Areare is the name of a people from the south of the island of
Malaita, which is part of the
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
. Their language is the
ꞌAreꞌare language, part of the
Austronesian language family. In 1999, there were an estimated speakers,
up from about 8-9,000 in the 1970s.
[Zemp, Hugo. Liner notes to ''Solomon Islands: ꞌAreꞌare Panpipe Ensembles.'' Le Chant du Monde LDX 274961.62, 1994. p. 58.]
History
Prior to colonisation and subsequent independence, the ꞌAreꞌare occupied a much larger geographical area encompassing parts of
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...
and
Makira
The island of Makira (previously known as San Cristóbal) is the largest island of Makira-Ulawa Province in Solomon Islands. It is third most populous of the Solomon Islands after Malaita and Guadalcanal, with a population of 55,126 as of 2020 ...
, as well as
Malaita. This included the northern part of Makira known as
Arosi and the eastern part of Guadalcanal known today as
Marau Sound. In the past they lived in hamlets in the mountainous hinterland, or on the banks of lagoons in the southwest or the
Mara Masika Strait (separating Malaita and South Malaita islands), but during colonization many coastal villages were established.
Traditionally, they practiced
subsistence agriculture
Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occu ...
of
taro
Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...
,
yams, and
sweet potato
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant in the morning glory family, Convolvulaceae. Its sizeable, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a root vegetable, which is a staple food in parts of ...
es, raised
pigs and practiced fishing. During colonization, they were encouraged to export
copra
Copra (from ; ; ; ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted ...
and raise
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
on a small scale.
Politics
The southern and northern zones differ in political organization, with the south led by hereditary
chieftains, while the north follows the self-made
big man structure common in Melanesia. Both the hereditary and non-hereditary leaders are known as ''aaraha''.
Culture
The traditional religion was
ancestor worship
The veneration of the dead, including one's ancestors, is based on love and respect for the deceased. In some cultures, it is related to beliefs that the dead have a continued existence, and may possess the ability to influence the fortune of t ...
, but during colonization,
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
made big inroads, and by the mid-1970s, at least half of the population was converted.
[Zemp, 59] Bible portions were first translated in 1957.
About half belong to the
South Seas Evangelical Church, and half to either the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
or the Anglican
Church of the Province of Melanesia. The former do not permit traditional music, which is seen as related to the ancestral spirits, deemed "devils."
The ꞌAreꞌare are known for their complex panpipe music, which ethnomusicologist
Hugo Zemp studied.
References
External links
* from Documentary Educational Resources (DER)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Areare
Ethnic groups in the Solomon Islands
Society of the Solomon Islands
Indigenous peoples of Melanesia