Culture of the Solomon Islands

Culture of the Solomon Islands

Vella Lavella girl with painted face and shell ear ornaments, c. 1900

Contents

• 1 Traditional culture
• 2 Contemporary culture
• 3 Languages
• 4 Notable figures
• 5 See also
• 6 References

Traditional culture

In the traditional culture of the Solomon Islands, age-old customs are handed down from one generation to the next, allegedly from the ancestral spirits themselves, to form the cultural values to Solomon Islands. Culturally, the Solomon Islands are a part of Melanesia, and the indigenous peoples are Melanesians.

Contemporary culture

In the contemporary Solomon Islands, as elsewhere in Melanesia, kastom is the core of the assertion of traditional values and cultural practices in a modern context.^[1] The Kastom Gaden Association^[2], for example, advocates growing and eating traditional foods rather than imported ones.^[3]

Languages

There are at least 64 languages in the Solomon Islands, not counting English and Pijin.^[4] The Islands' languages are part of the great diversity of the Austronesian languages of Melanesia.

Notable figures

Notable figures in contemporary Solomon Islands culture include painter Ake Lianga and musician Sharzy. Writers include John Saunana and Celo Kulagoe.^[5]

See also

• Music of the Solomon Islands
• Literature of the Solomon Islands
• Languages of the Solomon Islands
• Religion in the Solomon Islands

References

1. ^ "The Politics of Indigenous Identity, Ethnicity and Tradition", University of Hawai'i, Center for Pacific Islands Studies
2. ^ "Gaden", not "Garden". The word belongs to the Pijin language, not English.
3. ^ "Don’t rely on import food: Kastom Gaden", Solomon Star, May 5, 2008
4. ^ Ples Blong Iumi: Solomon Islands the Past Four Thousand Years, Hugh Laracy (ed.), University of the South Pacific, 1989, ISBN 982-02-0027-X
5. ^ "English in the South Pacific", John Lynch and France Mugler, University of the South Pacific

v · d · eCulture of Oceania
Sovereign states	Australia East Timor (Timor-Leste) Fiji Indonesia Kiribati Marshall Islands Federated States of Micronesia Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu
Dependencies and other territories	American Samoa Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands Easter Island French Polynesia Guam Hawaii New Caledonia Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Pitcairn Islands Tokelau Wallis and Futuna

v · Culture of indigenous Oceania
List of resources about traditional arts and culture of Oceania
Art	ahu · Australia · Austronesia · Cook Islands · Hawaiʻi · kapa (Hawaiʻi) · lei (Hawaii) · magimagi · Māori · moai · New Zealand · nguzu nguzu · Oceania · Papua New Guinea · reimiro · tā moko · tapa ["masi" (Fiji), "ngatu" (Tonga), "siapo" (Sāmoa), " ʻuha" (Rotuma)] · tabua · ta'ovala · tattoo · tēfui · tivaivai
Broad culture	areca nut · Kava culture · kava, [" ʻawa" (Hawaii), "yaqona" (Fiji), or "sakau" (Pohnpei) · Sāmoa 'ava ceremony] · Lapita · Māori · Polynesia · Polynesian navigation · wood carving
Geo-specific, general	Australia · Australian Aboriginal astronomy · Austronesia · Caroline Islands, -Pwo · Chatham Islands · Cook Islands · Easter Island · Fiji, -Lau Islands, -traditions and ceremonies · Guam · Hawaiʻi, -Lomilomi massage · Kiribati · French Polynesia's Marquesas Islands · Marshall Islands, -Stick charts of · Federated States of Micronesia · Nauru · New Caledonia · New Zealand · Niue · Norfolk Island · Palau · Papua New Guinea · Pitcairn Islands · Sāmoa · Solomon Islands · Tonga · Torres Strait Islands · Tuvalu · Vanuatu · Wallis and Futuna · Yap, -navigation, -Weriyeng navigation school
Canoes	Aboriginal Dugout · Alingano Maisu · Drua · Dugout (boat) · Hawaiʻiloa · Hōkūleʻa · Modern Hawaiian outrigger · Māori migration · Outrigger · Polynesian sailing · Proa · Waka,-List of · Walap
Dance	'aparima · cibi · fara · fire dancing · firewalking · haka · hivinau · hula · kailao · kapa haka · Kiribati · meke · 'ote'a · pa'o'a · poi · Rotuma · siva · Tahiti · tāmūrē · tautoga · Tonga · 'upa'upa
Festivals	Australia's Garma Festival · Hawaiʻi's Aloha Festivals, Merrie Monarch Festival, and World Invitational Hula Festival · Fiji · New Zealand's Pasifika Festival · The Pacific Community's Festival of Pacific Arts · Festivals in Papua New Guinea
Languages	by area v · d · eLanguages of Oceania Sovereign states Australia East Timor (Timor-Leste) Fiji Indonesia Kiribati Marshall Islands Federated States of Micronesia Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Dependencies and other territories American Samoa Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands Easter Island French Polynesia Guam Hawaii New Caledonia Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Pitcairn Islands Tokelau Wallis and Futuna by category Languages of Oceania
Literature	v · d · eLiterature of Oceania Sovereign states Australia East Timor (Timor-Leste) Fiji Indonesia Kiribati Marshall Islands Federated States of Micronesia Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Dependencies and other territories American Samoa Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands Easter Island French Polynesia Guam Hawaii New Caledonia Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Pitcairn Islands Tokelau Wallis and Futuna
Music	Austral Islands (French Polynesia) · Australia · Austronesia · Cook Islands · Easter Island · Fiji · Guam · Hawaiʻi · Kiribati · Lali · Māori · Melanesia · Northern Mariana Islands · Micronesia · Federated States of Micronesia · Nauru · New Caledonia · New Zealand · Niue · Palau · Papua New Guinea · Polynesia · Sāmoa · Slit drum · Solomon Islands · Tahiti · Tokelau · Tonga · Tuvalu · Vanuatu · Wallis and Futuna
Mythology	Australian Aboriginal · Fijian · Māori · Melanesian · Menehune · Micronesian · Oceanian legendary creatures · Polynesian · Rapa Nui · Vanuatu
People	Indigneous Australian · Austronesian · Chamorro · Chatham Islander (Moriori or Rekohu) · Fijian · Hawaiian (kānaka maoli) · Māori · Marshallese · Melanesian · Micronesian · Negrito · Norfolk Islander · Papuan · Polynesian · Indigenous Polynesian (Mā’ohi) · Rapanui · Rotuman · Samoan · Tahitian · Tongan · Torres Strait Islander
Religion	v · d · eReligion in Oceania Sovereign states Australia East Timor (Timor-Leste) Fiji Indonesia Kiribati Marshall Islands Federated States of Micronesia Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Dependencies and other territories American Samoa Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands Easter Island French Polynesia Guam Hawaii New Caledonia Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Pitcairn Islands Tokelau Wallis and Futuna
Not included: Oceanian: cinema, (indigenous) currency, dress, folkore, cuisine. Also see Category:Oceanian culture.

v · d · eLanguages of Oceania
Sovereign states	Australia East Timor (Timor-Leste) Fiji Indonesia Kiribati Marshall Islands Federated States of Micronesia Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu
Dependencies and other territories	American Samoa Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands Easter Island French Polynesia Guam Hawaii New Caledonia Niue Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Pitcairn Islands Tokelau Wallis and Futuna

Categories:

• Solomon Islands stubs
• Solomon Islands culture

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