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Traditional culture [edit]
In the traditional culture of the Solomon Islands, age-old customs are handed down from one generation to the next, allegedly from the ancestral spirits themselves, to form the cultural values to Solomon Islands. Culturally, the Solomon Islands are a part of Melanesia, and the indigenous peoples are Melanesians.
Contemporary culture [edit]
In the contemporary Solomon Islands, as elsewhere in Melanesia, kastom is the core of the assertion of traditional values and cultural practices in a modern context.[1] The Kastom Gaden Association,[2] for example, advocates growing and eating traditional foods rather than imported ones.[3]
Languages [edit]
There are at least 64 languages in the Solomon Islands, not counting English and Pijin.[4] Most of these languages are part of the great diversity of the Austronesian languages of Melanesia.
However, not all languages of the Solomon island are Austronesian; the Central Solomon languages such as Lavukaleve constitute an independent family.
The status of the Reefs – Santa Cruz languages have been subject of a controversy, as they were once considered non-Austronesian, whereas recent research[5] has argued that they are in fact Austronesian languages, members of the Temotu subgroup of Oceanic. The neighbouring languages of Vanikoro, from the same group, have also been shown to be heavily relexified Austronesian languages.[6]
Notable figures [edit]
Notable figures in contemporary Solomon Islands culture include painter Ake Lianga and musician Sharzy. Writers include John Saunana and Celo Kulagoe.[7]
See also [edit]
- Music of the Solomon Islands
- Literature of the Solomon Islands
- Languages of the Solomon Islands
- Religion in the Solomon Islands
Notes [edit]
- ^ "The Politics of Indigenous Identity, Ethnicity and Tradition", University of Hawai'i, Center for Pacific Islands Studies
- ^ "Gaden", not "Garden". The word belongs to the Pijin language, not English.
- ^ "Don’t rely on import food: Kastom Gaden", Solomon Star, May 5, 2008
- ^ Ples Blong Iumi: Solomon Islands the Past Four Thousand Years, Hugh Laracy (ed.), University of the South Pacific, 1989, ISBN 982-02-0027-X
- ^ Ross & Næss (2007)
- ^ François (2009)
- ^ "English in the South Pacific", John Lynch and France Mugler, University of the South Pacific
References [edit]
- Ross, Malcolm and Åshild Næss (2007). "An Oceanic Origin for Äiwoo, the Language of the Reef Islands?". Oceanic Linguistics 46: 456–498.
- François, Alexandre (2009), "The languages of Vanikoro: Three lexicons and one grammar", in Evans, Bethwyn, Discovering history through language: Papers in honour of Malcolm Ross, Pacific Linguistics 605, Canberra: Australian National University, pp. 103–126.
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