with the skulls of the other priests. A report on the British Solomon Islands dated 1972 states: "where the traditional process of making shell money and other island activities may be observed, once again proved popular with the tourists". In 1981 a symposium in the then U.S.S.R heard of Solomon Islands that: "One of the more successful ventures in the tourist industry is Laulasi Adventure Tours Ltd" In 1982
3360-526: Is known as Agalimae ("the god of the universe"). Congregations of local descent groups propitiate their ancestors at shrines , led by ritual officiants ( fataabu in northern Malaita). On Malaita, many shrines have been preserved, not only for their sanctity but also because they serve as territorial markers that can resolve land disputes. With European contact, Catholics and Anglicans spread their gospels, and many missionaries were killed. The Protestant South Seas Evangelical Mission (SSEM, now known as
3480-620: Is located in the Intertropical Convergence Zone ("Doldrums"), with its fickle weather patterns. The sun is at zenith over Malaita, and thus the effect is most pronounced, in November and February. Trade winds come during the Southern Hemisphere's winter, and from about April to August they blow from the southeast fairly steadily. During the summer, fringes of monsoon blow over the island. Because of
3600-527: Is near Langa Langa. The rifles with which the boat's-crew should have been armed, were locked up in his cabin. When the whale-boat went ashore after recruits, he paraded around the deck without even a revolver on him. He was tomahawked. His head remains in Malaita. It was suicide. The Log of the Snark states: "..still bore the tomahawk marks where the Malaitans at Langa Langa several months before broke in for
3720-506: Is not willing to supply any more shells. The only supplier which still sell raw materials to Langalanga people is Western Province although not reliable and in very small quantity. Stories retold from myths said that the first person to introduce shell money to the Langalanga lagoon was a woman from Buin in Bougainville. She was banished and floated in a coconut shell from Buin to Guadalcanal and finally to Malaita and landed at Tafilo,
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3840-520: Is that "ita" was added on, as the Bughotu word for up or east, or in this context "there." Bishop George Augustus Selwyn referred to it as Malanta in 1850. Mala was the name used under British control; now Malaita is used for official purposes. The name Big Malaita is also used to distinguish it from the smaller South Malaita Island . Malaita was, along with the other Solomon Islands, settled by Austronesian speakers between 5000 and 3500 years ago;
3960-787: Is the Langalanga in a lagoon on the west coast between the Kwara'ae and Kwaio regions, and Kwarekwareo on the western coast between the Kwaio and 'Are'are regions, which may be a dialect of Kwaio. Sa'a , spoken on South Malaita, is also a member of the family. Mutual intelligibility is also aided by the large degree of trade and intermarriage among the groups. The peoples of Malaita share many aspects of their culture, although they are generally divided into ethnic groups along linguistic lines. In pre-colonial times, settlements were small and moved frequently. Both agnatic descent (patrilineal lines from
4080-648: The Carditidae ), black horse mussel shells called "kurila" ( Atrina vexillum in the Pinnidae ) and thick white disks from a rigid cockle known as "kakadu" or "kakandu" ( Anadara granosa in the Arcidae) The Annual Report on the British Solomon Islands dated 1953 states "..a flourishing boat building industry has been established and cutters are being built for the inter-island trade. A boatbuilding school has been established. Generally,
4200-522: The Malaita Eagle Force (MEF) was formed to protect their interest, both on Guadalcanal and on their home island. The organization of Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has contributed to the infrastructure development of the island. After the Solomon Islands switched diplomatic recognition to China from Taiwan in 2019, with a delegation led by prime minister Manasseh Sogavare being received with great hostility and
4320-621: The Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901 which facilitated the deportation of Pacific Islanders that was the precursor to the White Australia policy . However, many islanders remained and formed the South Sea Islander community of Australia. Many labourers that returned to Malaita had learnt to read and had become Christian. The skills of literacy and protest letters as to being deported from Australia
4440-536: The Pacific Ring of Fire . Earthquakes are common on the island, but there is little evidence of current volcanic activity. The main structural feature of Malaita is the central ridge which runs along the length of the island, with flanking ridges and a few outlying hills. There is a central hilly country, between Auki and the Kwai Harbour , which separates the central ridge into northern and southern halves,
4560-604: The South Pacific Whale Research Consortium , the Solomon Islands Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources , and Oregon State University ’s Marine Mammal Institute have concluded that hunters from the village of Fanalei in the Solomon Islands have killed more than 1,600 dolphins in 2013, included at least 1,500 pantropical spotted dolphins, 159 spinner dolphins and 15 bottlenose dolphins . The total number killed during
4680-513: The 1960s around the time when the Government established a boat building school in Auki. Mr. Frank Faulker who used to teach at the school and who now settled in Auki, is said to be the main person behind the success of the industry in Langalanga. The history of shell-money making in the langa langa lagoon is patchy. Stories retold from myths said that the first person to introduce shell money to
4800-409: The 1960s around the time when the Government established a boat building school in Auki. Mr. Frank Faulker who used to teach at the school and who now settled in Auki, is said to be the main person behind the success of the industry in Langalanga. The people of Langalanga developed fishing practices for the lagoon and the ocean with the fishing usually done from a canoe. A common method is angling, that
4920-469: The British. The organization of the movement on Malaita was considerable. The island was divided into nine districts, roughly along the lines of the government administrative districts, and leaders were selected for each district. Courts were set up, each led by a custom chief ( alaha'ohu ), who became powerful figures. The British initially treated the movement cautiously, even praised aspects of it, but when they found there could be no common ground between
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5040-545: The Kwaio area council requested that the national government demand from the United Kingdom about $ 100 million in compensation for the incident. When the central government did not act on this request, the council encouraged a boycott of the 1986 national elections. World War II , which played a major role in Solomons history, did not have a major impact upon Malaita. Auki became the temporary capital when Tulagi
5160-485: The Lanagalanga people are very skilful boat builders. It can be said that it is unique to the constituency. In the early stages people used to build dingies. Later, with improvements in skills, they built what they referred to as "Carter boats" which are sharp at both ends. They used sails to travel around Malaita and to other Islands such as Guadalcanal and Isabel. Commercial boat building in the constituency started in
5280-423: The Lanagalanga people are very skilful boat builders. It can be said that it is unique to the constituency. In the early stages people used to build dingies. Later, with improvements in skills, they built what they referred to as 'CARTER BOATS' which is sharp at both ends. They used sails to travel around Malaita and to other Islands such as Gudalcanal and Isabel. Commercial boat building in the constituency started in
5400-410: The Langalanga lagoon was a woman from Buin in Bougainville. She was banish and floated in a coconut shell from Buin to Guadalcanal and finally to Malaita and landed at Tafilo a village at Lalana near Laulasi. Traditionally, there had been substantive trade between the Langalanga people and people from Buin in shell money until the emergence of the Bougainville crises. Most of the private ship owners from
5520-404: The Langalanga lagoon. They came from Small Malaita, Florida (Ngella), some came from the northern part of Guadalcanal believed to be from Longuvalasi area and others from the northern region of Malaita. Through inter-marriages, their descendants spread to the whole of the Langalanga lagoon. Certain cultural features or Tambu House (Place of the first settlements) are still preserved which attest to
5640-541: The Laulasi community a delegation from RAMSI was invited to attend to officiate the "re-opening" of the Laulasi Tourist Industry. Members took footage and photographs with a view of assisting with publicity. The delegation was escorted to the dock with a traditional war canoe trailing and a 10-seat war canoe leading with the latter being Laulasi women singing a traditional welcome song. On arrival at
5760-485: The Minota.... As we sailed in to Langa-Langa on the shore side of the lagoon, was Binu, the place where the Minota was captured a year previously and her captain killed by the bushmen of Malaita, having been hacked to pieces and eaten" (p 135) "He (Mackenzie) believed in kindness. He also contended that better confidence was established by carrying no weapons. On his second trip to Malaita, recruiting, he ran into Bina, which
5880-524: The Snark states: "..still bore the tomahawk marks where the Malaitans at Langa Langa several months before broke in for the trove of rifles and ammunition locked therein, after bloodily slaughtering Jansen's predecessor, Captain Mackenzie. The burning of the vessel was somehow prevented by the black crew, but this was so unprecedented that the owner feared some complicity between them and the attacking party. However, it could not be proved, and we sailed with
6000-440: The Solomons in 1904. Anglican and Catholic churches also missionized at this point, and set up schools in areas such as Malu'u . As the international labour trade slowed, an internal labour trade within the archipelago developed, and by the 1920s thousands of Malaitans worked on plantations on other islands. At this time, there was no central power among the groups on Malaita, and there were numerous blood feuds , exacerbated by
6120-750: The South Seas Evangelical Church, SSEC), originally based in Queensland , made considerable inroads by following the imported workers home to their native islands. More recently, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Seventh-day Adventist Church have converted many. Many Malaitans have been active in the Solomon Islands Christian Association , a national inter-denominational organization that set a precedent for cooperation during
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#17327720490776240-520: The archipelago. For most, working on plantations is the only way to buy prestigious Western goods. Retail trade was largely conducted by Chinese merchants, with headquarters in Honiara . Goods are dispatched to remote locations on the island, where they are sometimes purchased by middlemen who keep "stores" (usually of suitcase size) in remote places. The Malaitans are famous for their music and dance, which are sometimes associated with rituals. Several of
6360-523: The blond hair of Malaitans is bleached by peroxide , but this is not so; the blond or reddish hair colour is quite natural. Male-pattern baldness is widespread, but not as common as among Europeans. Most have smooth skin, but some grow hair on their arms, legs, and chest, and have beards. Most Malaitans are shorter than average Europeans, though not as short as Negritos . Relatively robust physiques are more common among coastal populations, while people from higher altitudes tend to be leaner. Malaitans speak
6480-572: The bottlenose dolphin is not hunted as the teeth are not considered to have any value. In recent years only villages on South Malaita Island have continued to hunt dolphin. In 2010, the villages of Fanalei, Walende, and Bitamae signed a memorandum of agreement with the non-governmental organization , Earth Island Institute , to stop hunting dolphin. However, in early 2013 the agreement broke down and some men in Fanalei resumed hunting. The hunting of dolphin continued in early 2014. Researchers from
6600-426: The canoos, they became thick armed and broad shouldered with narrow waists and frail legs" (p 138) "I sailed in the teak-built ketch, the Minota, on a blackbirding cruise to Malaita, and I took my wife along. The hatchet-marks were still raw on the door of our tiny stateroom advertising an event of a few months before. The event was the taking of Captain Mackenzie's head, Captain Mackenzie, at that time, being master of
6720-454: The cash to build wooden boats. Until recently, it has been a driving business which can be conservatively valued at $ 50,000 to $ 100,000 per annum. Shell money products include bracelets, necklaces, Tafuliae, Ha'a (smaller beads shell money used in some parts of the country), ear rings, finger ring, 'head bands' etc. At present, unfortunately, the industry is slowly declining due to input scarcity. The major supplier of raw material South Malaita
6840-452: The centre of the lagoon, makes a business of being nice to visitors. A real business, because it charges more than a Disneyland ticket to tread its man made shores". In 2006 The Last Heathen by Charles Montgomery concludes that for this he was expecting to find a volatile mixture of the tribal, pagan religion and Christianity. He found a comfortable hybrid instead, the two religions living in harmony. In November 2008 on an invitation from
6960-410: The communities previously sited on the artificial islands had been shifted to the mainland, with encouragement from the missionaries anxious to promote a clean break with the pagan past, and inducement in the form of greater access to land for subsistence farming. In 1980, Moses Beogo who was the last Pagan priest (Fata'abu) on Laulasi and the last to perform the shark calling tradition, died. His skull
7080-425: The community when they get married. Boys are separated from their parents when they are around 12 or 13 years old to live separate in the men's houses. Around that age, they are taught by the fathers basic important skills such as fishing, building houses, making canoes or cutting and sewing sago palm leaves. Girls on the other hand, they stay with their mother and taught household cores such as cooking, weeding around
7200-400: The consequence that the production of shell money is a continuing source of income. The creation of shell money is also an important cultural symbol to the people of the Langalanga lagoon. Four different types of shell are used in making shell money, A red lipped rock oyster known as "romu" ( Chama pacifica in the family Chamidae ), white shell known as "ke'e" ( Beguina semiorbiculata in
7320-584: The constituency generated capital through shell money trade to build their ships. They took shell money to Buin and traded it for cash and used the cash to build wooden boats. As the production rate increased, shell resources were depleted, particularly in Langalanga lagoon. Even in the 1970s some types of shell were rare. Four different types of shell are used in making shell money, A red lipped rock oyster called Romu (chama pacifica), white shell known as Kee (Beguina semi-orbiculata), black horse mussel shells called Kurila (Atrina vexillum) and thick white disks from
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#17327720490777440-446: The delegation was presented with a display of song and dance and formalities and a demonstration of the minting process of the shell money. The village women then sang as the delegation sailed away. The Annual Report on the British Solomon Islands dated 1953 states "..a flourishing boat building industry has been established and cutters are being built for the inter-island trade. A boatbuilding school has been established. Generally,
7560-412: The deportation of Pacific Islanders that was the precursor to the White Australia policy . Britain was provided with a "plausible excuse for protecting the Solomons" and so protecting their labour reserves. By declaring a protectorate, the British were able to justify keeping out other colonial powers. In 1893 then Gibson of HMS Curacoa (1854) sailed around the islands to declare a protectorate with
7680-410: The dock, warriors confronted the delegation until a sum of shell money was presented to the warriors as a sign of peace. Once this gift was received the village girls offered the delegation refreshments. The men of the delegation were permitted to tour the three "apartments" that each represented a tribe. In each apartment, the skulls of past priests were laid atop one another. Once this tour concluded,
7800-549: The earlier Papuan speakers are thought to have only reached the western Solomon Islands. However, Malaita has not been archaeologically examined, and a chronology of its prehistory is difficult to establish. In the traditional account of the Kwara'ae , their founding ancestor arrived about twenty generations ago, landed first on Guadalcanal, but followed a magical staff which led him on to the middle of Malaita, where he established their cultural norms. His descendants then dispersed to
7920-603: The elapid family. There are also numerous species of frogs of various sizes. Fish and aquatic invertebrates are typical of the Indo-Pacific region. There are a few species of freshwater fish (including mudskippers and several other species of teleost fish), mangrove crabs and coconut crabs . On land, centipedes , scorpions , spiders , and especially insects are very common. All common orders of insects are represented, including some spectacular butterflies. The common Anopheles mosquito ensures that vivax malaria
8040-467: The endemic red-vested myzomelas , Malaita fantails and Malaita white-eyes . Potential threats to the site include logging and human population growth . According to Malaitian oral history , a Polynesian woman named Barafaifu introduced dolphin drive hunting from Ontong Java Atoll ; she settled in Fanalei village in South Malaita as it was the place for hunting. Dolphin hunting ceased in
8160-529: The fictional Tranquo, King of Tranque. However, some of the earliest missionaries were Malaitans who had worked abroad, such as Peter Ambuofa , who was baptised at Bundaberg, Queensland in 1892, and gathered a Christian community around him when he returned in 1894. In response to his appeals, Florence Young led the first party of the Queensland Kanaka Mission (the ancestor of the SSEC) to
8280-412: The first settlement on the island began around 3,000 BC at a place called Siale. The first places in the Malaita area to be settled were Dukwasi ( Kwara'ae speaking people), and the Asi (man-made islands) namely: Aoke, Kaloka and Rarata in Langa Langa lagoon, Laulasi, Alite Koalia and Gwa'ata – Ta'alulolo. It is also believed the early settlers originated from Mt. Kolovrat (Alasa'a), the highest peak on
8400-422: The form of greater access to land for subsistence farming. Traditionally, there had been substantive trade between the Langalanga people and people from Buin ( Bougainville ) in shell money until the emergence of the Bougainville crisis. Most of the private ship owners from the constituency generated capital through shell money trade to build their ships. They took shell money to Buin and traded it for cash and used
8520-609: The government and the movement, retaliated firmly, with armed police patrols, insisting that the chiefs recant or be arrested. Some did recant, but in September 1947 most were tried in Honiara, charged with terrorism or robbery, and convicted to years of hard labour. However, the movement continued underground, and new leaders renamed the organization the Federal Council. The High Commissioner visited Malaita to negotiate
8640-533: The group. Some dances represent traditional activities, such as the tue tue dance, about fishing, which depict movements of the boat and fish, and the birds overhead. Malaitan shell-money, manufactured in the Langalanga lagoon, is the traditional currency, and was used throughout the Solomon Islands, as far as Bougainville . The money consists of small polished shell disks which are drilled and placed on strings. It can be used as payment for brideprice , funeral feasts and compensation, as well ordinary purposes as
8760-407: The groups, including the 'Are'are, famous for their panpipe ensembles, are among SSEC members whose traditional music is no longer performed for religious reasons. Secular dancing is similar to widespread patterns in the Solomons, following patterns learned from plantation labour gangs or moves learned at the cinema in Honiara. Sacred dances follow strict formal patterns, and incorporate panpipers in
8880-427: The house, cleaning and looking after their younger brothers or sisters. One of the important things that girls learn at an early age too is how to make shell money. Historically, chiefs in the Langalanga lagoon are looked upon as very important in uniting communities. Normally, chiefs are chosen from chiefly tribes or clan. Villages in the past used to have threes chiefs, Fa'atabu who makes offering and communicated with
9000-491: The introduction of Western guns, and steel tools which meant less time constraints for gardening. Around 1880, Kwaisulia , one of the chiefs, negotiated with labour recruiters to receive a supply of weapons in exchange of workers, based on a similar negotiation made by a chief on the Shortland Islands ; this weapon supply gave the chiefs considerable power. However, labour recruitment was not always smooth. In 1886,
9120-419: The island Launasi in relation to the expression. After they had settled, other people began to arrive from different parts of Malaita and outside to settle in the Langalanga lagoon. They came from Small Malaita, Florida (Ngella), some came from the northern part of Guadalcanal believed to be from Longuvalasi area and others from the northern region of Malaita. Through inter-marriages, their descendants spread to
9240-428: The island Malaita after its native name and explored much of the coast, though not the north side. The Maramasiki Passage was thought to be a river. At one point they were greeted with war canoes and fired at with arrows ; they retaliated with shots and killed and wounded some. However, after this discovery, the entire Solomon Islands chain was not found, and even its existence doubted, for two hundred years. After it
9360-408: The island is ancestor worship . In one oral tradition, the earliest residents knew the name of the creator, but thought his name was so holy that they did not want to tell their children. Instead, they instructed their children to address their requests to their ancestors, who would be their mediators. In some parts of Malaita the high god responsible for creation, who has now retired from active work,
9480-400: The island is an inlet where custom priests calls the sharks to come to the surface. The sharks are re-incarnation of the people's ancestors who died many years before. They also offer sacrifices to the sharks in the form of pigs. Ordinary men are not allowed to visit the shark site unless invited by the custom priest. According to local legend, a fisherman whose boat capsizes at sea may call on
9600-488: The island's axis, the linguistic groups are roughly the Northern Malaita languages (more properly a collection of dialects without a standard name, generally To'abaita , Baelelea , Baegu , Fataleka , and Lau ), Kwara'e in the hilly area between the ridges, Kwaio in about the geographic centre of the island, and 'Are'are to the south. Each of these spreads across the width of the island. In addition, there
9720-465: The islanders, is the island at the southern tip of the larger island of Malaita. Most local names for the island are Mala, or its dialect variants Mara or Mwala. The name Malaita or Malayta appears in the logbook of the Spanish explorers who in the 16th century visited the islands, and claimed that to be the actual name. They first saw the island from Santa Isabel , where it is called Mala. One theory
9840-473: The labour system remained exploitative. In 1901 the Commonwealth of Australia enacted the Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901 which facilitated the deportation of Pacific Islanders that was the precursor to the White Australia policy . However many islanders remained and formed the South Sea Islander community of Australia. In 1893 then Gibson of HMS Curacoa (1854) sailed around the islands to declare
9960-578: The lagoon are renowned for their shell money minting process, their "shark worship" beliefs, their shipbuilding skills and tourism. The most popular and well known of this islands is Laulasi which has had a thriving tourism industry dating back to the early 1970s; although tourism is largely underdeveloped. The Langa Langa Lagoon provides opportunities for snorkeling, and the villagers provide shell making demonstrations. Langa in Solomons Pijin language means "along" or long. In Malaita legend,
10080-427: The largest number of Solomon Islander Kanaka workers in the indentured labour trade to Queensland , Australia and to Fiji . The 1870s were a time of illegal recruiting practices known as blackbirding . Malaitans are known to have volunteered as indentured labourers with some making their second trip to work on plantations, although the labour system remained exploitative. In 1901 the Commonwealth of Australia enacted
10200-501: The latter being somewhat longer. The northern ridge reaches a height of about 980 metres (3,200 ft), while the southern goes up to 1,300 metres (4,275 ft). Geologically, Malaita has a basaltic intrusive core, covered in most places by strata of sedimentary rock , especially limestone and chert , and littered with fossils . The limestone provides numerous sinkholes and caverns . Malaitan hydrology includes thousands of small springs, rivulets, and streams, characteristic of
10320-513: The local warfare and unfair labour trade, although it coincided with the German acquisition of territories to the west and French interest in those to the east. Auki was established as a government station in 1909, as headquarters of the administrative district of Malaita. The government began to pacify the island, registering or confiscating firearms, collecting a head tax, and breaking the power of unscrupulous war leaders. One important figure in
10440-510: The lowland areas on the edges of the island. First recorded sighting by Europeans of Malaita was by the Spaniard Álvaro de Mendaña on 11 April 1568. More precisely the sighting was due to a local voyage done by a small boat, in the accounts the brigantine Santiago, commanded by Maestre de Campo Pedro Ortega Valencia and having Hernán Gallego as pilot. In his account, Gallego chief pilot of Mendaña's expedition, establishes that they called
10560-449: The main Malaita Island. The early settlers were believed to be castaways from the Alasa'a community. They said, the people were forced out from the community because of bad behaviour and disrespect for custom and traditional way of living. During their journey the final stopover was at Laulasi where they felt it was safe from enemies. After they had settled, other people began to arrive from different parts of Malaita and outside to settle in
10680-509: The majority of this same crew. The present skipper smilingly warned us that the same tribe still required two more heads from the Minota, to square up for deaths on the Ysabel plantation (p 387). "Three fruitless days were spent at Su'u. The Minota got no recruits from the bush and the bushmen got no heads from the Minota. We towed out with a whaleboat and ran along the coast to Langa Langa, a large village of salt-water people built with labour on
10800-431: The men's houses. Around that age, they are taught by the fathers basic important skills such as fishing, building houses, making canoes or cutting and sewing sago palm leaves". "Girls on the other hand, they stay with their mother and taught household chores such as cooking, weeding around the house, cleaning and looking after their younger brothers of sisters. One of the important things that girls learn at an early age too
10920-534: The mid-19th century, possibly because of the influence of Christian missionaries. However, in 1948 it was revived at settlements on several islands, including Fanalei, Walande (10 km to the north), Ata'a, Felasubua, Sulufou (in the Lau Lagoon ) and at Mbita'ama harbour. In most of these communities, the hunt had ceased again by 2004. However, Fanalei in South Malaita remained the preeminent dolphin hunting village. The dolphins are hunted as food, for their teeth, and for live export. The teeth of certain species have
11040-413: The most populous island in the country, and continues to be a source for migrants, a role it played since the days of the labour trade. There are villages of Malaitans in many provinces, including eight " squatter " settlements that make up about 15 percent of the population of Honiara , on Guadalcanal. Malaitans who had emigrated to Guadalcanal became a focus of the civil war which broke out in 1999, and
11160-475: The only opposition by the Laulasi villages who refused the British flag. When Gibson asked why the flag was refused, the villages were afraid that their acceptance of it would signify to the bush people that by aligning themselves with Britain the lagoon dwellers were preparing for war and this would lead the bush people discontinuing trade with the lagoon people, who had no gardens and were dependent on food. American author Jack London travelled to Langa Langa in
11280-621: The period 1976–2013 was more than 15,400. The price at which dolphin teeth are traded in Malaita rose from the equivalent of 18c in 2004 to about 90c in 2013. Malaitans are of a varying phenotype . The skin varies from rich chocolate to tawny, most clearly darker than Polynesians , but not generally as dark as the peoples of Bougainville or the western Solomons, whom Malaitans refer to as "black men". Most have dark brown or black bushy hair, but it varies in colour from reddish blond, yellow to whitish blond, to ebony black, and in texture from frizzled to merely wavy. Tourists often mistakenly believe
11400-402: The period of independence. The Kwaio people have been the most resistant to Christianity. For the most part, the Malaitans survive by subsistence agriculture , with taro and sweet potatoes as the most important crops. After the establishment of government control, a plantation was established on the west coast, near Baunani. However, many Malaitans work on plantations on other islands in
11520-569: The process was District Commissioner William R. Bell , who was killed in 1927 by a Kwaio, along with a cadet named Lillies and 13 Solomon Islanders in his charge. A massive punitive expedition , known as the Malaita massacre , ensued; at least 60 Kwaio were killed, nearly 200 detained in Tulagi (the protectorate capital), and many sacred sites and objects were destroyed or desecrated. Resentment about this incident continues, and in 1983 leaders from
11640-473: The provincial government refusing to discuss the topics Sogavare had originally arrived to discuss, instead airing concerns over the diplomatic switch. Mass pro-Taiwan protests broke out throughout Malaita, and some protesters even demanded independence from the Solomon Islands, sparking concerns over the fragility of the government. Malaita is a thin island, about 164 kilometres (102 mi) long and 37 kilometres (23 mi) wide at its widest point. Its length
11760-430: The reef villages of Kaloka and Auki. Like the founders of Venice, these salt water men were originally refugees form the mainland. Too weak to hold their own in the bush, survivors of village massacres, they fled to the sand banks of the lagoon. These sand banks they built up into islands and they were compelled to seek their provender from the sea. They developed canoo bodies, unable to walk about, spending all their time in
11880-437: The same tribe still required two more heads from the Minota, to square up for deaths on the Ysabel plantation. (p 387) "Three fruitless days were spent at Su'u. The Minota got no recruits from the bush and the bushmen got no heads from the Minota. We towed out with a whaleboat and ran along the coast to Langa Langa, a large village of salt-water people built with labour on a sand bank – literally built up" The island of Laulasi
12000-422: The sea. They developed canoo bodies, unable to walk about, spending all their time in the canoos, they became thick armed and broad shouldered with narrow waists and frail legs" (p 138). "I sailed in the teak-built ketch, the Minota, on a blackbirding cruise to Malaita, and I took my wife along. The hatchet-marks were still raw on the door of our tiny stateroom advertising an event of a few months before. The event
12120-440: The settlement patterns that were made. From the 1870s to 1903 Malaitan men (and some women) comprised the largest number of Solomon Islander participants in the indentured labour trade to Queensland , Australia and to Fiji . The 1870s were a time of illegal recruiting practices known as Blackbirding . Malaitans are known to have volunteered as indentured labourers with some making their second trip to work on plantations, although
12240-428: The sharks in the form of pigs. Ordinary men are not allowed to visit the shark site unless invited by the custom priest. According to local legend, a fisherman whose boat capsizes at sea may call on a shark to rescue him; after being rescued and returned to shore, he must sacrifice a pig, or else the shark will eat him next time he goes out to sea. By the 1960s many of the LangaLanga villages were Christian. Many of
12360-458: The small Sikaiana , part of the province 212 kilometres (132 mi) northeast. To the northwest of the island is Santa Isabel Island . To the immediate southeast is South Malaita Island (also called Small Malaita or Maramasike), separated by the narrow Maramasike Passage . Beyond that is Makira , the southernmost large island in the Solomon archipelago. Malaita's climate is extremely wet. It
12480-526: The south, the 'Are'are people developed a more hierarchical organization and more outward orientation, a cultural tradition that reaches its peak on the hereditary chiefs and rituals of Small Malaita to the south. One exception to these generalizations are cultures which have migrated in more recent times, such as the northern Lau , who settled in several seaside areas (and offshore islands) in southern Malaita about 200 years ago, and with whom there has been little cultural exchange. The traditional religion of
12600-406: The spirits and ancestors, the Ramo is responsible for tribal warfare and Waenotolo is the chief responsible for controlling, organising, leadership and uniting the whole community. Priests in Laulasi live in "spirit houses", and when they die, their bodies are taken to the nearby village of Alite to decompose, after which the skulls are brought back and placed in a "house of skulls." On one side of
12720-440: The surrounding sea, air temperatures are fairly consistent, with a difference between daily highs and lows averaging to 7.6 °C (13.6 °F). However, across the year, the difference is much less; the mean daily temperature in the warmest month is only 1.9 °C (3.4 °F) warmer than that of the coolest. Rainfall is heavy and there is constant high humidity. The most common daily pattern follows an adiabatic process , with
12840-421: The trove of rifles and ammunition locked therein, after bloodily slaughtering Jansen's predecessor, Captain Mackenzie. The burning of the vessel was somehow prevented by the black crew, but this was so unprecedented that the owner feared some complicity between them and the attacking party. However, it could not be proved, and we sailed with the majority of this same crew. The present skipper smilingly warned us that
12960-599: The vessel Young Dick was attacked at Sinerango, Malaita, and most of its crew murdered. In 1886, Britain defined its area of interest in the Solomons, including Malaita, and central government control of Malaita began in 1893, when Captain Herbert Gibson , of HMS Curacoa , declared the southern Solomon Islands as a British Protectorate with the proclamation of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate , claiming to regulate
13080-445: The whole community. Priests in Laulasi live in "spirit houses," and when they die, their bodies are taken to the nearby village of Alite to decompose, after which the skulls are brought back and placed in a "house of skulls." On the side of the island is an inlet where custom priests calls the sharks to come to the surface. The sharks are re-incarnation of the people's ancestors who died many years before. They also offer sacrifices to
13200-458: The whole of the Langalanga lagoon. Certain cultural features or Tambu House (Place of the first settlements) are still preserved which attest to the settlement patterns that were made. In 1892 the Queensland government Australia abandoned the Pacific labour trade known as Blackbirding and in 1901 the Commonwealth of Australia enacted the Pacific Island Labourers Act 1901 which facilitated
13320-571: Was a precedent for the later Maasina Ruru movement. Many of the earliest missionaries, both Catholic and Protestant, were killed, and this violent reputation survives in the geographic name of Cape Arsacides, the eastward bulge of the northern part of the island, meaning Cape of the Assassins. The cape was even mentioned in Herman Melville 's epic novel Moby Dick by Ishmael , the novel's narrator. Ishmael talks of his friendship with
13440-402: Was established by carrying no weapons. On his second trip to Malaita, recruiting,he ran into Bina, which is near Langa Langa. The rifles with which the boat's-crew should have been armed, were locked up in his cabin. When the whale-boat went ashore after recruits, he paraded around the deck without even a revolver on him. He was tomahawked. His head remains in Malaita. It was suicide. The Log of
13560-434: Was formerly carried out using lure hooks made of shell shanks or with baited hooks made of bone or shell. In the lagoon the fishing practices included spearing, netting, and collecting marine invertebrates, including by diving. Some traditional fishing practices have been abandoned include using fish traps (afeafe and ere’ere), the fish-drive (rarabu) using coconut leaves, fish-poisoning, kite-fishing (kwaferao), and angling with
13680-410: Was provided with a "plausible excuse for protecting the Solomons" and so protecting their labour reserves. By declaring a protectorate , the British were able to justify keeping out other colonial powers. American author Jack London traveled to Langa Langa in a yacht in 1908. "We ran down the lagoon from Langa Langa, between mangrove swamps through passages scaresly wider than the Monota, and passed
13800-449: Was re-discovered in the late 18th century, Malaitans were subjected to harsh treatment from whaling boat crews and blackbirders (labour recruiters). Contact with outsiders also brought new opportunities for education. The first Malaitans to learn to read and write were Joseph Wate and Watehou, who accompanied Bishop John Coleridge Patteson to St John's College, Auckland . From the 1870s to 1903 Malaitan men (and some women) comprised
13920-437: Was seized by the Japanese, and it too was briefly raided by Japan, but little fighting happened on the island. Malaitans who fought in battalions, however, brought a new movement for self-determination known as Maasina Ruru (or "Marching Rule"), which spread quickly across the island. Participants united across traditional religious, ethnic, and clan lines, lived in fortified nontraditional villages, and refused to cooperate with
14040-540: Was shown not to be simply a means of appeasement, but submitted nearly seventy resolutions and recommendations to the High Commissioner in its first two years of existence. The Solomon Islands were granted independence in July 1978. The first prime minister was Peter Kenilorea from 'Are'are (Malaita). The provinces were re-organized in 1981, and Malaita became the main island of Malaita Province. Malaita remains
14160-428: Was the subject of the worst civilian casualties in the Solomon Islands during a bombing raid by American bombers during World War II . The LangaLanga/Wala and Kwara'ae people more or less have the same cultural and traditional practices and follow the same chiefly system. Male children for example are more valued than females because they will continue with the line or tribe. Girls are not so preferred because they leave
14280-421: Was the taking of Captain Mackenzie's head, Captain Mackenzie, at that time, being master of the Minota.... As we sailed in to Langa-Langa on the shore side of the lagoon, was Binu , the place where the Minota was captured a year previously and her captain killed by the bushmen of Malaita, having been hacked to pieces and eaten" (p 135). "He(Mackenzie) believed in kindness. He also contended that better confidence
14400-501: Was the worst loss of civilian lives in the entire Solomon Islands conflict". "The LangaLanga and Kwara'ae people more or less have the same cultural and traditional practices and follow the same chiefly system. Male children for example are more valued than females because they will continue with the line or tribe. Girls are not so preferred because they leave the community when they get married. Boys are separated from their parents when they are around 12 or 13 years old to live separate in
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