Santa Ana, Solomon Islands
It was a full day on the island of Santa Ana in the Solomon Islands, which is home to about 1,000 people living in three villages. The landing began with the enthusiastic energy of a traditional ‘threat welcome’ on the beach. The beauty of the floral displays throughout the village added a splash of colour to this serene setting. The improvised marketplace displayed a variety of handicrafts, most notably the fishing floats for which the island is noted. And then there was the pan pipe band, quite unlike anything we have heard so far and a bizarre convergence with the music of the South American Andes. And then there were the dances. The hip swaying was a little different to the Polynesian style but was still sensuous. The highlight of the dancing was the mock battle between the mud-men, where the blackened dancers vanquish those smeared in ochre mud.
And then there are the "everyday" locals, aside from the tradespeople and the dancers. They were as curious about us as we were about them and our visit seemed to be a welcome source of diversion to their daily routine. They outnumbered us as spectators at the dance field, and hooted and hollered wildly at subtleties in the dances that (at least in some cases) we could scarcely begin to appreciate.
After the dances there was time to shop for local carvings or to hike across the island, past the schools, to the windward shore to the second of the three villages. Here we (or at least those of us with a Y chromosome) could visit the spirit house, resting place of the bones of chiefs and warriors.
The afternoon was spent in pursuit of aquatic diversions, whether snorkeling or diving. Among the usual flotilla of dive boats, the snorkel platform and Zodiac shuttles, a strange new craft was sighted. A Zodiac fitted with a glass bottom was undergoing ‘sea trials’ and may make its eagerly anticipated debut in the next few days. Watch this space!
It was a full day on the island of Santa Ana in the Solomon Islands, which is home to about 1,000 people living in three villages. The landing began with the enthusiastic energy of a traditional ‘threat welcome’ on the beach. The beauty of the floral displays throughout the village added a splash of colour to this serene setting. The improvised marketplace displayed a variety of handicrafts, most notably the fishing floats for which the island is noted. And then there was the pan pipe band, quite unlike anything we have heard so far and a bizarre convergence with the music of the South American Andes. And then there were the dances. The hip swaying was a little different to the Polynesian style but was still sensuous. The highlight of the dancing was the mock battle between the mud-men, where the blackened dancers vanquish those smeared in ochre mud.
And then there are the "everyday" locals, aside from the tradespeople and the dancers. They were as curious about us as we were about them and our visit seemed to be a welcome source of diversion to their daily routine. They outnumbered us as spectators at the dance field, and hooted and hollered wildly at subtleties in the dances that (at least in some cases) we could scarcely begin to appreciate.
After the dances there was time to shop for local carvings or to hike across the island, past the schools, to the windward shore to the second of the three villages. Here we (or at least those of us with a Y chromosome) could visit the spirit house, resting place of the bones of chiefs and warriors.
The afternoon was spent in pursuit of aquatic diversions, whether snorkeling or diving. Among the usual flotilla of dive boats, the snorkel platform and Zodiac shuttles, a strange new craft was sighted. A Zodiac fitted with a glass bottom was undergoing ‘sea trials’ and may make its eagerly anticipated debut in the next few days. Watch this space!
