Jonathan Fiifii'i MBE (1921 – October 1989) was a

Kwaio Kwaio is an ethnic group found in central Malaita, in the Solomon Islands. According to Ethnologue, they numbered 13,249 in 1999. Much of what is known about the Kwaio is due to the work of the anthropologist Roger M. Keesing, who lived among t ...

from Ane'emae near Oloburi, Malaita,

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

. His father was Buumae and mother Dafua.

Biography

Fiifii'i was a founding member of

Maasina Ruru Maasina Ruru was an emancipation movement for self-government and self-determination in the British Solomon Islands during and after World War II, 1945–1950, credited with creating the movement towards independence for the Solomon Islands. The ...

, the independence movement that he started in 1945 with Nori and Aliki Nono'oohimae, whom he met while serving in the Solomon Islands Labour Corps during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. After being arrested and held by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

administration as a political prisoner, he was released and continued to be involved in politics, beginning with the Subdistrict Committee in Ngarinaasuru. In the 1970 general elections he was elected to the

Governing Council A personal ordinariate for former Anglicanism, Anglicans, shortened as personal ordinariate or Anglican ordinariate,"...the liturgies approved for the Anglican ordinariates..." "Bishop Stephen Lopes of the Anglican Ordinariate of the Chair of St ...

in the Central Malaita constituency. He was re-elected in the 1973 elections in the

Kwaio constituency Kwaio is an ethnic group found in central Malaita, in the Solomon Islands. According to Ethnologue, they numbered 13,249 in 1999. Much of what is known about the Kwaio is due to the work of the anthropologist Roger M. Keesing, who lived among t ...

. In

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

he was elected to the Legislative Assembly (into which the Governing Council had been transformed in 1974) from the

East Kwaio constituency East Kwaio is a single-member constituency of the National Parliament of Solomon Islands The National Parliament of Solomon Islands has 50 members, elected for a four-year term in 50 single-seat constituencies. It is presided by a Speaker, ...

. He lost his seat in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

to Daniel Foasifobae. He challenged Foasifobae again in the 1984 elections, but lost again.Solomon Islands
Election Passport He remained critical of the government, even after independence. He formed the Kwaio Cultural Centre in 1979. In 1982, he wrote his autobiography, ''From pig-theft to parliament'', which was translated and edited by

Roger Keesing Roger Martin Keesing (16 May 1935 – 7 May 1993) was an American linguist and anthropologist, most notable for his fieldwork on the Kwaio people of Malaita in the Solomon Islands, and his writings on a wide range of topics including kinship, reli ...

References

*''From pig-theft to parliament: My life between two worlds'' Translated and edited by

. Suva, Fiji : Institute of Pacific Studies ; Solomon Islands College of Higher Education, 1989. *''Fifii'' (Paperback, 2002) by Jonathan Fifii, Julian Treadaway,

University of the South Pacific The University of the South Pacific (USP) is a public university, public research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and ...

1921 births 1989 deaths Kwaio people People from Malaita Province Members of the Governing Council of the Solomon Islands Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Solomon Islands Members of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands Government ministers of the Solomon Islands Solomon Islands prisoners and detainees {{Solomons-politician-stub