SOLOMON ISLANDS:  East Kwaio, Malaita

I was lucky enough to spend a week in two different family villages of friends currently living in Honiara. East Kwaio is the least developed area of Malaita Island, with many bush villages adhering to the old ways. Kwaio is remote and mountainous, with no roads, very few amenities, and paths leading to villages along the coast and particularly to those in the bush are treacherous for the uninitiated – but more than worth the exhaustion once conquered. E. Kwaio does not see many foreign visitors, although now there is a guided tour that arranges for small groups to visit a village in Sinaraggu, with an overnight stop in a "custom" house specially built to accommodate foreign visitors.

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Approaching the canoe cove, Sinnaraggu	Steep downwards path from Lala Village to the canoe cove (dugout parking lot)	The path to Lala Village, Sinaraggu	Lalla Village hunter mistaking me for a fruit bat - ??
Mangroves along the Ngarita River, Sinaraggu	Ngarita River bathing pools, men in the top pool (the biggest), women downstream	A house in Baenisile, Sinaraggu	Net fishing, Sinaraggu
Swim break, Sinaraggu	Overlooking Sinaraggu harbour	Ninifae Village	Cluster of huts, Ninifae Village
Pig feast, Ninifae	One of many small beaches, Ninifae	Baenigau Village family group, Sinaraggu	Kastom women, Baenigau Village
Baenigau Village magic man	The magic man at work	Left:  Spirit posts (in background), Baenigau Village, Sinaraggu. I was not allowed to gt any closer (area tabu for women, as was most everywhere in the village).  Right:  Enlargement of spirit posts (doesn't help much)

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(c) 2001/2002, Nadine Au-Yong. All rights reserved.