Legacy of U.S. military history in the Solomon Islands part 2

Saturday I helped carry an American “pigtail” out of a very hilly area, beyond Honiara, which was the main battlefield between the U.S. and Japan. My guide/friend Jeremy and I joked about the fact that an American was doing the deed of taking out this implement of war that my country’s soldier had carried up the hills. Just one was heavy and yet he was probably 16 having to carry a whole pack of them on his back up those massive hills that require being on all-fours for bits of the climb up.

Jeremy holding the "pigtail"

The Pigtail is a well-designed single piece of steel that has a corkscrew at the bottom and then 3-4 loops going up that you can string barbed wire through by taking it from the top around each of the “pigtails” in repeat until you have the makings of a destructive fence of barbed wire when you line up a bunch of them. They were all over the hills in this area as well as lots of other bits of destructive or wasteful objects of the war that we left behind. The chief of the area, from whom Jeremy has permission to walk around on his community’s land, has a whole collection of found objects – grenades, teeth with fillings, vials of medicines, watches, shrapnel, dogtags, pieces of weapons, etc. in a collection on his property. There is still a lot in the hills, considering I was walking here so many years later and could easily find an item on the hillside.

It is interesting to be in a country where the U.S.A., my country, fought a war over 50 years ago. The locals ended up siding with and supporting the Americans, they weren’t our enemies, but still we marched around fighting battles on their lands. Then I started thinking about all the places I could go in this world where there would still be evidence of the wars my country has waged and is still fighting, many places where the locals were the main victims. Many.

I hope I can be a part of leaving other, more positive footprints in some of those places. And I hope we can someday learn that there are better ways, non-violent ways to solve problems in this world. I am a Peace Fellow, after all.

Ceremony to start reconciliation

The Solomon Islands experienced 'tensions' in late 1990s through the early 2000s in which there was violence on the side of the national police and a number of militias representing different communities. Communities were burned, many women suffered sexual violence and survived, people were killed and driven off land. In 2006, there was another wave of violence with the burning of the Chinatown, after outraged boiled over following anti-corruption campaigns and people's anger. (Note: this not the very best summary of all that happened but gives you a picture.)

Chiefs from the village sit on the left-side of the table and representatives
of the police on the right. In the middle a representative from the Anglican
Church and from RAMSI - the regional Australia force in Solomons. 

The pictures below are from a ceremony that signals the beginning of a reconciliation process between a community on the island of Guadalcanal and the national police. Although there have been many reconciliation ceremonies over the last decade, this community has now agreed to enter in and begin to negotiate a possible return of the police to the area. Below you will see some pictures of this ceremony, which I got to witness my first week here. 

'chapu' - a traditional gesture and gift given in ceremonies
between families or communities. This one was presented
from the government side to the community chiefs.

The Anglican priest begins the ceremony with a prayer of reconciliation.
The ceremony was held in the capital, Honiara at the Anglican Cathedral.
The chiefs traveled from the village with the support of the Ministry of
National Unity, Reconciliation and Peace to attend the 'opening' ceremony. 

The chief gives 'shell money' to the Police head as a gift - noting in a spee-
ch it was not possible to present a full 'chapu', having travelled from the
village, but would next time the Police head comes. 

The Police head gives each of the
chiefs shell money beaded cords. 

The head chief and the Police head mutual place shell money over each
other's necks as a gift of goodwill and the start of a reconciliation process
between violence committed between the national police and the community. 

Lots of Islands

The Solomon Islands, as the name suggests, is a set of islands- over 100 islands.* The first person I met here was the UNDP driver. He is a very lovely man. His island is a two-week boat ride away. “Two weeks?!?”, I asked.

“How is that even possible?  I would go crazy!” my Dutch colleague said when we talked about it a few days later.

“Two weeks?” I tried to verify.

“Yes, two weeks on a boat and it gets very difficult with everyone on the dock with all their bundles and bags. You often don’t really have room to even lay down,” he confirmed. “We should be a part of Vanuatu, we’re only a day boat ride from there. Or the government should provide or ensure better boats.”

People say Honiara isn’t the Solomons. I can believe them. Obviously, it is one aspect of the Solomons, but not for the majority who live in areas only accessible by boat and canoe, whose access to government and markets and products from the outside is very limited. That is a Solomons I will unlikely to have access to in my short time here and although you can never fully understand a place as an outsider and everyone, even locals have a different experience of life, I realize how limited my experience is.

*63 languages and 9 main islands.

View of downtown Honiara from Koala Ridge.

Betelnut*

Betelnut - looks innocent enough?!

SOOOOOO disgusting. Sold everywhere, Betelnut is a word it is impossible to not learn on your first day in Honiara. The second, third, fourth, etc people I met had dyed red teeth. I noticed red dye all over the ground. I quickly learned people chew the seeds of this nut and mix in some white powder which is made of scorched coral or another plant from PNG (Papua New Guinea) and mash it around in their mouths before spitting it on the ground or into old boxes, or really, anywhere. Every guest house I stayed in or hotel lobby has had some sign about not chewing betelnut. Most businesses or public places also have signs.

On every corner and multiple places on blocks (mostly) women sit, perched on a small box, a little box in front of them selling betelnut often accompanied with cigarettes. I have to praise the entrepreneurial spirit and all these small-scale business people finding a way to make a living for their family. Unfortunately, this minor stimulant – like qat/khat or miraa in the Horn of Africa – is really not good for you in the long term. (Plus your teeth turn red!!!)

Betelnut branch to be added to a traditional chapu - pile of
food and gifts used in ceremonies.

Traditionally it has been used for ceremonies and mostly amongst older people in villages. If you need to hold a community discussion, you sit around sharing betelnut. But like most good things – moderation is key. And now young people are amongst the most active consumers of betelnut. Not good for them and can cause cancer (I've been told) and other problems in the long term. Business owners tell us it's a large problem for workers, taking breaks to go chew or just in general that people spend their money on it. 

I'm all for respecting aspects of others' cultures, but unfortunately the use and impacted of this habit on the people around is pretty unfortunate and therefore, I don't mind or feel bad about my complete dislike of this betelnut. 

*I have tried to hold off on writing this post because it will be negative!

Sign from Hyundai Mall. 

Chewed betelnut stains on ground.

GROSS!!

Sign at the Honiara Central Market building
of the City Council. (This one is my favorite.)

Sign at my work building, Anthony
Saru Building. 

The Rotary Family

“I fine Anna, for not saying hello to me on the street as I ran past and waved.” 

It is my second Rotary meeting in Honiara and I’m already being held to task by the “Sergeant-at-Arms”. I put my money in the wooden basket and make a face of shock, laughing the whole time. This section of the Rotary Club of Honiara, is quite hilarious and was very new to me. Members shout out gripes about each other and put a bill in the wooden basket, and the offender has to put in the same amount. So you better be on your top game around town, never snubbing a fellow Rotarian or drive to fast down the road, lest one of your Rotary friends will note it and hold you to account at the coming meeting. It is quite good fun, everyone laughing the whole time and throwing accusations around the room, some slightly exaggerated, all for the benefit of the Foundation fund.

Outgoing President Sebastian Ilala
makes a speech

I went to the Rotary Club my first few days in Honiara. It is a wonderfully boisterous, friendly and welcoming group. I feel so lucky to be part of the Rotary family and have people interested in the Foundation’s work to support Peace Fellows to study conflict in depth and spend time in Applied Field Placements – the Rotary’s official name for what I’m doing here in the Solomon Islands. I’ve always loved being Quaker because if I show up at the Friends Meeting anywhere in the world I feel welcomed and connected to those people. While Rotary is an enormous global organization and quite different from a faith community, I have a similar sense of being welcomed and when attending a club, instantly having a community of people willing to get to know me and assist me, if need be.

The Rotary Club of Honiara meets at the Honiara hotel in a room with lots of old photographs of 1960s movie stars machéed to the wall. It’s a bit dark with a bar in an adjoining room, but on Tuesday night it is brightened by the Rotary banners of many Rotary Presidents years and club banners. The Club is in the evening and takes it’s time not like the 1 hour or 1.5 hour clubs at lunch or breakfast that I’ve visited so far in Indiana and Sweden.

Outgoing President Sebastian Ilala hands over
to incoming President Aldrin Bekala

Here the club often spends Saturday morning unloading containers of supplies for schools or medical facilities that have been collected in other places and sent to benefit facilities and people in the Solomons. The Club has a bunch of expats – mainly Australians - in addition to Solomon Islanders. The beginning of July was the turn over of the Club President to Aldrin Bekala from Sebastian Ilala. In Aldrin’s speech he said something that I think well encompasses what I have come to appreciate about Rotary:

“Being a Rotarian is not just about attending our weekly meetings… It means accepting our communities as our responsibility.”

In the weekly speakers at Rotary Clubs, you hear for community or state or business or visiting leaders. Talking about the work they are passionate about. Identifying problems or solutions they are dedicating their lives to and often through their fundraising or volunteer efforts, Rotary clubs not only listen to these presentations for their education, but also take action.

New Rotary Club of Honiara leadership team.

I not only feeling incredibly lucky to have received such a generous scholarship from this organization, but also to have been given a window into people around the world working in small and large ways to change the world for the better.