Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in the Melanesia subregion of Oceania in the western
Pacific Ocean. This page is about the history of the nation state rather than the broader
geographical area of the Solomon Islands archipelago, which covers both Solomon Islands and Bougainville
Island, a province of Papua New Guinea. For the history of the archipelago not covered
here refer to the former administration of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate,
the North Solomon Islands and the History of Bougainville.
Earliest inhabitants in Solomon Islands The human history of Solomon Islands begins
with the first Papuan settlement at least 30,000 years ago from New Guinea. They represented
the furthest expansion of humans into the Pacific until the expansion of Austronesian-language
speakers through the area around 4000 BC, bringing new agricultural and maritime technology.
Most of the languages spoken today in Solomon Islands derive from this era, but some thirty
languages of the pre-Austronesian settlers survive. Most of the people that settled there
back then were Papuans .
There are preserved numerous pre-European cultural monuments in Solomon Islands, notably
Bao megalithic shrine complex , Nusa Roviana fortress and shrines , Vonavona Skull island
– all in Western province. Nusa Roviana fortress, shrines and surrounding villages
served as a hub of regional trade networks in 17th – 19th centuries. Skull shrines
of Nusa Roviana are sites of legends. Better known is Tiola shrine – site of legendary
stone dog which turned towards the direction where enemy of Roviana was coming from. This
complex of archaeological monuments characterises fast development of local Roviana culture,
through trade and head hunting expeditions turning into regional power in 17th – 18th
centuries.
European contact Ships of the Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña
de Neira first sighted Santa Isabel island on 7 February 1568. Finding signs of alluvial
gold on Guadalcanal, Mendaña believed he had found the source of King Solomon's wealth,
and consequently named the islands "The Islands of Solomon".
In 1595 and 1605 Spain again sent several expeditions to find the islands and establish
a colony; however these were unsuccessful. In 1767 Captain Philip Carteret rediscovered
the Santa Cruz Islands and Malaita. Later, Dutch, French and British navigators visited
the islands; their reception was often hostile.
Museums with significant collections of Solomon Islands artifacts include the Bishop Museum,
the Peabody Museum of Salem and the South Sea Islands Museum.
Colonization Sikaiana, then known as the Stewart Islands,
was annexed to the Hawaiian Kingdom in 1856. Hawai'i did not formalize the annexation,
and the United States refused to recognize Hawaiian sovereignty over Sikaiana when the
United States annexed Hawai'i in 1898.
Missionary activity then started at the mid 19th century and European colonial ambitions
led to the establishment of a German Protectorate over the North Solomon Islands, which covered
parts of what is now Solomon Islands, following an Anglo-German Treaty of 1886. A British
Solomon Islands Protectorate over the southern islands was proclaimed in June 1893. German
interests were transferred to the United Kingdom under the Samoa Tripartite Convention of 1899,
in exchange for recognition of the German claim to Western Samoa.
In 1927 District Commissioner William R. Bell was killed on Malaita, 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 ,and many sacred sites and objects were destroyed or desecrated. Basiana, who
had killed Bell, was hanged publicly on 29 June 1928.
World War II Japanese forces occupied the North Solomon
Islands, part of the Australian Territory of New Guinea, in January 1942, going South
to Tulagi. The counter-attack was led by the United States; the 1st Division of the US
Marine Corps landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in August 1942. Some of the most bitter fighting
of World War II took place on the islands for almost three years.
Tulagi, the seat of the British administration on the island of Nggela Sule in Central Province
was destroyed in the heavy fighting following landings by the US Marines. Then the tough
battle for Guadalcanal, which was centred on the capture of the airfield, Henderson
field, led to the development of the adjacent town of Honiara as the United States logistics
centre.
Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana Islanders Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana were
Allies scouts during the war. They became famous when they were noted by National Geographic
for being the first men to find the shipwrecked John F. Kennedy and his crew of the PT-109
using a traditional dugout canoe. They suggested the idea of using a coconut which was later
kept on the desk of the president to write a rescue message for delivery. Their names
had not been credited in most movie and historical accounts, and they were turned back before
they could visit President Kennedy's inauguration, though the Australian coastwatcher would also
meet the president. They were visited by a member of the Kennedy family in 2002, where
they lived in traditional huts without electricity.
War consequences The impact of the war on islanders was profound.
The destruction caused by the fighting and the longer-term consequences of the introduction
of modern materials, machinery and western cultural artefacts, transformed traditional
isolated island ways of life. The reconstruction was slow in the absence of war reparations
and with the destruction of the pre-war plantations, formerly the mainstay of the economy. Significantly,
Solomon Islanders' experience as labourers with the Allies led some to a new appreciation
of the importance of economic organisation and trade as the basis for material advancement.
Some of these ideas were put into practice in the early post-war political movement "Maasina
Ruru" – often corrupted to "Marching Rule".
Post war In 1956 a movement for social economic and
political improvement using co-operatives economic enterprises in combination with a
regard for custom and tradition to synthesise a new social order called Moro Movement began
on Guadalcanal.
Stability was restored during the 1950s, as the British colonial administration built
a network of official local councils. On this platform Solomon Islanders with experience
on the local councils started participation in central government, initially through the
bureaucracy and then, from 1960, through the newly established Legislative and Executive
Councils. Positions on both Councils were initially appointed by the High Commissioner
of the British Protectorate but progressively more of the positions were directly elected
or appointed by electoral colleges formed by the local councils. The first national
election was held in 1964 for the seat of Honiara, and by 1967 the first general election
was held for all but one of the 15 representative seats on the Legislative Council .
Elections were held again in 1970 and a new constitution was introduced. The 1970 constitution
replaced the Legislative and Executive Councils with a single Governing Council. It also established
a 'committee system of government' where all members of the Council sat on one or more
of five committees. The aim of this system was to reduce divisions between elected representatives
and the colonial bureaucracy, provide opportunities for training new representatives in managing
the responsibilities of government.
It was also claimed that this system was more consistent with the Melanesian style of government.
However this was quickly undermined by opposition to the 1970 constitution and the committee
system by elected members of the council. As a result, a new constitution was introduced
in 1974 which established a standard Westminster form of government and gave the Islanders
both Chief Ministerial and Cabinet responsibilities. Solomon Mamaloni became the country's first
Chief Minister in July 1974. Independence
As late as 1970, the British Protectorate did not envisage independence for Solomon
Islands in the foreseeable future. Shortly thereafter, the financial costs of supporting
the Protectorate became more trying, as the world economy was hit by the first oil price
shock of 1973. The imminent independence of Papua New Guinea was also thought to have
influenced the Protectorate's administrators.
Outside of a very small educated elite in Honiara, there was little in the way of an
indigenous independence movement in the Solomons. Self-government was granted in January 1976
and after July 1976, Sir Peter Kenilorea became the Chief Minister who would lead the country
to independence. Independence was granted on 7 July 1978, and Kenilorea automatically
became the country's first Prime Minister.
Ethnic violence Before WWII the provincial capital of Guadalcanal
was located at Aola, further down the coast from the present capital, Honiara. That area
was then still occupied by the tribal owners of the land. Unfortunately for them Point
Cruz had a deep-water harbour and was only a few miles away from the Guadalcanal Plains,
where Henderson airfield was built by the Americans during the War. The landowners accepted
the need for such military effort based on their land, presuming it would be returned
to them afterwards. In the meantime they moved out, over to the Weather Coast on the opposite
side of the island, settling in and around an area called Bambanakira. But they were
never compensated. Efforts to resolve this issue as late as 1998 by Ezekiel Alebua, then
Guadalcanal Premiere, were thwarted and for just a few million dollars . Ethnic bias within
the bureaucracy and authorities at the time was well known. As well, in the late 90s suburban
development had been accelerating on the outskirts of Honiara, whole suburbs of squatters mainly
of Malaitan origin. To exacerbate the problem the police had refused to properly investigate
a growing series of violent murders, all of Guadalcanal men in and around Honiara. In
early 1999 long-simmering tensions between the local Gwale people on Guadalcanal and
more recent migrants from the neighbouring island of Malaita erupted into violence. The
'Guadalcanal Revolutionary Army', later called Isatabu Freedom Movement , began terrorising
Malaitans in the rural areas of the island to make them leave their homes. About 20,000
Malaitans fled to the capital and others returned to their home island; Gwale residents of Honiara
fled. The city became a Malaitan enclave.
Meanwhile, the Malaita Eagle Force was formed to uphold Malaitan interests. The Government
appealed to the Commonwealth Secretary General for assistance. The Honiara Peace Accord was
agreed on 28 June 1999. Despite this apparent success the underlying problems remained unresolved
and had already resulted in the death or serious injury of 30,000 civilians. The accord soon
broke down and fighting broke out again in June 2000.
Malaitans took over some armouries at their home island and Honiara and helped by that,
on 5 June 2000 the MEF seized the parliament by force. Through their spokesman Andrew Nori,
they claimed that the government of the then Prime Minister, Bartholomew Ulufa'alu, had
failed to secure compensation for loss of Malaitan life and property. Ulufa’alu was
forced to step down.
On 30 June 2000 Parliament elected by a narrow margin a new Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare.
He established a Coalition for National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace, which released a
program of action focused on resolving the ethnic conflict, restoring the economy and
distributing the benefits of development more equally. However, Sogavare's government was
deeply corrupt and its actions led to the downward economic spiral and the deterioration
of law and order.
The conflict was foremost about access to land and other resources and was centered
on Honiara. Since the beginning of the civil war it is estimated that 100 have been killed.
About 30,000 refugees, mainly Malaitans, had to leave their homes, and economic activity
on Guadalcanal was severely disrupted.
Continuing civil unrest led to an almost complete breakdown in normal activity: civil servants
remained unpaid for months at a time, and cabinet meetings had to be held in secret
to prevent local warlords from interfering. The security forces were unable to reassert
control, largely because many police and security personnel were associated with one or another
of the rival gangs.
In July 2003 the Governor General of Solomon Islands issued an official request for international
help, which was subsequently endorsed by a unanimous vote of the parliament. Technically,
only the Governor General's request for troops was necessary. However, the government then
passed legislation to provide the international force with greater powers and resolve some
legal ambiguities.
On 6 July 2003, in response to a proposal to send 300 police and 2,000 troops from Australia,
New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea to Guadalcanal, warlord Harold Keke announced
a ceasefire by faxing a signed copy of the announcement to the Solomons Prime Minister,
Allan Kemakeza. Keke ostensibly leads the Guadalcanal Liberation Front, but has been
described as marauding bandit based on the isolated southwestern coast of Guadalcanal.
Despite this ceasefire, on 11 July 2003 the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation broadcast
unconfirmed reports that supporters of Harold Keke razed two villages.
In mid-July 2003, the Solomons parliament voted unanimously in favour of the proposed
intervention. The international force began gathering at a training facility in Townsville.
In August 2003, an international peacekeeping force, known as the Regional Assistance Mission
to Solomon Islands and Operation Helpem Fren, entered the islands. Australia committed the
largest number of security personnel, but with substantial numbers also from other South
Pacific Forum countries such as New Zealand, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea . It acts as an
interim police force and is responsible for restoring law and order in the country because
the Royal Solomon Islands Police force failed to do so for a variety of reasons. Peacekeeping
forces have been successful in improving the country's overall security conditions, including
brokering the surrender of a notorious warlord Harold Keke in August 2003.
In 2006, riots broke out following the election of Snyder Rini as Prime Minister, destroying
part of Chinatown and displacing more than 1,000 Chinese residents; the large Pacific
Casino Hotel was also totally gutted. The commercial heart of Honiara was virtually
reduced to rubble and ashes. Three National Parliament members, Charles Dausabea, Nelson
Ne'e, and Patrick Vahoe, were arrested during or as a result of the riots. The Regional
Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands , the 16-country Pacific Islands Forum initiative
set up in 2003 with assistance from Australia, intervened, sending in additional police and
army officers to bring the situation under control. A vote of no confidence was passed
against the Prime Minister. Following his resignation, a five-party Grand Coalition
for Change Government was formed in May 2006, with Manasseh Sogavare as Prime Minister,
quelling the riots and running the government. The military part of RAMSI was withdrawn in
2013 and rebuilding took shape.
In 2009, the government is scheduled to set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission,
with the assistance of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, to "address people’s traumatic
experiences during the five-year ethnic conflict on Guadalcanal".
The government continues to face serious problems, including an uncertain economic outlook, deforestation,
and malaria control. At one point, prior to the deployment of RAMSI forces, the country
was facing a serious financial crisis. While economic conditions are improving, the situation
remains unstable.
Cyclones In 1992, Cyclone Tia struck the island of
Tikopia, wiping out most housing and food crops. In 1997, the Government asked for help
from the US and Japan to clean up more than 50 sunken World War II shipwrecks polluting
coral reefs and killing marine life.
In December 2002, Severe Tropical Cyclone Zoe struck the island of Tikopia and Anuta,
cutting off contact with the 3,000 inhabitants. Due to funding problems, the Solomon Islands
government could not send relief until the Australian government provided funding.
Cyclone Ita In April 2014 the islands were struck by the
tropical low that later became Cyclone Ita.
Throughout the Solomons, at least 23 people were killed while up to 40 others remained
unaccounted for as of 6 April. An estimated 49,000 people were affected by the floods,
of whom 9,000 were left homeless.
As the precursor tropical low to Ita affected the Islands, local authorities issued heavy
flood warnings, tropical disturbance and cyclone watches.
Nearly two days of continuous heavy rains from the storm caused flash flooding in the
Islands. Over a four-day span, more than 1,000 mm fell at the Gold Ridge mine in Guadalcanal,
with 500 mm falling in a 24‑hour span. The Matanikau River, which runs through the capital
city Honiara, broke its banks on 3 April and devastated nearby communities. Thousands of
homes along with the city's two main bridges were washed away, stranding numerous residents.
The national hospital had to evacuate 500 patients to other facilities due to flooding.
Graham Kenna from Save the Children stated that, "the scale of destruction is like something
never seen before in the Solomon Islands." According to Permanent Secretary Melchoir
Mataki, the majority of homes destroyed in Honiara were built on a flood plain where
construction was not allowed.
Severe flooding took place on Guadalcanal. Immediately following the floods, Honiara
and Guadalcanal were declared disaster areas by the Solomon Government. Debris left behind
by the floods initially hampered relief efforts, with the runway at Honiara International Airport
blocked by two destroyed homes. Food supplies started running low as the Red Cross provided
aid to the thousands homeless. The airport was reopened on 6 April, allowing for supplies
from Australia and New Zealand to be delivered. Roughly 20 percent of Honiara's population
relocated to evacuation centers as entire communities were swept away. There were fears
that the flooding could worsen an already ongoing dengue fever outbreak and cause outbreaks
of diarrhea and conjunctivitis.
New Zealand offered an immediate NZ$300,000 in funds and deployed a C-130 Hercules with
supplies and emergency response personnel. Australia donated A$250,000 on 6 April and
sent engineers and response teams to aid in relief efforts. On 8 April, Australia increased
its aid package to A$3 million while New Zealand provided an additional NZ$1.2 million. Taiwan
provided US$200,000 in funds.