Journeys in a Small Canoe: The Life and Times of a Solomon Islander

by Lloyd Maepeza Gina

Although the life story of prominent Solomon Islander Sir Lloyd Maepeza Gina has a unique value for Solomon Islanders, it has universal aspects that people outside the Solomons will find of interest. From the little many people know of the history of Solomons, this story distils a lot of it: the importance of family and genealogy; the web of connections mediated by marriage, adoption, and even abduction; the identification of people with land; the exciting days of inter-island raiding and head hunting along with the horrors for victims; the labor trade; the coming of Christianity and missionaries leaving a lasting impression on the faith of the people; the suffering that the Japanese invasion induced and the material prosperity and mental stimulation that the Americans injected into the colonial outpost; the resistance and accommodation by Solomon Islanders to the colonial power and its officials; the attraction and repulsion of the colonial order; the sometimes-ambivalent connections with other Pacific Islanders; the challenges of Independence, its hopes, and disappointments; and the opportunities of the wider world.

Genres: Nonfiction

318 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Missy J · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Looking back, I realise that I grew up with a strong sense of who I was and where I belonged. That was their gift to me. The love of my family and my belief in God were to be my strengths in life."

For our visit to Solomon Islands, my book club chose this book. It's a unique autobiography because it is the first autobiography written by a Solomon Islander. Lloyd Maepeza Gina wanted to write down his life story because he lived before his nation became independent and witnessed a lot of important changes. He didn't want what he had seen to just disappear into infinity. He thought that his story would be of value for the future generation of Solomon Islanders to understand where they came from.

The book started off well. I have always harbored an interest for the Pacific Islands and this book gave me the Melanesian perspective. It was interesting how he traced his family's background to many different islands and how their society was overwhelmingly matrilineal. I was delighted to find out that "nusa" means island, just like in Indonesian, and that the word "taboo" is more complex than what it means in English.

"(about eels) We regard them as our tabu or kokolo, which simply means 'dependable - tabu'. People nowadays refer to it as our 'defender - devil' or in short just 'devil', our immediate security to our land, and so to our food gardens."

Unfortunately, halfway through the book, he starts talking about his career and that's when it gets boring. Don't get me wrong, it was interesting to find out how he learned from other Pacific nations and that they all had different post-colonial experiences. But other than that, it got really dry and I didn't understand the politics very well. Hence, I'm giving this three instead of four stars.

"At the same time it began to dawn in my mind that, with movements from here to there, it was good, but only for my own sake. It might give me future promotions, for my being loyal and committed to the call of duty. On the other hand, I thought that I was not at all helping my children and my wife. Olive had been dragged about here and there. I'd also gained some wisdom from my courses, that a person who has been moved about is not often very much liked by his colleagues."

[Serendipity · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lloyd Gina was born and raised in the Solomon Islands. I understand his is the first autobiography written by a Solomon Islander, but it is also noteworthy because he was a high ranking civil servant in the lead up to independence in 1978 and later served as Speaker in the Solomon parliament.
🇸🇧I found certain details of his childhood interesting for the insight they gave into the Solomon culture and way of life. I couldn’t help but notice similarities to some traditional Maori customs such as the informal adoption of children by close relatives. Sections on his career in the civil service were generally less interesting to me, although some things, such as the way bureaucrats from the colonial powers looked down on their colleagues who were native to the Solomons, did catch my attention. I also noted how Gina was willing to talk and listen to people and work through traditional processes, something not all officials seemed to bother with.
🇸🇧The tone is fairly academic and dry. I think it is fair to say that he holds traditional views that often reflect his training in a British-based bureaucracy. Despite these reservations, there were gems to be found in this book- such as his views on the ethnic tensions which plagued the Solomons at the start of the century, his assessment of the legacy of colonialism and his suggestions as to how the Solomons could proceed in the future. I would be interested to know if his opinions have changed in the nearly twenty years since this volume was published.