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 them ...

from Ane'emae near Oloburi,

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 ...

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 ...

. 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

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 Anglicans, shortened as personal ordinariate or Anglican ordinariate,"Bishop Stephen Lopes of the Anglican Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter..." is a canonical structure within the Catholic Church establish ...

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

1973 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1973. Africa * 1973 Cameroonian parliamentary election * 1973 Equatorial Guinean legislative election * 1973 Ethiopian general election * 1973 Gabonese general election * 1973 Republic of the Congo con ...

in the Kwaio constituency. In

1976 Events January * January 2 – 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 18 – Full diplomatic ...

he was elected to the Legislative Assembly (into which the Governing Council had been transformed in 1974) from the East Kwaio constituency. He lost his seat in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

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 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 the ...

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, rel ...

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 research university with locations spread throughout a dozen countries in Oceania. Established in 1968, the university is organised as an intergovernmental organisation and is owned by the gov ...

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 Members_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire {{Solomons-politician-stub