Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Solomon Islands'

This study examines factors influencing adoption and continuance of beef cattle production by Solomon Islanders, focussing on the Group Cattle Ranches, from an institutional perspective. Solomon Islanders have been participating in the beef cattle industry through various government initiatives, supported by external development assistance, since the late 1960s. Until 1984, the focus was on smallholder beef cattle production systems in a mini-European cattle ranch model. Concurrent with this type of smallholder development, other systems of beef production were evolving. In 1984, there was a move away from smallholder beef cattle development to livestock development initiatives. Within these, other beef production systems were targetted for funding. There were ambitious programs for the development of the cattle industry, initially destined to be an export industry, but then reduced to a plan for self-sufficiency in order to minimise imports. The smallholder beef cattle industry, the dominant beef cattle production system, was struggling and the industry went into a rapid decline. In this atmosphere of degeneration, there appeared to be Group Cattle Ranches operating which were reportedly not following this downward trend. The general hypothesis for the study is: That by the identification of the factors influencing adoption and continuance of the beef cattle ranch system in the Solomon Islands, future development strategies could be made more effective. The study examined in a contextual framework factors influencing adoption and continuance of beef production by Solomon Islanders, using personal interview involving structured questionnaires. Interviews were conducted within case studies of the two existing Group Cattle Ranches, Suisae and Tenaru, with the respective managers and with key institutional personnel providing supporting services to the Solomon Islands beef cattle industry. From the responses, factors influencing adoption and continuance were explored with regard to antecedent and intervening variables, from different perspectives, in order to understand the reasons for progress of the group cattle ranches amid the decline of other Solomon Islander beef production systems.

Historical conditions of colonialism, and more recently, the emergence of a post-colonial state and urbanization, have brought about rapid socio-cultural change in the Solomon Islands, characterized by heterogeneity and the influx of new cultural products. Throughout this process, notions of tradition have emerged, iterated largely through the multivocal category of kastom which is fundamentally construed in opposition to notions of Christianity and modernization. This thesis examines how these changes have affected stories, specifically a group of narratives called "kastom stories," told by students in the urban setting, and how these narratives have become a space for tradition to be stated and created. Notions of genre are explored to discover how such an amalgam of stories as that of the kastom stories regarded here could be considered as a group. I examine story structures to understand how elements from diverse sources could become integrated to the stories, and look at transformations which, in distanciating the stories from their original socio-cultural context of production, serve to recontextualize them in their present socio-cultural setting.

This thesis absorbs and reflects on Choiseul Island responses and caution towards the making of anthropological knowledge. Initial interests that can easily become familiar to anthropology as research topics such as village life, local cosmology and local alternatives to cosmologies of climate and ecology, make way here for another activity of working through Choiseul responses to anthropology. In taking seriously the precautions and the considerations of people in this Solomon Islands locality, anthropology is invited to put a stoppage to practices that it would consider ordinary and part of anthropological knowledge making. This impasse for the discipline is outlined and explored in various chapters, in which usual styles of ethnography and topic-making take formation in respect of a Choiseul world that does not fit easily into encapsulation by anthropology. Effects for the discipline of anthropology are given consideration, within a wider view of imagining how an alternative anthropology in the vernacular can also entail an obviation of anthropology itself in favour of new forms of cultural sensitivity.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Macquarie University, School of Behavioural Sciences, 1994.
Bibliography: leaves 357-378.
Introduction -- MANDEGUSU -- Totoso kame rane - time long ago -- Totoso rodomo - time of darkness -- EDDYSTONE ISLAND -- Tataviti bule - pacification -- Totoso taqalo - time of light/cleanliness -- SIMBO -- Tinoa - lives -- Koburu - child -- Tinana - mother -- Vinarialava - marriage -- Rereko iviva - significant woman -- Qoele, tomate - aged woman, ancestor.
This thesis considers the ethnographic history of Simbo, a small island in the western Solomon Islands. The particular focus is upon the significance of conversion to Christianity and subsequent Christian practice, in shaping social and cultural issues and practices in the 1990s. Women's lives, in particular those aspects concerned with kinship, are the lens through which historical changes are viewed. By juxtaposing the structures suggested by indigenous lifecycle categories and the differentiation inherent in individual biographical material, I try to reflect the regularities and continuities within Simbo society as well as the variability and unpredictability of sociality at any given moment. At the same time, the mutability of structure is reflected in the transformed significance of institutions and ostensibly similar practices. -- The period under scrutiny is that between c. 1900-1990, which covers social practices and events from immediately prior to pacification and the Methodist Mission's establishment in the New Georgia Group in 1902 up until the present. I argue that since pacification, the progressive development of indigenous Christianity has been the major determinant of Simbo responses to the world system. This is not to argue that pacification represented the first intrusion of Europe or the beginning of social transformations. Constructions of indigenous societies as having been static entities before contact with Europe are critiqued. Pacification, after more than a century of contact with Europe, had revolutionary implications because of its significance from local worldviews, as much as for its demonstration of British political "legitimacy". -- Christianity, then, cannot be divorced from the reality of political and economic subordination throughout the twentieth century. Nor, however, can it be simpHstically treated as merely the ideological face of expanding capitalism. Following J. Comaroff and J.L. Comaroff, I treat the non-material aspects of social life as being as significant as the material. From its earliest days, the Methodist Mission both facilitated and hampered the interests of government and traders. But it is not only mission personnel who are important here. Simbo people have consistently shaped and deployed their own Christian frameworks. If they never resisted it, they have certainly transformed what was imposed on them ninety years ago from ideology to lived hegemony.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
xxiii, 378 leaves ill. (some col.), maps

This thesis has used the abandoned village site of Mwanihuki located on Makira in the Solomon Islands as a case study to explore the archaeological evidence associated with the initial occupation of the region and the emergence of later inter and intra-island trade and exchange systems. The main aims of the thesis were to establish the timing of initial occupation, understand patterns of settlement and subsistence, and explore evidence for the rise of the southeast trade and exchange system and Mwanihuki’s place in that network. Intensive fieldwork was conducted on Mwanihuki and surroundings, while also analysing and incorporating the legacy material into this research. Radiocarbon evidence revealed phasing that placed the study area into two broad cultural periods. The first was an ephemeral use of Mwanihuki from c. 3000 BP, which was contemporaneous with the Lapita cultural tradition, though aceramic. The second phase of the site demonstrated intensive occupation from c.800BP, which included construction of burial structures, anthropogenic refuse mounds, and a rich material culture. It is argued that these latter items are evidence of shell valuable production and together with the dense concentrations of chert imported from Ulawa indicate that by c500BP Mwanihuki was a significant node in the emergent inter-island trade system. This material culture, along with Mwanihuki’s prominent headland location and strong island inter-visibility all contributed to the transfer of material culture and social and economic complexity. The abandonment of the site c400BP and the retreat to the mountainous interior and defended settlements detailed in oral history appears to be a consequence of an initial contact with Spanish explorers in 1595 AD and the rise of inter and intra island hostilities.

Dans le cadre de la recherche de nouvelles molécules antipaludiques, une espèce d'Haliclona et quatre lots de l'éponge Aplysina ianthelliformis ont été étudiées pour fournir 22 composés, dont sept sont nouveaux 141-147. Un produit connu, l'haliclonacyclamine A 129, qui a montré ici une activité in vitro sur des souches de Plasmodium falciparum FCB1 résistantes à la chloroquine avec une CI50 de 98nM et un index de sélectivité (activité Antipalsmodiale/cytotoxicité) de 57 et 67 déterminé respectivement sur cellules MVF7 et Véro. Testée in vivo sur le modèle souris, l'haliclonacyclamine A 129 a montré 48% d'inhibition de la parasitémie le 4ème jour après 3 jours de traitement à 10mg/Kg/jour administré par voie intra-péritonéale à des souris Swiss femelles infectées par P. Vinckei petteri. Les échantillons d'A. Ianthelliformis ont fourni 21 produits, tous sauf deux (aureol 137 et aplysterol 138) appartenant à la série des bromotyrosines. Ces composés 35a, 36, 130-147 montrent une faible activité in vitro sur les souches résistantes ou sensibles à la chloroquine, P. Falciparum FCB1 et 3D7 respectivement, avec des CI50 allant de 0. 9 à 44µM. Tous les composés dérivés de la bromotyrosine manquent de sélectivité, sauf l'araplysillin I 139 qui présente un faible index de sélectivité de 5,5 et 6,5 respectivement sur cellules MCF7 et Vero, et une CI50 = 4,5µM sur P. Falciparum FCB1. Tous ces produits présentent une faible activité sur la Protéinefarnésyletransférase (PFTase) ; le composé le plus actif, l'aerophobin II 135, a une CI50 = 4. 9µM. L'inactivité de la molécule 144 suggère l'importance du motif isoxazolinique dans l’activité sur PFTase
In a search for new antiplasmodial compounds, one Haliclona and four Aplysina ianthelliformis sponges were chemically investigated to furnish 21 compounds, seven of which are novel ones 141-147. The Haliclona sponge gave the known product, haliclonacylamine A 129 which exhibits potent in vitro activity against the chloroquine-resistant strain, Plasmodium falciparum FCB-1 with an IC50 of 98 nM and a strong selectivity index of 57 and 67 (determined as antiplasmodial activity/ cytotoxicity). In the in vivo mice model, haliclonacyclamine A 129 gave 45% parasitaemia inhibition on the fourth day following three days of treatment at 10 mg/Kg/day administered intra-peritoneally to Swiss female mice infected with P. Vinckei petteri. The A. Ianthelliformis sponges furnished 20 compounds, all but two (aureol 137 and aplysterol 138) of which are bromotyrosine derivatives. All bromotyrosine-derived compounds; 35a, 36, 130-147 exhibit mild in vitro activities against the chloroquine-resistant and sensitive strains, P. Falciparum FCB-1 and 3D7 respectively, with IC50s ranging between 0. 9 – 50. 5 µM. All bromotyrosine compounds lack selectivity except for araplysillin I 139 which has a weak selectivity index of 5. 5 and 6. 5 (measured for MCF-7 and Vero cells respectively) and an IC50 value of 4. 5 µM against P. Falciparum, FCB-1. All bromotyrosine derivatives, except for the novel compound 144, also exhibit weak Protein farnesyltransferase (PFTase) inhibitory activity; the most active, aerophobin II 135, has an IC50 of 8. 0 µM. The inactivity of compound 144 suggests the importance of the isoxazoline motif in conferring PFTase activity in bromotyrosine compounds

Informal agroforestry is a traditional practice in Solomon Islands, mostly intercropping food crops with fruit trees. Agroforestry systems that intercrop food crops with rows of hardwood species for the purposes of timber production have not been practiced. In response to the common problem that growers of valuable hardwood species such as teak (Tectona grandis) are reluctant to thin their trees, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) established project FST/2007/020 to develop novel silvicultural systems to overcome this problem. Flueggea flexuosa (flueggea) is a local hardwood species that is widely utilized for housing and fencing applications. The project team established several agroforestry trials testing the hypothesis that teak and flueggea could be successfully grown together with the local tree being progressively harvested for local use, effectively thinning the plantation and allowing the teak to develop through to harvestable size. The trees could be intercropped with food crops allowing for multiple land use and income generating opportunities whilst the trees grow through to maturity. The model was based on the assumption that trees and crops, when properly managed, complement each other rather than compete in the capture and efficient use of available growth resources. This system is a hybrid of the informal agroforestry traditionally practiced in Solomon Islands and the silvicultural management techniques applied to production forestry. However, teak and flueggea have not been previously grown together under an agroforestry regime and little is known of the species interaction or of the effect of growing different food and cash crops in the interrow. Traditional practices for growing food crops in Solomon Islands begin with forest clearance and burning of debris, a slash and burn system. Mounds are made using man-made hoes or picks to give crops better growing spot away from competing weeds and surface water flow during rainy seasons. Most root crops and vegetables are planted in their own blocks and kept separate from other crops. Mixing of food crops is not a usual practice in most parts of the Solomon Islands. Other crops and trees are usually planted at the boundaries of each crop’s patch or along the boundary. Most food crops reach harvesting age after 3 months. When crops are harvested, the whole plant is uprooted, plant parts and debris are piled at a location and are burnt when dry. Where the area available for gardening area is large, the harvested plot is left to fallow but if the available area is small, crops are replanted straight after harvest, leaving no time for the soil to be replenished with nutrients through decomposition of plant materials. Amongst several silvicultural trials established in Solomon Islands, this study focuses on trials established at Ringgi and Poitete which are located at the southern and northern parts of Kolombangara Island in Western Province. These silvicultural trials were established for the purpose of examining the effect of stocking rate and species mix on teak and flueggea growth and on their potential influence over the hybrid agroforestry system. Two mixed species spacing trials and one hybrid agroforestry trial of teak and flueggea were established to test the hybrid model. The two main mixed species spacing trials have 5 treatments with 4 replicates each, treatments are a combination of stocking rate and species mix. The five different treatments include teak being grown as a monoculture (Treatment 1); and then in rows interspersed with 2 rows of flueggea at different stocking rates (Treatments 2, 3, and 4); and alternating rows of teak and flueggea at standard spacing (Treatment 5). The hybrid agroforestry trial was based on the standard 4 x 3 m spacing (Treatment 5) and further intercropped with food crops. Only Treatment 3 (4 x4m) and Treatment 4 (4 x 6m) have wider planting spaces. Standard stocking is 833 stems per hectare for Treatments 1, 2 and 5, and 625 and 416 stems per hectare for Treatments 3 and 4. This research examined the interactions occurring between teak and flueggea, and between teak, flueggea and food crops grown in the inter-row with respect to competition for nitrogen (N), light and water, resource access, changes in system interactions with the development of the canopy, nutrient loss and issues of sustainability related to harvesting of food crops, biogeochemical cycling of carbon (C) and N, root architecture and growth and yield. Total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN) and stable isotope δ13C and δ15N, and 15N-labelled tracer were analyzed using field sampled soil, foliage, branch, stem, root and litterfall from the stands to examine soil nutrient uptake, biomass content and cycling as a result of the intraspecific and interspecific interactions with relation to tree growth and productivity of the hybrid system over time and space. Root architecture, tree mean total height (THt) and diameter at breast height (DBH) were measured and assessed over the study period. We investigated the competition between teak and flueggea for N using a 15N-labelled tracer in a field trial in a 2 year old and a 4 year old mixed species stand. The study also reports the acquisition and allocation of TC and C isotope composition (δ13C) in different tree components of teak and flueggea. Seven pairs of trees, one of each species, were isolated using an impermeable membrane 60 cm deep and 15N-labelled tracer was applied to the soil surface. The first four plots were sampled for a period of 18 months and the age of the trees at final excavation was 4 years. The final three plots were sampled for 12 months and the age of the trees at final excavation was 2 years. Each tree was measured, felled and roots excavated, divided into the components: roots, stem, branch and foliage, and then weighed for biomass, samples of each component were oven dried at 60° C to constant weight, ground to a fine powder and analysed for TN, TC, 15N enrichment, and δ13C. There was no significant difference in component 15N enrichment between teak and flueggea at both ages, suggesting that there could be equal uptake of added 15N-labelled tracer by both species. The 15N -labelled tracer concentration was greater in the foliage followed by the root, stem and branch for teak and flueggea. However, stem had significantly greater biomass and therefore had greater 15N enrichment mass (kg) than other components of teak in the 2 years trial and with teak and flueggea at 4 years trial. Approximately 55 % of added 15N tracer was recovered in the 4 years trial and 43 % was recovered in the 2 years trial, suggesting that higher uptake is possible with well-established root structure with age. Although teak had significant growth, 15N tracer uptake and enrichment were not statistically different to those of flueggea which may mean that competition in growth resources was still at minimum stage and growth rates were species specific. TN was not significantly different between teak and flueggea components at age 2 and 4 years and may indicate equal access to available N belowground and with similar allocations. TC was not significantly different between components of teak and flueggea in either age and may indicate equal access to atmospheric C and similar allocations of photosynthates. Higher δ13C in teak components than those of flueggea indicated that teak has higher water use efficiency per kg of tree and does not discriminate against 13C as strongly as flueggea during photosynthesis. Similar 13C values in tree components within the species may be the result of subsequent partitioning of the photosynthates synthesized during photosynthesis. The litter production and C and N cycling in both teak monoculture and teak and flueggea mixed species plantings in the two trials were studied over 18 months period. Leaf litter samples were collected monthly from the five treatments. Monthly litterfall production ranged from 250.51 to 541.61 kg ha-1 depending on treatment and trial. Treatment 1 produced significantly higher total litter than Treatment 4 at Ringgi but this difference will have been due to stocking rates. When based on individual tree productivity, teak in Treatment 4 at both trials produced significantly higher litter per tree than the teak in Treatments 3, 2, 5 and 1 while there was no significant difference with flueggea productivity. Although teak and flueggea TC and TN, and δ13C and δ15N varied over the study period, their mean values were not statistically different except for teak in T4 having significantly lower values at Ringgi. Teak and flueggea C/N ratios were not statistically different at both trials except for flueggea in Treatment 2 at Ringgi which was significantly higher. The highest annual TC and TN returned to the soil from total litterfall were observed in Treatment 1 followed by Treatments 3, 5, 2 and 4 for Ringgi. The highest at Poitete was Treatment 5 followed by Treatments 1, 3, 2 and 4. When comparing each treatment and using individual tree productivity, Treatment 4 produced and returned the significantly highest litter and nutrient than Treatments 3, 2, 5 and 1. Overall, individual tree productivity demonstrated that mixed species stands have significant potential for cycling higher rates of C and N than monoculture teak stand, therefore establishment of mixed species stands especially using the stocking rates of Treatment 3 and Treatment 4 is recommended as a practical measure in forest rehabilitation and agroforestry systems to realize sustainable development of community forestry in the Solomon Islands. The spatial distribution of the root systems of teak and flueggea were examined by excavating pairs of trees of each species that had been grown in isolation plots for 2 (3 pairs) and 4 (4 pairs) years. Additional trees grown without a barrier were partly excavated to ensure that the effect of the barrier on root architecture was not significant. The root architecture of both species had similar patterns of development but showed a different topology and distribution. Teak had extensive horizontal and vertical roots and occupied a larger portion of the soil volume than flueggea. Both species had similar root biomass increment of 87 % between 2 and 4 years and roots made up 20-22 % of total tree biomass at both ages. Teak and flueggea roots occupied different depths within the soil volume, which would promote nutrient uptake efficiency and therefore minimize competition. The study evaluated the effects of stocking rate and species mix on early growth of teak in a mixed species system. Intercropping with flueggea promoted diameter, height and form of teak. Teak diameter and basal area growth significantly increased with wider planting spacing though height was not statistically different to teak in single-species stands. Intercropping with flueggea resulted in teak developing smaller branches which facilitated a self-pruning habit that promoted clear wood production. Differences in teak height between all treatments were not significant though it is interesting to note that sixty months after planting, teak in T1 at Ringgi and teak in T5 at Poitete had the greatest height as had Flueggea in T5 at Ringgi though again differences in height of flueggea was not significantly throughout the treatments. Diameter and basal area were greatest at the lower stocking than at the higher stocking for teak and flueggea. Teak of T4 had the significant diameter and basal area growth than other treatments at age 60 months. Teak form was best at the pure and mixed species stands due to self-pruning while larger crown and big branches occurred at lower stocking rates. While this can be corrected with timely silviculture, a 4 x 3 m spacing would seem to optimise the benefits of higher stocking and lower maintenance. Overall, mixed species and agroforestry systems promoted reduction and delay of competition for growth resources in the early phase of the systems compared to monocultures. Both single and mixed species systems promoted similar C and N cycling in the plantation establishment phase. Growth in basal area was significantly higher at the mixed species stands at the lowest stocking rate, which also enable longer period of intercropping of food crops. However, as the present investigation was confined to the first 5 years, which is considered as establishment phase for teak, more studies are needed as the systems mature to fully understand the systems development and interactions to maturity.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Natural Sciences
Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology
Full Text

This study is one of few to examine reproductive health problems affecting men in the Pacific region. Four hundred men in Honiara suburbs were interviewed about their reproductive and sexual problems and their general health. Disorders of sexual function were reported by many men in the Solomon islands, and were associated with common chronic diseases and poor mental health. However, levels of help-seeking, medical screening and treatment were low. The study recommends development of culturally sensitive reproductive health care for men in Pacific Island nations and territories.

"December 2002" Bibliography: leaves 230-241. Ch. 1. Introduction -- Ch. 2. Historical account -- Ch. 3. Morphometrics -- Ch. 4. Osteology of Solomon Islands ranids -- Ch. 4. Karyology of the Solomon Islands ranids -- Ch. 6. Phylogenetic analysis -- App. 1: Material examined -- App. 2: Discriminant function analysis -- App. 3: Character descriptions. "This study validates the Solomon Islands taxa (using morphometrics) and explores the biology of the Solomon Islands ranids, with detailed osteological descriptions, external morphology and karyology. Using characters from these data sets a cladistic analysis using parsimony reconstructed a phylogeny of thes frogs...Phylogenetic analysis using maximum parsimony found three equally parsimonious trees. Subsequent character reanalysis (successive weighting) produced one parsimonious tree. The phylogenies indicate multiple invasion events into the Solomon Islands by these ranid frogs and despite the high level of endemism, monophyly is not supported."

This thesis explores aspects of photography in Roviana lagoon in the western Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. It is based on fieldwork in Roviana lagoon and the capital of the Solomons, Honiara, and on archival research in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The thesis asks what photography is for Roviana people; how it has been used by them; how it is thought to operate as a medium; and how it relates to issues of history and memory. An outline of the history of photographic and other visual representations of New Georgians made by Europeans links illustrations made in the early 1800's, to photographs taken by missionaries in the early 1900's. This is juxtaposed with a history of New Georgian reactions to, and uses of, photography. A consideration of photography as material culture in New Georgia explores its role as a relic and traces its links with attitudes towards the preservation of ancestral skulls and with the practice of headhunting. The development of a range of representational media is discussed in relation to processes of memorialisation. These discussions are then linked to New Georgian ideas about spirits and what animates photographs; the ways in which photographic presence is conceived. A detailed examination of one specific violent encounter between New Georgians and British colonial authority in the 1890's traces the links between photography and history. Current attitudes to these events are related to those towards contemporary conflicts in the Solomon Islands, and the use of photographs as cultural history is considered in the light of these arguments. The thesis draws comparisons between New Georgian and Euro-American attitudes towards photography throughout and, in so doing, suggests elements of photography's identity as a medium.

This thesis reconsiders, in the light of new evidence recently made available, the socio-political movements subsumed as 'Marching Rule' that occurred in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate during the period 1939-53. Part I, historical, considers the development of these movements. The need for an indigenous political institution by means of which the differences between governed and governors might be resolved was first articulated by an Anglican missionary, Rev. Fall owes. He taught a new model for self-rule, and his ideas and inspiration were widely propagated through the central Solomons. World War II introduced a period of liminality in which local rivalries were submerged in new unities. The American servicemen legitimated a model of representative government, and inspired new religious and organizational ideas. Islanders then elaborated new governmental institutions within a global model of third-world development, bounded by Roosevelt' Four Freedoms, the ideology of Social Gospel ism and the ideal of reconciling pagan/Christian differences under 'Christian Kastom.' Part II, ethnographical, considers Malaitan Christianity, traditional leadership and fol1owership, and the impact of new kinds of leadership growing out of mission organization or imposed by the colonial government. The South Sea Evangelical Mission policy of complete indigenization required converts to wholly abandon former ways. The mission provided literacy, a key to a variety of modernizations the Bible, a complete 'handbook for living'; and the notion of an incipient social institution, a community of God that was expressed mystically but which was to be created on earth in advance of the millennium. Part III draws together these themes, considering key indigenous Marching Rule documents in a semiotic analysis. The war was interpreted as the end of the old dispensation, the Americans as bringing a new world order. The social program is addressed as a logos, and the new image of a moral man, the Christian American serviceman, emerges as the ethos of the movement. Its emotional foundation, pathos was based on ethnicity and masinoa. brotherhood, which was also the weakness of the Marching Rule. Rather than the form of 'irrational' Cargoism imputed by the administration of the time, Marching Rule emerges as a Christian revolution aimed not to forcibly overthrow the colonial administration, but at the creation of a means of talking with it and converting it to something new.
Arts, Faculty of
Anthropology, Department of
Graduate

As tangible manifestations of past and present interactions between humans and the material world, objects force us to reckon with the messy and often contradictory aspects of history. The establishment of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate in 1893 marked the formalisation of European control and dominance over the region, and brought about the cessation or alteration of many cultural traditions and practices. The transformations of the subsequent twenty years brought Islanders, colonial officers, and plantations owners together in the formation of a colonial society predicated on hierarchies of race and economics. Focusing on the museum collections of Charles Morris Woodford (1852-1927), an amateur naturalist and first Resident Commissioner to the Solomons, and Arthur Mahaffy (1869-1919), the first District Officer of the region, this thesis elucidates colonial micro-histories and indigenous perspectives embodied in these forms. Utilising these collections, alongside the men’s writings, photographs, and archival colonial records, this project reveals the various strategies and techniques employed to create their collections in the field and the complexities of the period’s cross-cultural interactions. The thesis also contributes to current ethnohistorical and theoretical understandings of how social relations are made and embodied in objects, complicates current colonial histories of the Solomons, and methodologically demonstrates the potentials of collections in historical based anthropological research.

'Social development' and 'economic development' are complex concepts, concepts that may be interpreted very differently in different contexts and at different times. Not only may the processes involved be different in different contexts, so too may be the criteria by which success is judged. It is argued here that successive Solomon Islands governments have striven for social and economic development without taking full account of the real nature of Solomon Islands society. What is needed is national development policy, planning and implementation that arise out of, and take fully into account, the historical, geographic and cultural context of Solomon Islands. On the whole, the socio-economic structure of Solomon Islands society is currently underpinned by a tri-partite hierarchy in which, for the majority of Solomon Islanders, kastom (traditional beliefs and practices) and church (the beliefs and practices endorsed by the church) take precedence over the state as legitimate forms of authority. This inevitably poses problems for state-led development. If socio-economic development activities are to be successful in achieving a better quality of life for all Solomon Islanders, including those who live in rural areas, they must take full account of the role of kastom and church in the lives of the people. This must include an understanding of the differing concepts of development of people in different areas of the country such as those of Ulawa islanders that are discussed here. The thesis begins with an introduction to the research (Chapter 1) in which the theoretical framework is located broadly within the postmodern paradigm. In Chapter 2 the essentially qualitative and interpretive nature of the methodology is outlined and explained. Chapter 3 provides a critical review of international development literature in which it is argued that official definitions and descriptions of development are based on production and deficit models. The need to accommodate an indigenous and organic concept of development, one that takes account of the diversity of human experience, is stressed. Chapter 4 provides an outline of Solomon Islands society. Here, the historical narrative is complemented by three metaphors - 'island', wantok and betelnut - which serve to reinforce and explain the nature of Solomon Islands society and the ways in which that society has been shaped by historical processes. Chapter 5 is devoted to a discussion of modern development activity in Solomon Islands, the main focus being on the period immediately preceding and following independence. Chapter 6 explores, with particular reference to Ulawa Island, indigenous concepts of development and the impact of national development activities on rural-dwelling islanders. It also engages the issue of state reform, proposing a model based on a two tier system, with central government in its current form dealing directly with the people at constituency rather than provincial level. Finally, Chapter 7 summarizes the main conclusions reached. It is noted that the failure of both pre- and post-independence governments to take full account of the nature of Solomon Islands society has been a major factor in the lack of effective development in the islands.

The impacts of climate change are disproportionally felt across the planet, with small island developing states some of the countries most at risk. Furthermore, climate change may compound existing problems such as over harvested resources, leading to knock-on effects on national economies. Both direct and indirect stressors may impact communities differently based on their level of exposure to stressors, their intrinsic sensitivity to these stressors, and their ability to adapt to stressors. This study aims to answer the primary research question: Why are some communities more vulnerable than others? A vulnerability assessment is used to identify both vulnerable and non-vulnerable attributes of Solomon Islands’ communities. Surveys comprised a comprehensive questionnaire to draw inference on each vulnerability category; sensitivity, exposure and adaptive capacity, along with their various components and subcomponents. An analysis of household and community livelihood strategies was conducted to compliment vulnerability scores and provide a deeper understanding of livelihood practises. As is expected of small island states, exposure presents the biggest threat to coastal communities. Within this category, environmental changes and personal exposure from shoreline erosion and safety at sea provide evidence of high vulnerability. Within the sensitivity category, the cultural importance of fishing, as well as attachment to place and fishing, renders communities more vulnerable. Simultaneously, local ecological knowledge and economic dependence on resources other than fishing proved to be resilient attributes by decreasing vulnerability. Low vulnerability scores for the adaptive capacity category were achieved by communities where physical capital, such as community infrastructure, was evident. A lack of both institutional support and bridging of social capital were attributes which contributed to community vulnerability. This study has identified key attributes that have both positive and negative effects on the vulnerability of Solomon Islands communities. Having done this, I have also attempted to determine the drivers that render some attributes more vulnerable than others. It is acknowledged that the drivers of all key attributes of vulnerability is required to determine areas where adaptation plans will be most effective. Importantly, drivers of high vulnerability should not be considered as the primary focus of adaptation planning, but also the drivers of low vulnerability, such as community cohesion, which provide resilience within communities.

From 1998 to 2003 Solomon Islands experienced a low intensity civil war that disrupted the state, resulting in a breakdown in law and order and the virtual collapse of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF). On the 16th of November 2006 a riot engulfed the capital of Tonga, Nuku’alofa, and for several hours Tongans engaged in looting and property destruction that the Tonga Police Force (TPF) was unable to prevent. In response to both of these crises, police-led interventions were deployed: the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), and Operation Tokoni and the Tonga Police Development Program (TPDP), respectively. These operations varied in their size, scope and responsibilities, yet they had a common aim of supporting the restoration of law and order, development and reform of the local police organisations. Understanding how to generate legitimacy for state institutions that have been reformed with external assistance remains one of the key challenges for state building and security sector reform (SSR). This thesis, through case analyses that drew on secondary and grey literature to highlight key contextual features of policing in Solomon Islands and Tonga, interviews conducted with community leaders at the two case study sites, and secondary focus group as well as survey data, examined perceptions of the legitimacy of local and external police and the factors that influenced participants’ views. It sought to investigate the application of three conceptual perspectives, defined in relation to ‘procedural justice’, ‘service delivery’ and ‘authority’, on the creation of police legitimacy in the contexts of regulatory pluralist post-conflict states that have hosted foreign police-led interventions. This thesis aimed to bring the voices of the research participants into the discussion of, and is the first to explore, police legitimacy in these settings. Findings indicate that individuals’ judgements of police legitimacy are complex and informed by their direct and vicarious experiences of policing across time. A range of considerations impacted participants’ legitimacy assessments, including perceptions of: agency-level and officer-level procedural justice, the capacity and willingness of police to provide service delivery, and authority and its associated relationship to the use of coercion. The influence of these factors on police legitimacy was affected by respondents’ expectations of policing, which were in turn informed by their accumulated experiences. These experiences occurred within, and were shaped by, the broader socio-political and policing environment. Significant shifts in environmental conditions exerted influence over what antecedents of police legitimacy were most impactful at different points in time. The crises experienced in each of the case study sites limited the impact procedural justice policing had on perceptions of local police, with the lack of service delivery and police authority undermining legitimacy at that time. In contrast, the deployment of external police missions was seen to restore service delivery and police authority, but the differing forms of regulatory pluralism in Solomon Islands and Tonga resulted in divergent perceptions of how local and external police were expected to act, particularly in relation to the use of coercion, respecting local culture, and local engagement in service delivery. The varied impacts of these key environmental changes illustrated the importance of both context and time in shaping individuals’ judgements of police legitimacy. Based on these findings this thesis proposed a new model that aims to provide a holistic representation of the occurrence of police legitimacy. It advances knowledge of legitimacy by integrating procedural justice, a conceptual revision of service delivery, and police authority together as antecedents to legitimacy, while accounting for the influences of individuals’ accumulated experiences of policing, and associated expectations. Further, it integrates context in a new way by focusing on broader socio-political and policing conditions. This enables recognition of the influence that environmental shifts, such as conflict, external policing interventions, or regulatory pluralism can have on individuals’ experiences and expectations of policing. Overall, the model broadens the antecedents of police legitimacy, and situates its incidence in context. Five considerations for future police building practice are highlighted, focused on mission design and officer conduct. First, where operationally feasible, external police should be deployed to positions within, or in support of, local police organisations to help boost their legitimacy through positive association. Second, mission planners should aim to recruit officers that have experience of policing in diverse communities or are from similar cultural backgrounds to avoid the possibility of cultural misunderstandings with the local population. Finally, to aid in the cultivation of legitimacy, this thesis suggests that local and external police take three actions: adopt a procedurally just approach to policing, build strong relationships with local communities to aid the delivery of services in line with local expectations, and engage in activities that positively reinforce police authority. The aim of these suggestions is to promote the design and deployment of police building missions that supports the development of locally legitimate and responsive policing institutions.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Crim & Crim Justice
Arts, Education and Law
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How do religious and political elites in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands see the modern state? This thesis addresses this question. The thesis shows that these two countries do not fit with the ideal structure of the modern state provided here. This is despite the state building efforts of Australia as the two countries largest aid donor. It shows that there are a number of ways that the state can be seen by elites. Amongst both groups of elites can the state can be seen by some as something for the security and betterment of the population. It can be seen as a structure to oppose by some religious groups. Other religious leaders see the state as a partner for the development of both countries. Political elites can see keeping the state weak as being beneficial to finance its operations. Some leaders see the state as an item of capture. It finds that though religious leaders have generally good intentions for the state, they are limited in their authority and influence. The thesis also finds that though political elites are much more important than religious elites in shaping the state, their role is limited by and tied to the people. It finds that the two societies are extremely fragmented and competitive with many differing interests. This leads to the state being seen as an item of competition. This competition does not create the conditions that the state as a structure depends on to reach its ideal form. It concludes that for the state to succeed in both countries there needs to be a shift in attitude towards it.

The thesis explores the roles and reponsibilities of New Zealand Police deployed under the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands, established in 2003. Their work under this banner continues a growing trend that sees the deployment of constabulary police officers to post-conflict societies to re-establish order and build a framework for sustainable peace. Where the existing literature considers the normative dimensions of this trend, this thesis looks more closely at the micro-level interaction between international police officers and citizens of post-conflict societies. In particular, it asks questions about the suitability and sustainability of the community policing model; a model that has developed over several decades in an internal law-enforcement context but is relatively new to the peace-building sphere. The research focus is drawn from the extensive literature on the use of community policing in domestic contexts but is adapted in order to speak back to the literature on peace-bulding and international policing. The everyday experiences of New Zealand Police were deployed to Solomon Islands were explored through semi-structured interviews. In particular, the thesis found that officers experiences little of the ethnic conflict that had, according to international media, been the hallmark of the Tension period and that they showed a nuanced understanding of the social and political climate of the communities they operated in. It further found that, while officers were often keen to show respect for local tradition and local power structures, they also saw that in some cases these structures needed to be broken down for the safety and well-being of local people, particularly women and children. The New Zealand style of community policing sometimes clashed with that other contingents but overall the strength of the personal and professional relationships they had with those they worked with was the most decisive factor influencing their experience. While much of the discussion centres on the community model, the findings highlight the importance of people in the peace-building process. The model played an important role in facilititating a broad-based policing initiative in Solomon Islands but it was the personal investment by individual officers going about their everyday work that was often crucial in breaking down the barriers to peace. The finding points to the importance of empowering communities in exercising ownership over the peace-building process and the role that police officers from another country can play in encouraging that process.

This thesis explores the emergence of an urban middle class in Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands in the southwest Pacific. The field research for the thesis took place over a total of 14 months in the Solomon Islands between 1996 and 1998, focusing on the minutiae of quotidian life among members of the middle class. 1990s Honiara was a rapidly growing urban centre, which had drawn its residents from the 60 language groups of the Solomon Islands. The thesis examines how affluent Honiarans were identifying themselves as a discrete group of urbanites with both ethnic and cosmopolitan identities: a middle class. In particular, they constructed nuclear households based on inter-ethnic marriages and friendships, and attempted to distance themselves from their rural and less affluent relatives by their quotidian practices both within and outside households. By focusing on different spheres of everyday life, I explain urbanities' constructions of "home" versus "town", kastom ("custom"), ethnicity, appropriate sociability and morality. Their constructions intersected one another in ways that provoked both discord and harmony. These urbanities were ambivalent about their self-made middle class identities, which they summed up in the Pijin phrase "fil fri" ("to feel free" or "feeling free"). They used this to refer to their relative freedom in town while acknowledging that such freedom was often constrained by the demands, obligations and values of ethnicity, kinship, kastom and life at "home", which they balanced with their aspirations to secure cosmopolitan "town" life-styles.

The Kwaio people of central Malaita, Solomon Islands who retain the culture and religion of their ancestors, face a stark choice when seeking treatment at Atoifi Adventist Hospital—relinquish fundamental precepts of Kwaio culture and religion by entering the hospital, or remain true to Kwaio beliefs and stay away. Many choose the latter. The result is considerable untreated acute and chronic illness and preventable death. For people who have converted to Christianity Atoifi Adventist Hospital poses fewer cultural barriers and is one of the most respected and best equipped hospitals in Solomon Islands. However, for those who have chosen not to become Christian, the ongoing exclusion they face has resulted in antagonism and mistrust between their community and Atoifi. This thesis describes and analyses the colonial-Christian discourse in which the hospital was established and action taken to achieve a long held desire of many Kwaio people—a facility at Atoifi where health services are attainable without the rejection and desecration of Kwaio culture and religion. Using a Participatory Action Research methodology that challenges the dominant colonial-Christian paradigm, this study seeks to understand the nature of Participatory Action Research through its pursuit of culturally appropriate health services at Atoifi. This thesis outlines how the research process brought together a disparate collection of groups and individuals to analyse the oppressive situation at Atoifi and propose action to establish a culturally appropriate health facility there. It describes how, in the final stages of the participatory planning process for the facility, Atoifi was thrown into crisis when its Australian business manager was murdered on campus. The resultant near collapse of hospital services and the tenuous relationship between the hospital and the local community required the facility be re conceptualised. A local village health worker, a key collaborator in the research process, who had established a culturally appropriate health post in the mountains fifteen years previously was central to this re-conceptualisation. He coordinated local community action which eventually led to the community funding and constructing the facility at Atoifi. This facility does not require the rejection or desecration of Kwaio culture to access health services at Atoifi. The implications of using Participatory Action Research as an anti-colonial methodology and its utility in addressing oppressive situations such at that at Atoifi are discussed in the final section of the thesis. The methodology’s application and ability to facilitate significant personal and social change are embedded in the emancipatory theory established by Paulo Freire. The importance of participative processes which work with people not on or to people is discussed as well as the importance of embracing flexibility and complexity, rather than attempting to control. Reflecting on Freire’s work, the thesis finally analyses how love of people can act as a foundation for commitment to others through dialogue and participation and how, based on this, praxis has the ability to liberate oppressive situations such as those faced by the Kwaio at Atoifi.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Public Health
Faculty of Health Sciences
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From the onset of the colonial era, land reform in Solomon Islands has focused on changing customary landholding arrangements so as to improve productivity and stimulate economic growth. Most land in Melanesia remains under customary tenure, which is broadly communal by nature and cannot be alienated without profound social disruption. Customary land, social relations, livelihoods, power structures, knowledge, identity and place are all inter-related in Melanesian life-worlds. This complexity is still poorly understood by those promoting the view that customary land hinders development, and needs to be reformed in order to establish secure property rights and enhance productivity. Land reform has been on the Solomon Islands development agenda for more than a century. Its implementation has always focused on enacting land laws to facilitate the transition of customary land to private property rights regimes. This is founded on a development model based on economic premises that remain largely unchanged since the colonial period. This thesis draws on Actor Network Theory (ANT) as a frame to extend the analysis of land reform in Solomon Islands over a long historical trajectory. Using ANT as a frame in this thesis draws particular attention to the roles and networks of key actors in land reform. Land reform has often been reduced to questions of land registration and land recording. But in Solomon Islands, as elsewhere in Melanesia, the explicit focus in land reform narratives is on ‘unlocking the potential of land held under customary tenure’, because it is assumed that land is ‘locked up’ under custom. Such narratives are part of the global flow of ideas transmitted and translated by key actors. This thesis seeks to provide insights on the role of particular actors and their networks to explain why land reform has been a persistent challenge in Solomon Islands, from 1893 to the present, and how the challenges of land reform might be addressed in a more equitable and effective manner.

This PhD was made possible by funding from the Natural Environment Research Council and the British Geological Survey. Additional funds came from the Society of Economic Geologists, Robert’s Skills Fund, Whitaker Fund, the Mineralogical Society and the Geochemical Society.

A malaria intervention comparative trial was carried out in Solomon Islands between 1987 and 1992, involving 7 pairs 14 communities, with 29,182 people. Seven communities were given bed nets impregnated with permethrin annually at 0.5g/m2, and the others sprayed biannually with DDT at dosage 2g/m2. Each pair was evaluated for about two years, by measuring entomological indices, prevalence of infection, incidence of infection, and levels of community compliance. An intensive differential cost analysis of both interventions was done in one pair of the communities and an analysis on cost and benefit of PCD mechanism was done in three pairs. Anopheles farauti, the main vector, (A. punctulatus, an inland vector became very rare with interventions), maintained the early evening biting peak and high outdoor biting. The highest transmission potential was indoor with high parity (54.1%) and sporozoite rate (1.42%). It avoided contact on DDT sprayed surface and was not killed even though it was still sensitive with a 75.1% mortality. There were neither changes in biting density, nor parous rates with DDT spraying. Permethrin impregnated bed nets reduced biting density by an estimated 53.69%. The parous rate indoor was reduced by 11.64% when compared with that in the comparison area, and those caught in the bed nets area did not have any sporozoites. Prevalence of infection, by quarterly prevalence surveys revealed a 21.2% difference between the intervention areas after two years. The most significant decline was in the under 10 year old group (p<0.01) in permethrin treated bed nets, including in infants (p<0.05). The decline was especially marked with Plasmodium falciparum. There were increases in the DDT area, including P. falciparum in the younger age groups. DDT spraying did not have any effect on the incidence of infection. Permethrin impregnated bed nets reduced malaria incidence, by an estimated 49%. This reduction was particularly significant however on children under ten years old (p<0.0001) and marked with P. falciparum. Compliance with DDT declined by 30% but with bednets it remained high above 85%. These results confirmed that permethrin impregnated bednets are more effective than DDT residual spraying in controlling malaria in Solomon Islands. The operational costs for DDT spraying was $8.53 and impregnated bed nets $3.85 per capita per year. The mean cost of processing and examining a PCD slide is $0.40. These cost indices took account of all materials, personnel and administration involved. It took a mean of 6.1 days from the time the smear was taken to the time examined (SE = 0.21,95%CI 5.71 to 6.53 days). It would take twice this time for a result to be received by the health workers managing patients. Only 20% of blood slides could contribute to patient management. Based on these findings, all that is necessary is to make blood smears of patients less than 10 years of age for epidemiological evaluation of vector control interventions in malaria programme. This will save scarce resources at primary health care level. Making blood slides of everyone would not further add significant information and benefit, at an extra cost. The only exceptions are, those critically ill with malaria, complicated malaria and a patient suspected to have drug resistant malaria. Permethrin impregnated bednets are a cost effective way to control malaria in primary health care and the most cost benefit way to evaluate vector control intervention is careful monitoring of PCD results, especially with P. falciparum malaria of children under 10 years old.

The study examines the relevance of the international literature relating to school management and leadership for policy and practice in the Solomon Islands. This is done with reference to two detailed case studies of Community High Schools in the Solomon Islands. Detailed ethnographic fieldwork was carried out in these schools during 1999. Focus was placed on identifying headteachers' perceptions, priorities and practices in the arena of management and leadership. Findings from the Solomon Islands fieldwork are compared and contrasted with key issues identified in the international literature. Seven key themes emerged from the study and form the basis for the conclusions. These explore the implications of the study for a) educational policy and practice in Solomon Islands and b) the critique of the related international literature. Above all, the study suggests that the uncritical international transfer of western management concepts and ideas can be wrought with much difficulty, if it is not anchored effectively enough to contextual realities and experiences. The dissertation also highlights the need for context specific headteacher training in the Solomon Islands; and for more relevant research of this nature to be conducted by local personnel if we are to better determine the needso f the headteachersin differing national and cultural contexts

International development agencies have provided significant support for transitional justice in Guatemala, Kenya and Solomon Islands, though only limited analysis has been conducted. Responding to this knowledge gap, the thesis critically assesses how international development agencies have engaged with transitional justice in the three countries. It addresses the question of what constitutes effective transitional justice aid. It argues that transitional justice is required under international law and is important for the healing of countries, communities and individuals afflicted by atrocity. In developing countries reeling from egregious human rights abuses, the international aid community may play a role in aiding and shaping the success of transitional justice. The study presents evidence showing how effective aid may enhance the success, or effectiveness, of transitional justice. Equally, ineffective aid may hinder its success. The thesis identifies ways to improve transitional justice aid. While the analysis explores a variety of factors, four elements are crucial. First, transitional justice aid should be imbued with human rights principles. Second, it should be contextually specific and locally particular. Third and relatedly, it should be relevant to the political context and include politically informed methods. Fourth, aid agencies should seek to influence transitional justice processes to promote gender equality and respond more effectively to cases involving sexual and gender-based violence. The thesis features a comparative study of transitional justice aid in Guatemala, Kenya and Solomon Islands; the research design features empirical, socio-legal fieldwork in the three case study countries. In the three countries, episodes of violence and conflict have resulted in gross human rights violations. To deal with the past, Guatemala, Kenya and Solomon Islands have implemented transitional justice mechanisms, with varying degrees of success. The thesis finds that overall in the three case study countries, international development agencies have struggled to engage effectively with transitional justice itself or leverage transitional justice in support of broader development outcomes.

The goal of agricultural training is the adoption and diffusion of introduced agriculture techniques. New subsistence agricultural techniques have been introduced mainly to the male population in many developing countries, even though most subsistence farmers are women. Therefore, an understanding of how new subsistence agricultural techniques can be introduced and adopted by women would be important to achieve. This study focuses on women's adoption of agricultural techniques. It takes place on the island of Malaita, in the Solomon Islands. The study looks at the adoption of agroforestry and several other subsistence techniques that were introduced under a joint program by Peace Corps and the Malaita Agriculture Division between 1983 and 1989. Two Peace Corps volunteers were posted in North Malaita at Malu'u from 1983 to 1986. The Malu'u volunteers lived in the village of Karu for two and one-half years while introducing and teaching new agricultural practices. Two other Peace Corps volunteers were posted at the Dala Agricultural Training Center from 1987 to 1989, and worked with the residents of the nearby village of Kakara. In 1991, a two-month survey was conducted in the areas where the Peace Corps volunteers were posted, as well as in an area that did not have any Peace Corps volunteers posted. The findings of this study indicate that adoption of new agroforestry techniques is based on several factors. Who introduced the technology, the farmer's wealth, and being able to obtain income from market vegetables and other identified factors improved a respondent's chances of adopting new agroforestry techniques.

This research project investigates the way in which an alternative creative classroom may be developed for girls and women who have not completed their education through the current Solomon Islands Education System ... Research for this project is carried out in Honiara, the nation's capital ... the participants in this research project include both those who have lived in Honiara all their life and those who have made the voyage aross to Hoinara in search of what they perceive to be better opportunities for employment, education and living conditions for their families

Customary land ownership, recording and registration are complex issues in the Solomon Islands. At present, 87% of the land is held under customary laws. Almost all (some 99%) of the land held under customary law is not surveyed, recorded or registered to the tribes. Customary land disputes have been inhibiting rural development initiatives, which is partly responsible for the ill-being of the people. The Family Tree Approach (FTA) is a process being used within the To'abaita region of the Malaita Province to help address problems in the dilemmas of land ownership, land disputes, land recording, land registration and rural development in land held under customary laws in To’abaita. The FTA is a blend of indigenous epistemology, modern practices and Christian principles. Indigenously, the tribes identify with their land by tracing their origins through genealogies, historical narrations, tribal epics and chants, shrines and properties. Rev. Michael Maelia’u, a Church Minister and a former Parliamentarian, promotes the FTA. The FTA has four pillars (principles) – recognition, reconciliation, recording and registration – which are covered within five sequential phases. For instance, recognition is done in phase one of the process, enabling all members of a tribe to recognize each other. Reconciliation is part of the process, promoting forgiveness and acceptance of tribal members. Recording is an important pillar of the FTA, as its role is to produce documents that will be accepted by the law. Research results show that land registration is also a pillar of the FTA; once customary land is registered to the tribes, land disputes will be resolved, thereby enabling sustainable rural development that improves the people’s well-being. The FTA, however, is currently not formally recognized in the country. It has been used by 12 of approximately 20 tribes within the To'abaita region. Some of the To'abaita tribes have not adopted the FTA for various reasons. The FTA has enabled the disintegrated generations to recognize or identify with one another. It enables public recognition of existing tribes, tribal genealogies, tribal tales, tribal epics, the tribal iii shrines, and the tribal land. Reconciliation has been carried out at both intertribal and intra-tribal levels. The FTA enables identification of people who are residing on land and utilizing resources they do not have a right to. It makes people aware of their roots or the land of their origin, which would then lead to reduced land disputes that constrained development initiatives and the well-being of the people. The results, however, indicated that the FTA has problems either in the approach itself or in its management. It is incapable of achieving its objectives (reducing land disputes, enable rural development, enable tribal land registration, and resettling land that was wrongly acquired). People have split perception of the FTA and the legislation; this therefore reduces potential motivation that is needed to advance the approach. Results of the research also indicated that no proper and serious documentation has been done, despite knowing that it is one of the pillars. In To'abaita, gender and culture are contributing issues, which cause difficulties to the FTA. Also, the FTA lacked financial support. Those that have experience with the FTA believe that the FTA objectives need to be made known to promote motivation to the illiterate people of To'abaita. Adequate communication of issues to improve the FTA is essential. Forming a committee that oversees the design and management of the FTA is necessary for its improvement, and adequate financial support will bring the FTA forward. Chief empowerment by the legislation is essential to enable the FTA to achieve its objectives in the future.

This study is concerned with the representation of women in leadership positions in Solomon Islands. In particular, it explores the educational leadership experiences of women working in Solomon Islands' secondary schools. While much research to date has been carried out in the developed and developing countries, very little has been undertaken in Melanesian countries. As such, we know very little about women's experiences in educational leadership in Melanesia. Research data was gathered using qualitative methods. Specifically, interviews were conducted with eight women, five were deputy principals and three were Heads of Departments. All the participants were teaching in schools in an urban centre. Data gathered were analyzed using the thematic analysis approach. The data gathering was conducted in the Solomon Islands in October 2007. The key findings revealed a number of issues that impacted on the women's leadership in their respective schools. Findings include lack of self confidence, difficulties in balancing work and family, discriminatory attitudes and the influence of the cultural patriarchal norms on the attitudes towards women in leadership positions. Other key findings related to the nature of the organization, in this case, the school. This included a lack of initial preparatory and on - going professional development programmes and a lack of consultation in the decision making process. This study also found that while the women embraced the collaborative approach to leadership, the structural barriers through the hierarchical organization of the schools meant they could not lead the way they would like to.

This thesis examines the relationship of labour mobility and socioeconomic transformation in the Solomon Islands, and proposes that one cannot be understood in isolation from the other. Explanation is pursued both at the levels of structure and of agency, and integration of these levels is attempted in some places. This is discussed in the first part of the thesis, within a general discussion of issues of theory and method. The second part of the thesis deals with the structural parameters of labour mobility. Through the twentieth century, the institutions of government, mission and capitalist enterprise have been central in shaping the Solomon Islands social formation. The roles of these formal institutions with implications for labour mobility have ranged from purveyors of ideology to employers of labour. Another major element in the social formation is an original Melanesian mode of production which influences labour mobility through village-level institutions such as the land tenure system, kinship, and household operation. Labour circulation is a major factor in linking village and non-village institutions, and more abstractly in articulating two different modes of production. The third part of the thesis considers the ways in which individual agency operates within structure. The data base are life histories and related information from the Mbambatana language group on the island of Choiseul. This is integrated with national, regional and village-level structural information. Education is important in the way it 'selects' individuals for certain kinds of employment. This selection process occurs within the wage economy generally, but is further refined within institutions of employment. This results in labour mobility 'streams' which have identifiable characteristics related to gender, education, and employment type. Movements within each 'stream' have typical temporal and spatial characteristics. Patterns of labour mobility, especially sequence, are affected by gender and life cycle factors. For men and women the most critical changes take place in the 20s age span, but individual behaviour varies according to marriage and childrearing patterns. From a village perspective, labour circulation is a logical response to the necessity of operating within two different economic systems typified by different modes of production. This process of articulation is manifest in other ways as well, and households or families may adopt different strategies in operating within two different systems. The particular strategy adopted depends on the labour power available, degree of access to land, and employment possibilities of individual members.

Cette thèse examine la façon dont les villageois de la lagune de Lau rurale, dans la province de Malaita, aux îles Salomon, font l'expérience de l'usage des téléphones portables. J'examine l'impact réciproque exercé par la technologie de téléphonie mobile récemment adoptée vis-à-vis des technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) déjà en vigueur localement. Je m'interroge également sur l'incidence que la place marginale de Lau dans l'économie capitaliste peut avoir sur l'adoption et l'usage des téléphones portables. En outre, j'analyse les principales controverses locales autour de l'adoption et de l'utilisation des téléphones portables, la conceptualisation par les indigènes du fonctionnement des technologies numériques, la moralité associée aux téléphones portables ; j'explore enfin ce pour quoi ils sont et/ou ne sont pas destinés à être utilisés. Je me concentre ainsi sur les deux fonctions principales des téléphones portables à Gwou'ulu : d'un côté, on les emploie comme des téléphones, et de l'autre comme des dispositifs pour visionner des films. En 2014, sur environ 250 adultes habitant à Gwou'ulu, 100 possédaient un téléphone portable à titre individuel, et un plus grand nombre de villageois partageait l'usage de téléphones portables avec d'autres.Mon approche théorique approfondit l'analyse technographique permettant d'étudier les technologies numériques et la consommation des médias numériques. La technographie (c'est-à-dire l'ethnographie des technologies) est une approche pluridisciplinaire qui combine l'étude des conditions historiques, économiques, politiques, religieuses, environnementales et matérielles constituant les possibilités qui à la fois limitent et facilitent les choix des individus lors de l'adoption de nouvelles technologies, y compris les téléphones portables. Mon analyse se fonde sur l'observation participante et sur des entretiens semi-directifs menés avec les locaux et centrés sur la question de leur utilisation des téléphones portables.Les conclusions de ma recherche démontrent que la vie au village se situe dans une période de transition sociale et s'achemine vers une nouvelle forme de numérisation technologique. Ma thèse souligne comment, dans la lagune de Lau, les téléphones portables transforment les TIC d'un secteur public à un secteur privé. Elle démontre aussi qu'un usage largement individualisé des téléphones portables nourrit les incertitudes locales relatives à la façon dont les téléphones portables, en tant que téléphones et que dispositifs permettant de visionner des films, contribuent à transformer les relations sociales à la fois au sein du village et entre les villageois et leurs proches installés en ville. J'avance l'idée que les téléphones portables et leurs diverses fonctions (de la télévision à la calculatrice de poche) sont mieux décrits comme des objets super-composés, parce que les téléphones portables embrassent et troublent un grand nombre de relations sociales et de valeurs culturelles qui sont les caractéristiques déterminantes d'un groupe donné dans un lieu donné
This thesis explores the experiences of villagers in the rural Lau Lagoon, Malaita Province, Solomon Islands, as they adopt mobile phones. I discuss how the adoption of mobile phone technology affects and is affected by existing information-communication technologies; how and to what extent Lau adoption of mobile phones is circumscribed by the marginal place of the Lau in globalized capitalist economies; and I elaborate on the main controversies that surround the adoption and use of mobile phones, local conceptualizations of how digital technologies work, their morality, what they are meant to be used for and for what they are not to be used. Specifically, I focus on the two primary functions of mobile phones in Gwou’ulu: the mobile phone as (1) telephone and (2) as movie-watching device. Theoretically, I rework approaches to technography for an investigation of digital technology and media consumption with a focus on mobile phones—in 2014 of the approximate 250 adults living in Gwou’ulu, 100 owned a personal mobile phone and many more shared a mobile phone. Technography, or ethnographies of technology, offers a strategic multi-disciplinary combination that examines the historical, economic, political, religious, environmental and material conditions that constitute the realm of possibilities that constrain but also facilitate particular sets of choices made by individuals in response to the adoption of new technologies such as mobile phones. My methods for data collection are a combination of participant observation and open ended interviews on individual mobile phone usage. My findings show village life in a transition period of technological and social digitization. They highlight how, in the Lau Lagoon, mobile phones shift information-communication technologies (ICTs) from the public to the private realm and how an individualized consumption of mobile phones fuels uncertainties as to if and how mobile phones, as telephone or as movie-watching devices, transform social relationships among village residents as well as relationships between villagers and their urban relatives. I argue that mobile phones and their diverse functions—from telephony to movie player to calculator—are best described as super-compositional objects because they encompass and agitate so many of the social relationships and cultural values that are otherwise the defining features of a particular group of peoples in a particular place

The Solomon Islands (SI), a small developing nation in the South Pacific, demonstrates an emergent community-based kindergarten model with the potential to promote context and culture relevant early learning and development. SI early childhood education (ECE) particularly rose in prominence with a 2008 national policy enactment requiring all children to attend three years of kindergarten as prerequisite for primary school entry. However, these ECE programs remain severely challenged by faltering community support. Internationally, many ECE programs dramatically resemble a universalized Western-based model, with a decidedly specific discourse for “high quality” programs and practices for children ages 0-8. Often these uncritical international transfers of Euro-American ideologies promote restricted policies and practices. This has resulted in a self-perpetuating set of practices and values, which arguably prevent recognition of, and efforts to reinvent, more culturally-relevant, sustainable programs for the Majority World. Based on the Kahua region (est. pop. 4,500) of Makira-Ulawa Province, this collaborative, ethnographically-inspired, case study explores how community characteristics have affected the cultural and contextual sustainability of community-based ECE in remote villages. The study traces historical and cultural influences to present-day SI ECE. Subsequently, it explores the re-imagined SI approach to formal ECE program design, remaining challenges preventing these programs from being sustained by communities, and potential community-wide transformations arising from these initiatives. To achieve this, the study collaborated with stakeholders from all levels of SI society through extensive participant-observations, interviews, and participatory focus groups. Findings aspire to enlighten regional sustainable developments and resilient behaviors relating to ECE. Key research findings suggest five overarching principles influencing kindergarten sustainability: presence of “champion” for the ECE vision; community ownership-taking, awareness-building, and cooperation-maintenance; and program cultural/contextual sensitivity and relevance. These elements were found to be strongly linked with an intergenerational cultural decay in the Kahua region, as conceptualized through a model of Cyclically-Sustained Kindergarten Mediocrity.

Drawing upon 21 months of ethnographic research in West Gao District of Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands, this thesis argues that relationships of absolute difference or 'alterity,' existing internally to one society, are central to processes of social reproduction. At the deepest level of ontology the West Gao lived world is based on a priori difference between three discrete categories of being. Each category - a matriclan, or kokolo - consists of a relational amalgam of genres of knowledge, human persons, and ancestral beings. These relationships are unified, bounded, and rendered distinct by virtue of a shared, inherent connection to a discrete territory. From a cosmogonic perspective, in isolation the three kokolo cannot reproduce their distinctiveness. To do so they must enter into relationships with each other. Consequently, two different forms of socio-cosmic relationships become crucial for understanding land-person connectivity in West Gao: those flowing internally to each exogamous matriclan; and those forged between different matriclans. I explore how these two forms of relationships are continually balanced against one another in both quotidian practices and ritualised exchanges. Whilst this balance is dictated by the poly-ontological structure of West Gao cosmology, I illustrate how the balance shifts in response to historical and politico-economic processes, in particular, conversion to Christianity and the increasing value of land as a monetary resource. Participant observation, extended interviews in Solomon Islands Pijin and the local vernacular - Gao, and two weeks of archival research in the National Library of Australia comprised the main methodologies used. I draw upon this data in seven analytical chapters that address: the role of ancestral agency in the shaping of historical processes; the 'ancestral' dynamics of Christian communities; place, personhood, and movement; origin narratives; the trans-generational reproduction of matrilineal identity; ritualised exchanges focused on the 'father-child' relationship; and practices surrounding mortality and burial.

The 'common sense' view of Australian foreign policy in the South Pacific is that it is aimed at securing a stable and friendly near neighbourhood for Australia. Contrary to this view, this thesis argues that Australian foreign policy in the South Pacific is based upon an ideology of institutional neo-liberalism and is therefore mostly concerned with transforming governance structures within and around states in line with neo-liberal models of statehood. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) is an Australian-led intervention and state-building initiative designed in response to the violence experienced in the Solomon Islands from 1998 to 2001 and the following years of state bankruptcy and criminality that plagued the South Pacific state. RAMSI has been commonly represented as a success story of international interventionism and state-building, however, I will argue that this representation is seriously flawed because of fundamental oversights in two key aspects of the intervention, caused by RAMSI’s ideological underpinnings. Firstly, causes of instability and violence in the Solomon Islands are reduced to ethnic conflict, poor governance and slow economic growth, while political and historical causes are ignored or seen as secondary. Therefore the central 'solutions' to the 'failure' of the state revolve around the implementation of 'good governance' and private sector led economic growth, whilst long standing grievances are ignored. Secondly, RAMSI is replicating, or even exacerbating, many of the same political-economic conditions that led to the violent conflict to which it is responding. The implications of this argument are that Australian foreign policy in the South Pacific is actually undermining its stated objective of promoting stability.

This study investigates those factors which influence the development and formation of religious attitudes in students. While there is an increasing body of knowledge and indepth research evolving regarding this field of study there is little done in the Third World and it is the first done on students at Betikama, Kukudu and Aore Adventist High Schools. It is an "ex post facto" study and examines the effects of a number of variables-- school, age, gender, level of schooling, religion, parent's religion, religious practices, parent's schooling, country of citizenship, student future plans, number of years at school, the type of school, school life and school climate-- on the religious attitudes of students attending selected high schools. The significance of the study lies in attempting to identify those factors which assist in the development of propitious religious attitudes in students. The modus operandi of the schools in the study is to encourage students to adopt a world view and lifestyle that is consistent with the tenets and practises of Christianity as espoused by Seventh-day Adventistism. It is the purpose of this study to contribute to the identification of factors which would assist in the achieving of this objective. Those variables which were most significant in the formation of attitudes toward religion were related to the School Climate and School Life as perceived by the students. Other findings related to variables investigating Student Background, Personal Characteristics, Student Religious Practices, and Family Background. These results apparently found some variables to be significant while others appeared not to be as significant. The research seems to suggest that educators and administrators must be aware of the influence of various school experiences on the development of religious attitudes in students. If they want to succeed in their objectives, then school programmes, school curriculum, extra-curricula activities, teaching methods and teacher example should promote student worth, through such aspects as fair treatment, consistency, seeing students as individuals and nuturing caring environments. Further research may include identification of factors which seem to override the importance of gender and age on the religious attitudes of the students in the study. It may also be worthwhile to identify those facets of school life and climate which are most conducive to the development of positive attitudes toward religion.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of California, San Diego, 2010.
Title from first page of PDF file (viewed April 15, 2010). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Includes bibliographical references (p. 77-87).

In this examination of social and cultural influences on a range of responses to school science in a Solomon Island secondary school, three levels of analysis are used. At one level there is a comparison between students within the school, looking for effects from personal background characteristics. This is the dominant level of analysis of school science achievement, first through statistical correlation, but then through an attempt to understand how the experiences associated with the characteristics found to be significant may exert an effect. Two effective mechanisms are examined: the promotion of a relevant cognitive skill, and the generation of attitudes. The examination of attitudes also makes use of the second level of analysis: comparison between observations with these Solomon Island students and observations made elsewhere by other workers. This level of analysis also dominates the investigation of the development of selected scientific concepts among the students. The third level involves a comparison between students in the school concerned and those in other schools in the country. Difficulties with obtaining data from other schools leave this as the least used level of comparison in the thesis. An examination of the position of science in the students' worldview fits into none of these levels, being largely descriptive, not comparative. The position of science relative to other sources of interpretations of the world is the major concern of this section. Gender and rural/urban background are found to be the major sources of differences in response between the students. It is suggested that, even where these characteristics can be shown to be associated with cognitive differences, explanations of their effect are most usefully sought in terms of experiences, opportunities and expectations that are social and cultural in origin. In the area of conceptualisations of physical phenomena, similarities and differences are found between these Solomon Island students and those from other cultures, suggesting that such conceptualisations are determined partly through a common human physiology responding to a common physical world, and partly through the influence of culturally available sources of interpretation.

Yaws is a re-emerging endemic treponemal infection. The Pacific Islands are believed to be a major focus of yaws worldwide. WHO has recently developed a strategy for global yaws eradication based predominantly on community mass treatment with azithromycin at a dose of 30mg/kg (max 2g). Mass treatment with azithromycin is also key to the WHO strategy for trachoma elimination, although the dose used is lower (20mg/kg – max 1g). In areas where trachoma and yaws are co-endemic, mass treatment of populations as part of trachoma control programmes might aid yaws eradication efforts, but could also have negative consequences if drug resistance were to be encouraged. Prior to mass treatment with azithromycin, the prevalence of clinical and serological evidence of yaws in the Solomon Islands was found to be high. Household contact with a seropositive individual was a strong risk factor for infection, especially if the contact also had an active skin lesion. Village level seroprevalence was shown to be the strongest risk factor for infection. Haemophilus ducreyi was identified as the likely cause of a large proportion of ulcerative skin lesions amongst children, which were clinically indistinguishable from those of yaws. A single round of mass treatment with azithromycin at a dose of 20mg/kg significantly decreased the prevalence of both clinical signs of yaws and serological evidence of active infection. This effect was shown to extend to at least 18 months after mass treatment in the absence of any further intervention. Not receiving treatment with azithromycin was the major risk factor for seropositivity following MDA at both 6 and 18 months of follow-up. A rapid diagnostic test for syphilis was shown to also have potential value for use in yaws. The sensitivity of the test was strongly associated with the antibody titre on gold standard testing, suggesting the test may be most appropriate for testing individuals with suspected active yaws where antibody titres are higher. Mathematical modelling data were used to establish the minimum number of rounds and coverage that are likely to be required to interrupt transmission. Consistent with the findings of the post-MDA prevalence surveys, the model predicted that high coverage – ideally above 80% - is likely to be required to interrupt transmission. This PhD has addressed several key questions about the epidemiology of yaws. Even within endemic populations, the disease is highly focal. Integration of rapid diagnostic tests into routine surveillance may help improve data quality and guide yaws elimination efforts at a national level. Given the strong association between coverage of mass treatment and risk of infection, new strategies to increase the reach of yaws eradication strategies are needed. Mathematical modelling may be of use in informing the design of these interventions.

This study investigates issues impeding effective school leadership in Solomon Islands' secondary schools. In particular, it examines principals' perceptions of those issues that impede their effective leadership of their schools. There is an international literature focusing on this area that has contributed to the study. However, many of the research findings in western contexts are invalid in the context of a developing nation such as the Solomon Islands. Thus contextual specificity was an important underlying factor in the study. The research data was gathered using qualitative methods. Specifically, interviews with five principals were conducted using semi-structured interviews and was analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The research fieldwork was carried out in the Solomon Islands in August 2006. A sample of five participants was used. They were selected from five schools representing Community High Schools (CHS) and senior Provincial Secondary Schools (PSS) in two provinces and the Honiara City Council. The key findings of the study identify a range of factors that inhibit effective school leadership. These included a lack of initial training and support for on-going professional learning, unfavourable conditions of service, poor quality of teachers' professional practice, poor school facilities and infrastructure, poor administrative infrastructure, lack of appropriate and adequate financial resources, lack of support personnel, policy and systemic issues, social and cultural issues, and issues pertaining to school-community partnerships. Based on the findings identified in the study, recommendations were made on how to improve effective leadership of the schools throughout the Solomon Islands. Of particular importance is the establishment of professional development programmes for both newly appointed and servicing principals. Such programmes should enhance the leadership capacity of the principals in the schools and create a more conducive learning environment.

This study used the qualitative semi-structured interview method to collect data to discover Solomon Islands parents' educational and career aspirations for their children and their perceptions of formal secondary education in the Solomon Islands with respect to their children's preparation for meeting these aspirations. In carrying out the research, four couples were selected as participants and categorized into two groups according to their educational attainment (well educated and less educated). What was found was that, although parents have educational and career aspirations for their children, not all parents were specific. The findings also suggested that the career aspirations parents have were mainly influenced by economic and social factors rather than internal factors. In relation to parents' perception of the formal secondary education system in terms of preparing students for work, the findings suggested parents have both a positive and low opinion of formal secondary education in the Solomon Islands. There was also a mixed feeling and point to the idea that there are other factors such as teachers and curriculum subjects that impacted on the perceptions of success or vice-versa of the secondary education system. The findings also suggested that while parents appreciate the vocational curriculum and education system as preparing students for work (than secondary education), preference however was given to secondary education first and foremost.

This thesis examines house sites, settlements, and landscapes in the late prehistoric - early historic period in Roviana, New Georgia Group, the Solomon Islands. The focus of this study is Nusa Roviana, a small barrier island in the Roviana Lagoon, where past archaeological investigations documented large nucleated settlements. Those settlements were the politico-religious and residential centres of powerful coastal polities which conducted large-scale headhunting expeditions to neighbouring islands during the nineteenth century. Employing a household-archaeology approach, in combination with a "house society" perspective and practice theory, I investigate how houses and settlement space were socially constructed through everyday activities which meanwhile structured them, and were eventually transformed by them. Patterns of household variability within and among house sites are examined to understand their relation to spatial organization, temporal change, and socioeconomic diversity at the community level. This research provides a detailed picture of daily activities and social interaction in early historic villages, when islanders' active interaction with Europeans led to intensification of chiefs' political-economic activities, which revolved around shell valuable production and headhunting, and this further accelerated social stratification. Archaeological, historical, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic data is synthesized to construct a model of changes in settlement space which reflected the long-term processes of economic, social, and ideological transformation. Development of large nucleated settlements was fundamentally related to dynamic socio-political process in late prehistoric to early historic Roviana society, in which social elites strove to construct an enduring house to maintain linkage to their ancestors and transmit the estate and its status to future generations. The emerging elites used spatial settings in settlement space to naturalise social differentiation and legitimate their political authority in a socially dynamic period during the nineteenth century, which in turn created, through time, a hierarchically organised settlement structure. Differing spatial and material patterning among individual settlements is interpreted as reflecting variation in political strategies and socio-political structure of coastal polities.

The island of Malaita in the Solomons Islands represents a unique opportunity to study the deeper portions of the largest oceanic plateau discovered to date - the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP). Malaita exposes several kilometres of Cretaceous OJP lavas, stratigraphically named the Malaita Volcanic Group (MVG), within en-echelon inliers. Most of the lavas have suffered low-grade (brownstone facies) metamorphism. The MVG basalts are low-K tholeiites, displaying a limited range of major and trace element concentrations, consistent with the lavas being well mixed prior to eruption, probably in shallow level magma chambers. However, two distinct groups, Type A and Type C-G, can be identified from their rare earth elements (REEs), platinum group elements, Sr and Nd radiogenic isotopes, indicating that mixing has not effectively wiped out all source-related and melting signatures. The MVG basalts were formed by extensive melting, mostly within the spinel Iherzolite field as indicated by their chrondritic REE patterns, suggesting a ridge-centred eruption. However, melting in the MVG's source started within the garnet Iherzolite field, consistent with a thermal anomaly such as a decompressing mantle plume. Paradoxically for a ridge centred plume, the MVG erupted in a deep submarine environment, when the elevation caused by a surfacing plume would surely imply a subaerial eruption environment, such as seen in Iceland. In addition, the MVG's overlying sedimentary sequence implies a history of uplift, rather than that of subsidence which would be expected as the plume wanes or crust is transported away. The OJP plume was probably heterogeneous, consisting of enriched (HIMU) streaks in a depleted matrix. This depleted component is thought not to be entrained upper MORB material, but a depleted component intrinsic to the plume itself, possibly entrained as the plume ascended through the lower mantle.

publisher version
Pacific Island communities may be vulnerable to negative impacts of economic development, which is often considered a strategy for reducing vulnerability to environmental change. Studies that evaluate potential impacts of economic development in isolated communities may be inaccurate to only focus on asking people to anticipate impacts of phenomena they have had minimal exposure to. We used an open-ended approach to evaluate how communities in the Solomon Islands perceived change, and used this information to anticipate potential impacts of the government’s plans to develop tourism. Our results showed mostly negative expectations of change, particularly socio-cultural, which was perceived as being driven by diminishing social capital, foreign influence, and economic development. Despite minimal exposure, locals supported tourism and had more positive expectations of change associated with this activity. Our findings emphasize the need for locally appropriate planning to ensure intended positive impacts of tourism and other forms of economic development.

碩士
國立臺灣藝術大學
應用媒體藝術研究所
99
To understand my grandfather’s past experience, a piece of memory that people seldom bring up and has been ignored, I decided to make a film about my grandfather past days when he was a soldier, which I named “Journey into Solomon Islands”. During World War II, as a Japanese soldier, my grandfather served in South Pacific, and spent three years of his prime time in Solomon Islands. To him, that piece of memory is still vivid. All his grandchildren have seen him drawn on the world atlas with his finger, and heard him illustrated that dream-like actual past. In addition to record my grandfather’s memory and the helpless life of urban elderly, the film also presents the trajectory of life, for it took me five years to make this film, the toddlers in the film have grown up, and my grandfather is 92 years old now. This film helps my grandfather refresh his memory, and reminds him of his days on the battlefield. The length of the film is 50 minutes. The filming equipment I used in the early stage is PD150（DV）, later I switched to XR520（HD）. I did the shooting by myself, except for the part about Solomon Islands, which I hired a professional cameraman to do the job. Apart from adopting some documentary images, I did some post-processing as well. I have visited Solomon Islands, and captured local post-war situation, to enrich the film and enhance its authenticity. There were films about World War II and Taiwanese-Japanese soldiers in the past. Their focus is on the background of the era and the historical truth. This film emphasizes the emotion and memory of my grandfather, which offers a different point of view. I hope my creation concept and illustration on filmmaking can be a reference for filmmakers who are interested in making films on this subject.

This thesis examines the social, economic, environmental, political and cultural changes which have occurred within indigenous Solomon Islander communities. It explores the many shifts that have occurred since white colonisation and which continue today in the post-colonial era.