South Malaita Island is the island at the southern tip of the larger island of

Malaita Malaita is the primary island of Malaita Province in Solomon Islands. Malaita is the most populous island of the Solomon Islands, with a population of 161,832 as of 2021, or more than a third of the entire national population. It is also the se ...

in the eastern part of the

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 ...

. It is also known as Small Malaita and Maramasike for Areare speakers and Malamweimwei for more than 80% of the islanders. It is also called The island is referred to as ''Iola Raha''. It is called "small" to distinguish it from the much larger sibling. It is part of

Malaita Province Malaita Province is the most populous and one of the largest of the nine provinces of Solomon Islands. It is named after its largest island, Malaita (also known as "Big Malaita" or "Maramapaina"). Other islands include South Malaita Island ...

. South Malaita came under effective control of the colonial administration after the Solomon Islands was declared a British Protectorate in 1893. During the colonial days, the island was divided by the colonial government and missionary establishments into the ''Asimeuri'', ''Asimae'', and ''Raroisu'u'' districts.

First settlers

The history of Mwalamwaimwei began with early migrants who settled in the coastal zone and later moved to the highlands. A revolution in the highlands led residents to return to the coastal zone.

Governance

The ruling chiefs inherit the chiefly bloodline and govern each ''Iola''. The ''Ououinemauri'' is the elected high chief chosen to govern and administer the Council of Chiefs. The ''Iola'' are subdivided according to the tribes and clans across the island. Some ''Iolas'' have 2,3 or 4 chiefs.

Iolas

* Korutalau pwaine * Kalapea * Hoasiteimwane (Iola Raha) * Lou aatowa * Apuilalamoa * Korutalaumwaimwei) * Louatowa (Haitataemwane) * Ueniusu (Ero ueniusu) * Ououmatawa * Uenisu Unu * Roasi * Iolairamo * Hailadami Other Iola in South Malaita are located within and share the boundary with others, organized by settlers.

Language

South Malaita people follow 3 main dialects: * Sa'a - widely spoken by 75% of the population * Tolo (mix areare) - is spoken by 20% of the population. * Lau - is spoken by 5% of the people. MaramasikeMap

Culture

Mwalamwaimwei culture is based on the chiefly system. The island is subdivided according to kingdom (''Iola''). The division of each kingdom was done by the council of chiefs (Alahaouou) during the pre-colonial era and later during Ma'asina Ruru Movement. Residents identify with their

extended families An extended family is a family that extends beyond the nuclear family of parents and their children to include aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins or other relatives, all living nearby or in the same household. Particular forms include the stem a ...

and with members of their

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...

and

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

. The people practise

patrilineal descent Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

. Women played a much lesser role in governance; however, they are equally respected in society.

Dolphin hunting

Dolphin are hunted in Malaita mainly for their meat and teeth, and also sometimes for live capture for dolphinaria. Dolphin hunting is practised by coastal communities around the world; the animals are herded with boats into a bay or onto a beach. A large-scale example is the

Taiji dolphin drive hunt The Taiji dolphin drive hunt is based on driving dolphins and other small cetaceans into a small bay where they can be killed or captured for their meat and for sale to dolphinariums. The new primary killing method is done by cutting the spinal ...

, made famous by the documentary film '' The Cove''. The hunt on South Malaita Island is smaller in scale, and is almost exclusively practiced by the Walande and Fanelei peoples. The meat is shared equally between households. Dolphin teeth are used in jewelry and as currency.Takekawa Daisuke & Ethel Falu (1995, 2006)
Dolphin hunting in the Solomon Islands
, article retrieved on June 21, 2008.

References

{{authority control Islands of the Solomon Islands