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Solomon Islands  - Culture

A scattered archipelago of mountainous islands and low-lying coral atolls, the Solomon Islands lie east of Papua New Guinea and northeast of Australia in the south Pacific. The islands include Guadalcanal, Malaita, Santa Isabel, San Cristóbal, Choiseul, New Georgia, the Santa Cruz group, and numerous smaller islands.

The capital Honiara (on Guadalcanal), 35,288 Honiara , town (1986 pop. 30,413), capital of the Solomon Islands. Located on Guadalcanal in the SW Pacific, Honiara was rebuilt to replace the former capital of Tulaghi at the end of World War II and occupies the site of an important American campaign against the Japanese. The town now has an expanded harbor, a reconstructed Government House, and a national museum.

Solomon Islander crafts are important for both traditional and decorative reasons. Carvings can be found throughout the island group, and can range from ornate ritual bowls in Makira/Ulawa.  Province to miniature canoe souvenirs in Western Province, Malaita, Ulawa, Santa Ana and Nggela islands. Music is played throughout the Solomon's using bamboo pipes in a variety of forms. Pipes are played either in sets or singly as wind-instruments. Hitting lengths of bamboo with a rubber thong produces sounds ranging from a ukulele twang to a double-bass boom.

'Kastom' (custom) is used to refer to traditional beliefs and land ownership. Despite the predominance of devout Christian belief, traditional practice is still followed to a great extent, especially among the 75% of Solomon Islanders living in villages. Dances, songs and stories depicting the past are common. These usually celebrate war, hunting, the natural world or the harvesting of crops. In addition, some islanders believe in various forms of magic. Most common is the belief that after death, a person's spirit lives on for a time in sharks, birds or reptiles. This animal becomes sacred for a time, and tabu (forbidden) to eat. Ancestors, it seems, are particularly fond of returning as sharks.

Village life in the Solomon Islands is home to a great many tabus (taboos). It would be impossible to explain all of these here, however by exercising care and restraint you should manage to avoid embarrassing moments. The term itself means 'sacred' or 'holy' to the islanders, as well as 'forbidden', so sensitivity is the order of the day. It's worth bearing in mind that property rights are very important; a fruit tree or flower by the roadside may look like fair game, but it probably belongs to somebody. For many islanders, income is dependent on what they grow, and they will expect compensation if you pick fruit that was intended for sale. Modes of dress (or undress) vary enormously, but travellers should remain fully clothed at all times. In many areas, it's deemed inappropriate for a woman to stand higher than a male, but men must not deliberately place themselves below women. If you're a man, don't swim under a woman's canoe, or it may have to be destroyed, and a fine may be payable. Each sex also has its own area for ablutions in most villages. As with all cultures, taboos develop to enforce moral codes and protect the community; not to punish the uninitiated. If you inadvertently breach a tabu on the Solomon's, the locals will most likely silently forgive you for not knowing the rules.

Guadalcanal , volcanic island (1992 est. pop. 63,633), c.2,510 sq mi (6,500 sq km), South Pacific, largest of the Solomon Islands . Honiara , capital of the Solomon Islands, is there. The island is largely jungle. Mt. Makarakombou rises to 8,028 ft (2,447 m). There are coconut plantations and some gold mining. The inhabitants, mostly Melanesians, live along the coasts. Discovered by English navigators in 1788, Guadalcanal became a British protectorate in 1893. During World War II it was occupied by the Japanese. In Aug., 1942, U.S. forces began their first large-scale invasion of a Japanese-held island; after bitter fighting, it was conquered (Feb., 1943). Points of interest include a museum of Melanesian artifacts and Henderson Field, the main objective of the American invasion. In 1999, attacks by the Gwale majority caused many of the Malaitan minority to flee their homes.

Bougainville , volcanic island (1990 est. pop. 154,000), c.3,880 sq mi (10,050 sq km), SW Pacific, largest in the Solomon Islands chain. With the neighboring island of Buka, it forms a part of Papua New Guinea . Bougainville is rugged and densely forested. There are several good harbors, with the main port at Kieta. The economy is mainly agricultural; major exports are copra, ivory nuts, green snails, cocoa, tortoise shells, and trepang. Copper mining was important until 1989 when an insurrection closed down the mine. The center of administration is at Sohano, a coral island in the Buka Passage.

Point Cruz is the local travel hub of Honiara. Reputedly the point where Spanish explorer Mendaña raised a cross, it is now the place where copra boats and passenger ferries load and unload passengers, and is alway busy and colourful. Also of interest are the Parliament, National Museum and Cultural Centre, Botanical Gardens, the nearby Water Pump Village and the colourful, vibrant Chinatown.

As with many Pacific islands, the greatest attraction for visitors to the Solomon Islands is diving. A combination of spectacular coral reefs and hundreds of WWII wrecks makes scuba diving, skin diving and snorkelling all attractive options. For technical divers, the Solomon's is one of the three best spots in the world, though there are still plenty of options for the beginner. The water temperatures in the island group are among the warmest in the world, and visibility is commonly as good as 30m (100 ft). Beware crossing offshore reefs, as the ocean currents can be unbeatable, and - as always - keep local property customs in mind when bringing anything to the surface with you.

Other popular outdoor activities could keep you busy for months. There's bushwalking, canoeing, mountain and volcano climbing, swimming, surfing, fishing, shell-collecting, bird-watching, caving and mountain biking, enough to keep even the most dedicated adventurer sated. At Marovo Lagoon which is now an eco-tourist village the 1770m (5800 ft) high Kolombangara Volcano, the Megapode skull shrines, a crocodile farm and custom dances at Mbangopingo. Two hours by foot from Honiara on Guadalcanal is the spectacular double-sided Mataniko Falls. The falls thunder into a cave full of stalagmites and swooping swallows and bats. During WWII, the cave was a hide-out for Japanese soldiers trying to avoid capture by the Americans