Solomon Islands: A Unique Culture

The Solomon Islands have a long and fascinating history and a culture that cannot be experienced anywhere else. The Solomon Islands are a group of about 1,000 Islands in the South Pacific Ocean just east of Papua New Guinea and north east of Australia. They are divided into nine provinces and one capital territory. The total area that they cover is about the same size as the state of Maryland. The Solomon Islands experience a tropical-monsoon climate. This means that the temperature stays above or around 60 degrees for just about all of the year and it rains for several months at a time. It is mostly warm and humid, however the temperature rarely reaches extreme highs due to constant trade winds. These winds blow from April to October. November through March is the monsoon season. The terrain there is mostly mountainous. Natural resources of the Solomon Islands include fish, lumber, gold, nickel, and lead. Environmental issues facing the islands are deforestation, soil erosion, and the destruction of the surrounding coral reef. Geographic threats to the islands include typhoons, earth tremors, volcanoes, and tsunamis. The land area of the Solomon Islands is about 11,000 square miles and the highest point is Mount Makarakomburu, which is at 8,028 ft above sea level.

It is believed that people inhabited the Solomon Islands as early as 1000 B.C. They were discovered by a Spanish explorer named Alvaro de Mendena in 1567. Mendena would soon die of Malaria and no other explorer visited the islands until the British Explorer Philip Carteret in 1767. Following his visit, explorers from all over began to visit the Solomon Islands. In the mid 1800's, missionaries started visiting the islands and found that the native people were being taken to Queens land and Fiji for slave labor on sugar plantations. This led to many civil uprisings and riots and made it hard for the missionaries to work with the people. In 1893, the United Kingdom declared a protectorate over the islands. Due to this protectorate, the chaos subsided and the missionaries were able to convert most of the population to Christianity. At the beginning of the 20^th Century, British and Australian Farmers began to harvest Coconuts on a large-scale. However, when World War II started, farming virtually ceased and many farmers were evacuated to Australia. The Solomon Islands were a very active location for the war in the South Pacific from May 1942 to December 1943. For most of the beginning of the war they were occupied by Japanese forces. American troops landed at Guadalcanal, the largest island in the chain, in August 1942. They fought the Japanese in numerous land and sea battles. By the time the Japanese withdrew, over 7,000 American soldiers and over 21,000 Japanese soldiers died. In December 1943, the United States controlled the entire Solomon Islands. Another piece of interesting information is that during World War II, John F. Kennedy and his crew from the destroyed PT 109 sought refuge and were rescued from a tiny island in the Solomon island chain.

In 1974 a new constitution was adopted in order to establish a democratic form of government. A year later, what was known as the British Solomon Islands Protectorate became officially know as the Solomon Islands. The Solomon Islands created self-government in 1976 and became independent of the United Kingdom in 1978. They are currently a member of British Commonwealth. Ethnic crime and tribal fighting is one of the biggest problems faced by the Islands since achieving Independence. In fact, for a period of about 10 years, women would actually kill their babies if they had a male because they thought it was the only way to stop the fighting. The Salvation Army worked continuously to try and bring about order and in 2003, the Prime Minister had to request help from Australia in order to try to restore peace.

The people of the Solomon Islands mostly live in small villages along the coastline. More that half of the population lives in areas with less that 200 people total. The vast majority of the population is Christian. Most Solomon Islanders practice a subsistent economy, which means they can barely make enough food or money to live on. They are very family oriented and are all very loyal to the people within their locality. Solomon Islanders focus greatly on the people they are close to and they do not have very nationalistic views. This is probably due largely in part to the fact that they do not have vast media outlets or the technology of bigger and more advanced countries. Most people in the Solomon Islands are not even aware of what is going on outside their immediate community, let alone on one of the country's other islands. This is one of the reasons that there is so much civil disturbance in the country. Different tribes from different parts of the country are continuously fighting partly because they do not share the same culture. Although the majority of Solomon Islanders are not violent there is constant tension between the different ethnic groups. The people who live in the Solomon Islands exhibit trust and respect with the people they personally know and live with. The have a strong belief in equal social and economic rights for all people. In the past, only parents arranged marriages. This was done primarily to ensure that the two people getting married would be compatible on a social and cultural level. In the Solomon Islands today, parents still have some input into the marriage, but the final decision is made by the people who are getting married. Solomon Islanders have a unique sense of etiquette. Respect for one's elders and married women is extremely important. These are seen as so important that violating these codes in some parts of the country requires compensation to the offended person. When a man is talking to a woman who is not related to him, he is expected to look away to show respect. Solomon islanders show a great respect particularly to strangers. This is because of the fact that they are not aware of the culture of the community. This is a way of showing newcomers that they are welcome. If a stranger unintentionally does something to disrespect someone in the community, they are kindly reminded of the community's etiquette. Young and adolescent children are prohibited from showing signs of friendliness to strangers, including boyfriends and girlfriends, when they are in the presence of their relatives. When guests come over a person's house for dinner, it is considered customary to allow them to eat first in order to assure that they had enough. Not practicing this custom is believed to show a sign of moral weakness.

The Solomon Islands are rich in history, experience a warm climate, and have an incredibly unique culture. If you are looking for something different or just an adventure, then maybe the Solomon Islands are the place for you.

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Solomon Islands Geography. 1 November 2005.

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