The Chiefs’ Country: Leadership and Politics in Honiara, Soloman Islands

295 Pages·2013·4.042 MB·English

by  Michael Kwa’ioloa, Ben Burt

Michael Kwa’ioloa is a chief, community activist and cul-
tural expert of the Kwara’ae people of Malaita Island, living in
Honiara, the capital of Solomon Islands.
Ben Burt is an anthropologist working at the British Museum
who has been researching with Kwa’ioloa and the Kwara’ae
chiefs since 1979 to document their culture and history.
They have published books and papers together on land
tenure, forest resources, oral history and body ornaments,
including Kwa’ioloa’s account of his early life, Living Tradition
(1997).
Other UQ ePress books
God’s Gentlemen
A History of the Melanesian Mission, 1849–1942
David Hilliard
Workers in Bondage
The Origins and Bases of Unfree Labour In Queensland
1824–1916
Kay Saunders
The Samoan Tangle
A Study in Anglo-German-American Relations 1878–1900
Paul M. Kennedy
Papua New Guinea
Initiation and Independence
Don Woodford
Race and Politics in Fiji
(Second Edition)
Robert Norton
Tax Havens and Sovereignty in the Pacific Islands
Anthony van Fossen
TAX HAVENS AND
The Chiefs’ Country
SOVEREIGNTY
Leadership and politics in Honiara, Solomon
IN THEIs laPndAs CIFIC
ISLANDS
Michael Kwa’ioloa and Ben Burt
aNtHONY VaN fOSSEN
Pacific StudiES SEriES
An imprint of UQP

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements vi
list of illustrAtions vii
introduction by ben burt 1
ChapTEr 1 my f Ather’s legAcy 29
ChapTEr 2 reseArching our trAditionAl culture 37
ChapTEr 3 mAking A living in town 63
ChapTEr 4 mArriA ges And brideprice 85
ChapTEr 5 deAling with sorcery 119
ChapTEr 6 our clAims to AncestrAl lAnds 135
ChapTEr 7 working with chiefs And politiciAns 163
ChapTEr 8 trouble on gu AdAlcAnAl 191
ChapTEr 9 mAlAit A fights bAck 213
ChapTEr 10 ending the conflict 235
ChapTEr 11 leAdership And politics,
trAdition And development 263
bibiliogrAphy 275
index 277
aCkNO wlEdgEmENTS
For valuable comments on the drafts for this book, we are grate-
ful to Graham Baines for the benefit of his long experience of
Solomon Islands history and current affairs, to Clive Moore
for his expertise on Solomon Islands history and support as
commissioning editor for UQ ePress, and to two anonymous
reviewers. Lissant Bolton and her British Museum Melanesian
Art project made a vital contribution by supporting Kwa’ioloa’s
visit to London in 2006 and the British Museum Melanesian
Research Seminar contributed constructive discussion to the
editing of the book. Moffat Mamu kindly agreed to publication
of photographs from the Solomon Star. We are very grateful
to Nicholas Coppell and the Regional Assistance Mission to
Solomon Islands (RAMSI) for funding the book’s publication.
vi
liST Of illuSTra TiONS
Maps: Melanesia, Solomon Islands, Malaita and
Guadalcanal. x
Kwa’ioloa presenting a ten-string money to
Ben Burt, 2004. 27
Samuel Alasa’a, Kwa’ioloa’s father, 1979. 28
Anofiu, where Alasa’a spent his last years, 1991. 35
Michael Kwa’ioloa at the Museum of Mankind, 1997. 36
Chiefs gathered at Kwasibu to discuss the
Land book, 1991. 42
A research meeting for Our Forest of Kwara’ae, 1993. 45
Kwa’ioloa addressing the British Museum
conference, 2006. 60
Honiara Central Market, 2008. 62
Kwa’ioloa and Fanenalua at their house, 1999. 66
Malaitan houses and gardens at Gilbert Camp, 2004. 69
Some of Kwa’ioloa’s sons. 74
Kwa’ioloa’s youngest son Ben Burtte’e, 1999. 78
Watching television in Kwa’ioloa’s house, 2004. 81
vii
The chiefs’ counTry
Kwa’ioloa’s sons appearing in the Solomon Star, 2005. 83
Visiting relatives displaying ten-string moneys, 1999. 84
Bizel Fanenalua, 2004. 88
Michael Kwa’ioloa discussing a brideprice, 1999. 92
Michael Kwa’ioloa with his grandson, 1999. 98
A Kwara’ae girl dressed for her wedding. 101
A Langalanga brideprice presentation, 2000s. 108
A family from Langalanga making shell-money. 112
A wedding photo of Kwa’ioloa’s daughter, 2009. 114
A vele sorcerer’s kit. 118
Thompson Atoa, 1987 120
An East Kwara’ae landscape, 1984. 134
Maps: Kwara’ae clan lands. 140
Chart: Genealogies of Latea and Fairu. 143
Rocky Tisa with his cattle, 1991. 145
Paul Daokalia, Alex Rukia, Frank Ete,
Rocky Tisa. 162
Silas Sangafanoa, paramount chief, 1987. 174
Kwara’ae chiefs at the launch of Land in
Kwara’ae, 1994. 183
A view from Mount Austen, 1999. 190
Houses in Kobito Two on the outskirts of
Honiara, 1991. 200
Scenes from the reconciliation ceremony,
23 May 1999. 208–209
Maps: Honiara and Guadalcanal. 211
The MEF ‘joint operation’, June 2000. 214
Members of the MEF at Kakabona, July 2000. 219
The MEF bunker at Alligator Creek,
October 2000. 221
viii
list of illustrations
Militants celebrating the Townsville Peace
Agreement, 2000. 236
Kwa’ioloa with MEF militants, 2000. 242
Kwa’ioloa at a RAMSI vehicle check. 245
The Solomon Islands National Parliament, 2008. 264
ix