THE PEOPLE OF NEW GEORGIA 



THEIR MANNERS AND CUSTOMS, AND 



RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. 



By the REV. J. GOLDIE. 



Read before the Royal Society of Queensland, July ^rd, 



1908. 



In these days everybody is more or less acquainted with 

 the islands of the Eastern Pacific, and with the manners 

 and customs of the people inhabiting those islands. With 

 the islands of the Western Pacific, however, travellers 

 are not so familiar, and, perhaps, one- of the least known 

 of all the groups in that part of the world is the great group 

 of islands known as the Solomons. This fine group of 

 islands lies between 5 degrees and 10 degrees S. Lat., and 

 154 degrees and 162 degrees E. Long. The length of the 

 group is well over 600 miles, and many of the larger islands 

 are very mountainous, some of their peaks rising as high 

 as 10,000 feet. 



The people of this group are pure Melanesians, and 

 have all the characteristics of this type. It is not for me, 

 however, to advance my theory as to the peopling of these 

 islands, or attempt any system of classification. Better 

 men have failed to agree about these things, and though 

 intensely interesting, we have not time to discuss them 

 to-night. What I can speak with authority on, and what 

 no doubt you will be interested to hear about, is the 

 manners and customs of some of these people, and some- 

 thing about their religious beliefs. I have lived amongst 

 the people of New Georgia for the last six years, and there- 

 fore may fairly claim to know a little about them. 



