Solomon Islands National Museum - MUSEUMS, CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT IN SOLOMON ISLANDS: HERITAGE MATTERS REPORT - Museum of Archaeology
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Solomon Islands
National Museum
MUSEUMS, CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT IN SOLOMON
ISLANDS: HERITAGE MATTERS REPORT
Solomon Islands
National Museum
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
What role can a museum or cultural centre play in sustainable development? How can a museum respond to a
nation’s intractable challenges?
Museums are institutions of civil society. In general, they are institutions that already support people and serve
their needs, but they can do more. Museums have the potential to play vital roles as people negotiate the
changing social, economic and environmental climate.
Local tangible and intangible heritage are important in defining attitudes and approaches to work, resource
management and social relations. This heritage informs our identity and our attachment to place. The roles of
customary culture, represented and valued through museums, are especially important for nations such as
Solomon Islands, which face major economic and environmental challenges.
The Solomon Islands National Museum (SINM) is currently doing essential documentation and preservation
work but without support runs the risk of being viewed as an organisation of historical value only, its relevance
and potential relevance to the present or future largely ignored. SINM aims to preserve, protect and promote
culture but its role in championing sustainable development is yet to be fully articulated and acted upon.
There is much to be gained in developing SINM and its activities. The current museum, collections and grounds
have great potential and the staff are a wealth of knowledge and experience. A museum and cultural centre that
integrates community life can better support education and community cohesion. It can be a forum and create
spaces, both physical and social, in which there can be ongoing dialogue to explore the development of local
culture and heritage as well as other sustainable development goals. SINM can facilitate social change in a
sustainable way where economic development does not come at the cost of culture. This report shows that
there is evidence of the need for a public organisation to play a more prominent role in supporting and
promoting culture and heritage in Solomon Islands.
The report, developed out of numerous conversations and meetings with people around the country,
complements the museum’s Strategic Plan 2016-2019 and provides suggestions through which SINM can expand
and strengthen its work. These suggestions focus on how SINM can maximise their existing resources and
programmes. A central idea is that the museum can be of greater use to Solomon Islanders if it gives greater
attention to communication and education. This can be done through the creation of temporary exhibitions, the
development of a program of engagement activities, a greater presence in schools and by training local
communities in caring for historic artefacts and in other aspects of museum work. The SINM can perhaps extend
its reach through developing the existing research permit for international researchers, partnering with existing
networks and organisations, as well as by optimising the existing Youth@Work and Tourism Studies connections.
The recommendations are offered to assist SINM enhance its in-country contribution to sustainable
development. We hope that this report will be of use to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and to social and
cultural organisations looking to support national wellbeing in Solomon Islands.
Lucie Hazelgrove Planel and Nicholas Thomas, February 2018
“There is a need for the SINM to promote the roles of arts and culture in sustainable development, where
important traditional knowledge (TK), good cultural practices and norms can be used to foster self-reliance, self-
assurance (identity) and ownership of cultural expressions (CE).”
(Sahu, Mwanesalua, Kiko, & Heorake, 2016, p. 19)
2
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2
CONTENTS 3
PREFACE 4
METHODOLOGY 4
MUSEUMS AND GLOBAL CHALLENGES 6
SOLOMON ISLANDS, A BRIEF INTRODUCTION 7
SOLOMON ISLANDS NATIONAL MUSEUM (SINM) 8
AIMS 8
STAKEHOLDERS 8
HISTORY 9
BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND COLLECTIONS 11
ACTIVITIES 11
CHALLENGES 13
FUTURE OBJECTIVES 14
STRATEGIC PLAN 2016-2019 14
RECOMMENDATIONS 15
1. TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS 15
2. MUSEUM ACTIVITIES FOR VISITORS 15
3. NATIONAL REACH 15
4. EDUCATION OUTREACH 16
5. COMMUNITY-LED HERITAGE INTERVENTIONS 16
6. EXTENDED RESEARCH PERMIT REQUIREMENTS 17
CONCLUDING REMARKS 18
BIBLIOGRAPHY 19
3
PREFACE
Museums, Culture and Development in Solomon Islands is a report written as a result of the project entitled
Heritage Matters: Culture and Development in the Pacific based at the University of Cambridge Museum of
Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA). Funded through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), the
Heritage Matters project benefitted from a Research Innovation Award under the Translating Cultures and Care
for the Future themes through the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). These themes recognise the
complex webs of connections we live in and aim to create new understandings of the past for the future. The
Heritage Matters project draws from museums and local cultural heritage in order to research how these can
support sustainable development in Kiribati and Solomon Islands. Existing relationships between the MAA, Te
Umwanibong and Solomon Islands National Museum, relationships that arose in part out of the MAA collections
of artefacts from Kiribati and Solomon Islands, made this project feasible.
Museums are institutions of civil society and have the potential to play vital roles as people negotiate the
changing social, economic and environmental climate. Heritage Matters sought to explore the possible role of
museums in Kiribati and Solomon Islands through working collaboratively with people in each country to identify
local perspectives on sustainable development and the challenges they face. The comparative orientation of the
project draws attention to the heterogeneity of Pacific Island settings and highlights the importance of local
approaches developed with local communities. This report focuses on the situation in Solomon Islands. It
summarises the ideas raised through the research and outlines specific suggestions through which the museums
can enhance their contribution to in-country development. We hope that this report will be of use to the SINM,
the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and partner institutions.
METHODOLOGY
The evidence for this report was gathered through consultation with a number of people in Solomon Islands, for
whose participation and ideas we are very grateful. Staff from the MAA undertook a research trip to Solomon
Islands in July – August 2017 to work with SINM and its stakeholders in order to explore the role of the museum
and how it can contribute locally to sustainable development. A Facebook group entitled ‘Heritage Matters in
Solomon Islands’ has also enabled discussions and has brought together a network of people with an interest in
Solomon Islands both within the country and abroad.
Working in Honiara and on Guadalcanal and Marovo
Lagoon, we held workshops and consultations with
Solomon Islanders from a range of different social groups
and backgrounds, facilitated by staff at SINM.
Workshops gathered together groups of 2 to 20 people
according to their professional activities: such as creative
sector workers or women in business. Outside of Honiara, PHOTO 1. HERITAGE MATTERS FACEBOOK GROUP
separate workshops were held for women and men to
encourage women to voice their ideas and opinions. With the help of pop-up exhibitions of photographs of
historic Solomon Islander artefacts from the MAA collections, as well as community books created especially for
people in Solomon Islands as part of the Pacific Presences project at MAA, workshops explored the role of
museums. Discussions considered the importance of maintaining local culture, identified people’s concerns and
the challenges they face, and offered practical suggestions to lift up SINM and increase its relevance throughout
the islands. Workshops were a two-way conversation between participants and the workshop facilitators as we
were able to answer some of their questions about the use of storing artefacts and create awareness about the
social role of some museums in other countries – such as the Vanuatu Kaljoral Senta. Workshop attendees were
remunerated for their time and collaboration.
4
PHOTO 2. GUADALCANAL PLAINS. AUGUST 2017
5
MUSEUMS AND GLOBAL CHALLENGES
The 2010-2020 Regional Cultural Strategy of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (2010) sees culture as the
underlying foundation of the four regional objectives to achieve economic growth, sustainable development,
good governance and security. This strategy aims to promote cultural development and development in a
culturally appropriate and culturally sensitive manner. As Basu and Modest have argued, we should be looking
“beyond both the economic and instrumental value of cultural heritage for development, and to explore its
intrinsic value in reimagining development as a cultural project” (2015, p. 26). The question is not what culture
can do for development, but what development means for different cultures. This is particularly important for
Pacific Island countries, where culture is significantly embedded in national economic and political life (Hooper,
2000).
Museums, as heritage institutions are ideally placed to address issues of development. They provide the physical
spaces and material artefacts that encourage active minds to ask questions and discuss ideas about change,
heritage and identity. They can also promote cultural development through encouraging local economic and
social growth, where cultural practices and artefacts can be both sources of income and sources of social
wellbeing. In the Pacific, a number of global challenges are having local implications: urban-drift, over-
population, unemployment and climate change are some factors changing our ways of life and our
environments. There is therefore the potential for museums, as public institutions that work for their
communities, to play an important role in facilitating how people react to and address these challenges; to “get
beyond the institutional format and find new relevance for society” (Voogt & Kitungulu, 2008, p. 6).
For around 20 years, research has suggested that museums need to develop new roles and functions in order to
meet the needs of local communities (Eoe, 1990; Voogt, van Dartel, Hardon, & Legêne, 2008). Particularly in
museums that were established during, or as a result of colonisation, the very idea of a museum may appear
foreign. Some however argue that museums bear similarities to men’s houses in Melanesia and other Pacific
Island indigenous structures where objects of value are stored (Mead, 1983), with museum curators the
equivalent of a local ‘big-man’ (Stanley, 2007). This may provide a more interesting avenue of development for
museums in Oceania.
The Vanuatu Kaljoral Senta (VKS) provides a particularly interesting regional example of how a museum has
redefined its role within the nation through instigating innovative new ways of working. Created by the
condominium government, in the 1970s the VKS extended its focus on artefacts to research and document
contemporary practices in the country (Rousseau, 2011). Following a successful Oral Tradition Training Program
funded by the South Pacific Cultures Fund, a fieldworker network was created for ni-Vanuatu to research their
own cultural heritage. In addition to research, they work “to promote kastom (leftemap kastom), to make it
alive again (mekem hem i laev bakagen)” (Bolton, 1999, p. 5). Fieldworkers work on a voluntary basis, but receive
training and research equipment. Some fieldworkers undertake projects in their local area to revive a local
ceremony, reconstruct a village, or create a dictionary in the local language, for example (Tryon, 1999). Annual
workshops at the VKS suggest themes of study for the following year and allow fieldworkers to exchange ideas
and experiences and collate their material. These annual workshops enable the VKS to gain an up to date
perspective on life on the outer islands and inform policy. It is therefore in a better position to “address the
needs of the communities it serves” (Bolton, 2006, p. 13.1).
Multi-dimensional partnerships between communities and heritage institutions are emerging as a central theme
in recent research into museums, cultural heritage and development. These partnerships are beneficial for both
communities and their local cultural heritage. Whether preserving heritage from a changing climate (Harvey &
Perry, 2015), creating health and well-being benefits (Chatterjee & Noble, 2013; Silverman, 2010), promoting
peace (Apsel, 2016; Coombes, Hughes, & Karega-Munene, 2013) or respect (Atkinson, 2014), to name just a few
topics, it is clear that museums can address global challenges and produce tangible benefits within their
communities.
6
SOLOMON ISLANDS, A BRIEF INTRODUCTION
Solomon Islands is formed of two parallel chains of islands running Northwest-Southeast between Bougainville
Island in Papua New Guinea and the Torres and Banks Islands of Vanuatu. The islands are geographically varied:
while the largest are of volcanic origin with rivers carving out valleys from the steep mountains to the coastline,
there are also clusters of smaller coral islands - some of these in Lau Lagoon are man made by laboriously piling
up coral rocks. The islands are also characterised by great linguistic and cultural diversity.
Over six hundred thousand people live in Solomon Islands, with about 80% of the population living in rural areas
(Solomon Islands National Statistics Office, 2015). Like its neighbouring Pacific Island countries, the population
in Solomon Islands is a young one, with over half of the population under twenty years old. Unemployment
levels amongst youth is a particular concern in Honiara, the capital, due to increasing urbanisation and the
perceived association of unemployment with insecurity, crime and violence (Evans, 2016).
Solomon Islands has rich natural resources. Whilst the industries around these resources are sources of great
economic wealth, they are the cause of environmental degradation and are changing the land and seascapes in
their vicinity. On land, logging occurs at an exhaustive rate and it seems that the exploration and extraction of
minerals (gold, copper, nickel, bauxite) will increase in the near future. Prospecting for mineral deposits is also
starting on the seabed and the government is looking to develop the local tuna fishing industry.
Solomon Islands have recently emerged from a period of ethnic tensions that began in 1998 which saw a Pacific-
wide intervention called RAMSI (Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands). RAMSI has only now, in 2017,
come to an official end. Peace and security are therefore key topics at all levels of society as people and their
institutions recover and rebuild.
The lifestyle of Solomon Islanders is in a period of rapid transformation as the population grows, urbanisation
increases and the political and economic context alters. The meaning and importance of local culture is also
undergoing change. There is therefore a great need for increased awareness of the value and possible social,
economic and environmental role of cultural heritage. The Solomon Islands National Museum is an ideal
institution to support the present generations of Solomon Islanders with a view to the future.
PHOTO 3. GUADALCANAL PROVINCIAL DAY FESTIVAL TO CELEBRATE DIVERSITY AND EMBRACE UNITY. AUGUST 2017
7
SOLOMON ISLANDS NATIONAL MUSEUM
AIMS
“Here a museum … can make itself immediately relevant to social needs. But what does our public want from
its museum?”
(Craven, 1974, p. 3)
The Solomon Islands National Museum aims to promote sustainable cultural development through preserving,
protecting and promoting local customs and traditions. The museum is uniquely able to connect cultural
practices and activities throughout the islands and represent these at a national and international level. It
therefore works closely with local communities to consult, educate and create awareness, whilst also creating
policies and acts to guide practice concerning cultural heritage and improve its ability to provide effective
services for the public.
The SINM’s current remit is particularly focused on the government’s primary objective to “alleviate poverty and
improve the lives of Solomon Islanders in a peaceful and stable society” (Sahu, Mwanesalua, Kiko, & Heorake,
2016, p. 6). The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has also been classified as part of the Productive Sector and so
the SINM aims to foster growth and sustainable development. The SINM is therefore working to increase
capacity to research and manage cultural and natural heritage, encourage economic development through
cultural enterprise and to promote peace through respect of culture.
STAKEHOLDERS
The SINM is one of four divisions in the Ministry of Tourism and Culture along with the Culture Division, National
Archives and the Department of Tourism. The Art Gallery is currently under the directive of the Museum, but
this is a temporary arrangement. Three of the nine provinces have some form of Culture Officer in their
Provincial Governments: Guadalcanal, Western Province and Isabel, which the SINM contacts when they do
fieldwork, however there is otherwise little contact between SINM and these officers outside of these National
Site Survey fieldwork trips.
The SINM sees its stakeholders, donor partners and supporters as crucial in achieving their aims. These include
the institutions and their staff members within the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, but also the other
Government Ministries and Provincial Governments. Schools and research institutions are also seen to be
important partners.
In addition, non-government organisations both within the country and internationally are important to the
SINM. For example, arts and culture associations, the Pacific Island Museum Association and the World
Intellectual Property Organisation can benefit from the SINM’s work and also provide essential support.
Strengthening these local and international partnerships and links is one of the SINM’s five key priority areas.
8
HISTORY
“The specimens and collections in our building will speak for themselves and teach the public facts about the
Solomons: what the islands and the people who lived in the Solomons were like in the past, what is happening
to them at present and what their future will be.”
(Solomon K. Dakei, Vice Chairman, Honiara Town Council, 1972, p. 8)
SINM, initially called Honiara Museum, took form in 1951 when Solomon Islands was still a British Protectorate.
Geoffrey F. C. Dennis, James L. O. Tedder and a number of others who were interested in the material culture
and heritage of Solomon Islanders combined their private collections to promote interest in the study of natural
and cultural history, which they assumed was disappearing (Tedder, 1971). The collections were exhibited in
various locations around Honiara until 1969, when the Gulbenkian Foundation funded the construction of the
first purpose-built museum. Inspired by local architecture, the museum had ivory nut palm roofing and was
situated within Coronation Gardens in the centre of town in the midst of indigenous trees of social and cultural
importance. Interest from Solomon Islanders grew with the development of this purpose-built museum and
many notable figures from around the islands visited to make donations of their heirlooms for safekeeping.
In 1972, the Honiara Museum became a government institution and was renamed the National Museum (Wall,
1972). The Solomon Islands Museum Association was formed in the same year in order to educate, encourage
discussion and promote interest in the cultural and natural history of the islands. The Association organised
talks, ran a museum shop and published collections of custom stories and a regular journal. The next few years
saw the development of many new projects and festivals, including the Archaeological Site Survey funded by
the Australian Government Fund for the Preservation and Development of South Pacific Cultures (also known
as the South Pacific Cultures Fund), the Oral History and Tradition recording project funded by UNESCO, the
Historic Photographs Archive, and national festivals celebrating culture, music and dance. The SINM also
extended its surface area to build an open-air amphitheatre and a canoe house on the seafront, now replaced
by the Heritage Park Hotel, as well as an additional building in Coronation Gardens to house archaeological
materials, a library and staff offices. A ‘cultural village’ representing the different architecture of the provinces
and providing a space for live exhibitions, performances and demonstrations was also erected in Coronation
Gardens (Foana'ota, 2007; Foana'ota & White, 2011).
Moreover, after independence the SINM made efforts to include communities in outer islands, promoting the
creation of local cultural committees and cultural centres that could borrow material from the national museum,
such as the Guadalcanal Cultural Centre, whilst also commissioning canoes for exhibition (Foanaota, 1994). An
Education Section within the museum led by a qualified teacher also used collections to run outreach
programmes such as radio programmes and a Mobile Centre Learning Kit that circulated around all secondary
schools. The SINM was an engaged and engaging organisation.
The ethnic tensions that started in 1998 and resulted in the coup of 2000 turned Honiara into a chaotic, bankrupt
and lawless capital with the government unable to pay its personnel or fund key services. Amazingly, the SINM
remained operational during the tensions, perhaps in part by locking the exhibition galleries closed (Foana'ota
& White, 2011, p. 282), but it did not come out unscathed. The collections were looted and many unique
artefacts were removed for local use – notably shell money valuables – or sold to overseas collectors. Without
an up to date catalogue, no one has been able to work out exactly what was taken.
Since the 2003 international intervention of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) and
the establishment of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the NMSI has reaffirmed its position as a significant
institution in Solomon Islands. Nevertheless, Foana’ota and White note that few projects at the museum have
had the “financial, moral and political support necessary to maintain them” once overseas organisations
withdraw their support (2011, p. 286).
9
PHOTO 4. SINM FROM MENDANA AVENUE. SHOWING THE MAIN CULTURE AND HISTORY GALLERY SPACE BEING RE-THATCHED AND THE
NEW RAMSI GALLERY IN THE PORTACABIN TO ITS LEFT. AUGUST 2017
PHOTO 5. THE AUDITORIUM (LABELLED 'MUSEUM') AND A NUMBER OF TEA HOUSES. AUGUST 2017
10BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND COLLECTIONS
The museum currently has three galleries: Archaeology and Pre-History; Culture and History and a newly
installed RAMSI gallery, created by RAMSI to celebrate the changes over the last fourteen years. A new ‘Scouts
and Coastwatchers’ museum is being designed in partnership with the Solomon Scouts and Coastwatchers’
Trust, the British High Commission and the US Embassy to bring attention to the role and experience of those
living in Solomon Islands during WWII. This gallery, which will include a learning and events space, will likely
replace the Auditorium, opened in 2012 for the Festival of Pacific Arts and replacing the Cultural Village. The
regular rebuilding and re-configuration of the SINM’s built environment is an interesting reflection of the
temporality of the built environment in rural Solomon Islands.
Discussions have moreover begun towards constructing a new SINM building that will replace the current
complex and house exhibition spaces, storage and offices under one roof. There are in addition ongoing talks of
local entrepreneurs - who currently have artefacts on display in a scrapyard - opening a WWII museum. It seems
however that museum staff are not the decision-makers in many of these initiatives.
ACTIVITIES
The museum has fifteen staff that are split between the Archaeology Section, Ethnography Section,
Conservation Section, Audio-Visual Section and the Auditorium and Library Unit. Additional staff run the shop,
maintain the grounds and clean the office spaces. The Archaeology Section is the largest group with three staff
members - Government Archaeologist, Senior Field Officer (WWII) and Field Archaeologist - and it is the most
active around the country, being responsible for ongoing National Site Survey that is part of the museum’s
regular activities as well as collaborating on and assisting with projects funded by visiting archaeologists. The
Archaeology Unit is responsible also for collecting and preserving WWII heritage as well as repatriating the
remains of soldiers fallen in battle (Foana'ota & White, 2011).
In addition to the permanent staff, the SINM currently partners with both the National University and
Youth@Work, a project funded by the Secretariat of the South Pacific, to offer internships to local youth.
Tourism students from the National University stay for three months to gain front of house experience, whilst
Youth@Work participants spend a year working at the museum in a variety of roles, assisting in the library, for
example.
The SINM is focused on creating a number of acts and policy documents to strengthen its position. A new
Museum Act, an updated Protection of Wrecks and War Relics Act and the Solomon Islands Nasinol Policy
Framework blong KALSA (Division of Culture, 2012) will help ensure that local heritage and culture are properly
protected and promoted for the benefit of the nation.
SINM works side by side with the Culture Division, created out of the previous Education Officer role of the
museum. The Culture Division is a relatively new organisation that like the museum, is dedicated to the
protection and promotion of culture, but it is orientated towards the socioeconomic, political and spiritual
development of Solomon Islanders (Culture Division, 2015). The Culture Division aims to revitalise local culture
and promote its socio-economic possibilities and so supports Solomon Islanders in developing and marketing
cultural activities and cultural products, especially for the tourist market. Following the market-orientation of
these objectives, the Culture Division is committed to improving the intellectual property rights of its partners
by having the Traditional Knowledge and Expression of Culture Bill passed by parliament.
Currently, the SINM and the Culture Division are in addition distinguishable by the former’s focus on artefacts,
archaeology and history and the latter’s focus on intangible cultural heritage and the representation of culture
at national and international festivals. In practice, this means that the Culture Division organises festivals, while
the museum collects artefacts and conducts documentary research into culturally important sites around the
country under the National Site Survey programme and in collaboration with visiting archaeologists. The Art
Gallery is a very new institution and while they are in the process of setting up a programme for their exhibitions,
11this will complement work undertaken by the SINM and the Culture Division. A number of artists are politically
engaged and there is the possibility that they will hold exhibitions around contemporary themes of interest to
them – including, it was suggested, politically engaged subjects such as climate change. Together, these
institutions present a strong front and work together within the ministry to promote sustainable development
through local culture and heritage. They also actively promote peace-keeping by celebrating the diversity of
local cultures and encouraging respect of one another’s culture and, perhaps most importantly, land.
In order to reach out to rural areas and enable communities to meet their own needs, the Ministry of Culture
and Tourism is reviving a project first initiated by the South Pacific Cultures Fund, which supported the creation
of local custom houses or cultural centres around the country. The Tourism Division provides financial support,
while the Cultural Division advises on issues of marketing and the SINM provides training on conservation and
curatorial practices. Many communities we spoke to during fieldwork raised the idea of local cultural centres
themselves as a self-directed manner in which to safeguard objects in shrines at risk of damage from logging
companies or theft. Foana’ota (2007, pp. 41-43) also notes that many people started reflecting on the
importance of their cultural heritage following the period of ethnic tensions, where the power of symbolic
objects and the significance of belonging to a place was made visible. Yet during fieldwork there seemed to be
a direct correlation made between a cultural centre and local shrines. There was also often an assumption that
the creation of a cultural centre would automatically attract tourists. However as noted by Foana’ota (2007, p.
41) and the Nasinol Policy Framework blong Kalsa (2012, p. 15), such centres can only be sustainable if they are
orientated towards the social wellbeing and development of their own community. Centres that focus on local
cultural, social, environmental development through research into and preservation and promotion of local
skills, knowledge and ways of being can be very productive and have important impact.
PHOTO 6. MURAL IN THE SINM’S ARCHAEOLOGY SECTION’S OFFICES DEPICTING SOME OF THE KEY ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN SOLOMON
ISLAND. AUGUST 2017
12CHALLENGES
SINM faces similar challenges to the museums in many other developing countries in the Pacific such as
insufficient funds and a lack of trained staff (Foanaota, 1994). More specifically, as outlined by Sahu,
Mwanesalua, Kiko and Heorake (2016) current staff are concerned by:
§ the need for appropriate research policies and guidelines such as a SINM Bill and a Museum Collections
Policy
§ the lack of appropriate resources and equipment, for example for effective conservation of artefacts
§ the proportion of resources directed towards the National Site Survey Program, which prevents the SINM
fulfilling its other aims
§ the need for greater awareness of the museum’s key functions, such as the safeguard of cultural artefacts
§ the limited storage and work room spaces for collections and research
§ the lack of a uniform cataloguing system to systematically store collection information
§ the need for appropriate and effective museum services to engage with its visitors
The SINM is additionally facing pressure due to the rapidly changing social and economic national context.
Notable drivers of these changes that distinguish Solomon Islands from other Pacific Island countries are the
logging and mining companies and overseas art collectors. The rich natural resources of the islands are a cause
of dispute and destroy both the natural environment and important cultural sites. Overseas collectors also
create a market for historic Solomon Island artefacts and drain the country of its material cultural heritage.
PHOTO 7. THE BENEFITS OF LOGGING: ACCESSIBLE TIMBER. BAREHO, MAROVO LAGOON. AUGUST 2017
13FUTURE OBJECTIVES
Whilst the SINM is already an active institution playing a vital role in Solomon Islands through documenting,
protecting and promoting local culture, there is both room and a need for the museum to expand and strengthen
its work. The collections and museum grounds at Coronation Gardens have great potential and many Solomon
Islanders are calling for support to protect and develop their culture. The museum’s existing development plan
shows that staff are keenly aware of the ways in which their museum can be socially beneficial and of the
challenges they face in putting their ideas into practice. The following recommendations, the outcome of
numerous conversations and meetings with museum stakeholders, take this into account and build on this
subject knowledge. The suggestions are offered to help SINM enhance its role in encouraging a sustainable form
of development within the country. Overall, the recommendations are to develop and enhance the SINM’s
existing programmes and to improve the service they provide Solomon Islanders.
STRATEGIC PLAN 2016-2019
Following the museum’s Strategic Plan 2016-2019 and the existing priority areas structure, some of the
museum’s current key objectives that can directly impact the local population include:
Capacity and Infrastructure Development
a. Create a comprehensive cataloguing system
b. Establish legislation and policy
c. Develop conservation capacities
Cultural Leadership and Advocacy
Human Resource Development
a. Annual publication of Taem Bifo newsletter
a. Revival of culture in communities b. Conduct heritage awareness programs
b. Develop school curricula that draws c. Develop school educational programs
on and promotes culture d. Cultural festivals to encourage cultural exchange
e. Promote traditional leadership and justice towards
encouraging fairness, equality and harmony
Strengthen Partnerships and Links
a. Publicise the museum online and in print
b. Create new links with youth, women, churches, schools
c. Strengthen links with provincial governments and
community groups
Sustainable Cultural Development
a. Involve communities in the cultural mapping process
b. Support and encourage arts and culture associations
These objectives are important for the proper care of the museum’s collections and to enable the continued
practice of culture and protection of historic sites.
14RECOMMENDATIONS
Building on the objectives mentioned above, consultations within Solomon Islands has highlighted a need for
the SINM to focus on communication and education. More specifically, the museum could improve their
engagement with communities through developing the following areas:
1. Temporary exhibitions
2. Museum activities for visitors
3. National reach
4. Education outreach
5. Community-led heritage interventions
6. Extended research permit requirements
Given its central position within Honiara, SINM is ideally situated to attract a wide range of visitors. Yet with
exhibitions and activities mainly held behind closed doors, there is little to draw in passers-by or people who
have already visited the exhibitions once. Temporary exhibitions, a program of varied museum activities in
Honiara and further afield, and community-led interventions could increase Solomon Islander engagement with
their museum and their cultural heritage and challenge perceptions. Small scale interventions need not take up
the SINM’s limited resources and can be an exciting opportunity for Youth@Work interns and Tourism students.
Indeed these students would greatly benefit from planning and implementing their own participatory
interventions.
1. TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS
Temporary exhibitions are frequently used by museums to give greater attention to a particular topic and to
attract more visitors. There are many themes that could be explored by SINM and these exhibitions could be an
opportunity to emphasise the relevance of culture in contemporary life. For example, exhibitions could mark
commemorative days that are already celebrated in Solomon Islands such as the various Provincial Days, thus
celebrating the diversity of culture in the country and encouraging unity and
peace through the cultural similarities. Artists or representatives of the groups
concerned could prepare material for the temporary exhibitions and showcase
their own work and activities. Alternatively, exhibitions could be organised
around themes that unite the cultures, such as gardening methods, for instance.
2. MUSEUM ACTIVITIES FOR VISITORS
A program of museum activities can also encourage museum visitors to visit
their museum and engage with ideas in different ways. The existing weekly film
screening within the SINM is a good example of this. Neighbouring Pacific Island
museum, the Fiji Museum, draws in visitors through its monthly Open Day
extravaganza that features cultural entertainments, archaeological games, craft
displays and an awareness program centred around a particular theme. FIGURE 1. FIJI MUSEUM POSTER
3. NATIONAL REACH
Solomon Island communities are scattered across seas and around mountainous islands, making outreach
programmes to communities expensive and logistically difficult. There is a need for greater connection between
the SINM and Solomon Islanders. This can be facilitated by structural changes at the government level, by the
SINM creating links with existing networks in the islands and through expanding the museum’s current activities.
First, Provincial Councils based on outer islands currently focus on developing and maintaining local
infrastructure and economic opportunities, however particularly in these times when the lifestyle is rapidly
changing, communities also have cultural needs that must be catered for. Communities would benefit if there
was a dedicated Cultural Officer in each province that worked with the local Provincial Government to highlight
and work on the cultural needs of the community.
15Second, collaborations with local churches, youth groups, women’s groups and schools has had great success in
other Pacific Island countries and the integration of culture in religious practice is celebrated in the Nasinol Policy
blong KALSA. It is recommended that the SINM takes advantage of these existing networks to further its own
objectives nationwide by supporting the cultural aspects of these groups.
Third, the museum can expand the reach of its current activities. International Museum Day events can for
example extend outside of the capital with essay competitions open to schools nationwide. Re-instating the
Mobile Centre Learning Kit may also facilitate outreach.
4. EDUCATION OUTREACH
The Museum’s Strategic Plan 2016-2019 seeks to enhance cultural education for school students through
working with the Curriculum Development Division to develop culturally relevant curricula and to facilitate
students’ engagement with cultural heritage in the gallery spaces.
To develop the talks and education materials planned, the SINM would benefit from having a dedicated and
trained Education Outreach Officer as part of their staff. This staff member would also lead activities and
workshops to communicate and discuss cultural heritage and its relevance today and in the future. Education
materials and activities can encourage students to create connections between the topics they are covering in
school and what they are seeing in the museum. The museum collections are relevant beyond the Arts and
Culture syllabus and museum staff can help elucidate the different ways of thinking through objects in the
collections. For example, sound and vibration can be discussed through looking at and playing with various
musical instruments and other sound producing artefacts; geometry can be explored through patterns worked
into pandanus basketry; food chains and the food cycle can be studied through fishing equipment (Curriculum
Development Division, 2014).
Moreover, it is important to develop the SINM’s existing partnerships with higher education institutions such as
the National University or the University of the South Pacific (USP). In addition to current programs that provide
students with experience of working in the customer services industry, there is the potential for the museum to
offer training and research opportunities in other relevant areas. A partnership with the School of Education and
Humanities for example may be particularly fruitful for both students and the museum.
5. COMMUNITY -LED HERITAGE INTERVENTIONS
A common theme in consultations for this project was a local interest in protecting, promoting and preserving
their own cultural heritage. Interestingly, the SINM Strategic Plan 2016-2019 includes strategy 4.1.3, to “work
with communities to identify and raise awareness about cultural resources and involve them in the cultural
mapping process” (2016, p. 20) and the Nasinol Policy Framework blong KALSA 2012 identifies locally led
research and documentation as a priority. Enabling communities to do their own research and carry out their
own interventions appears to have potential.
PHOTO 8. WORKSHOP WITH WOMEN IN BAREHO, MAROVO PHOTO 9. WORKSHOP WITH YOUTH@WORK MEMBERS IN THE
LAGOON. AUGUST 2017 NATIONAL ART GALLERY. JULY 2017
16The SINM could not only involve members of the community in their National Site Survey Program, but could
additionally train community members in the documentary, research and conservation skills of museum work
so that these communities can document, preserve and promote their own culture and heritage. The SINM could
follow the model of the Vanuatu Kaljoral Senta’s fieldworker program, or could develop a new method to foster
skills throughout the nation for communities to gain greater control over the changes they are experiencing.
With the ever-increasing number of phones and greater internet access in the country, research and
documentation of heritage can also be decentralised through creative use of these new technologies.
6. EXTENDED RESEARCH PERMIT REQUIREMENTS
SINM can harness the potential presented by research visits to the country by international researchers and
non-governmental projects to further its own goals. The existing permit could be extended to ensure that all
cultural heritage projects provide tangible benefits to communities or cultural institutions.
The Vanuatu Kaljoral Senta for example has one of the most extensive research policies of the region
(McCormick, 2017). International researchers not only have to present copies of their reports to relevant
institutions, as per the Solomon Island Research Permit, but they in addition have to produce a short report in
Bislama for the National Library, contribute something of benefit to the local community and work
collaboratively with local researchers in the area.
PHOTO 10. POHA CAVE WITH DETAIL OF CARVINGS, TOP LEFT. JULY 2017.
17CONCLUDING REMARKS
The Solomon Islands National Museum is a vital institution within the country. As one of just a few cultural
organisations, it has an important role in protecting, promoting and preserving local cultural heritage; however,
as an institution of civil society it is also a champion of research, education and wellbeing in the country.
It is clear that whilst the SINM is engaged in fantastic work, they face many challenges. Insufficient funds are the
greatest obstacle and not only limit the museum’s functions but pose a serious threat to the museum’s
collections. Comparatively small investments in infrastructure and training by partner social and cultural
organisations can have immediate beneficial consequences in this context. For instance, as highlighted above,
the museum is in need of new storage facilities for the proper care of their collections. They require resources
and equipment for the appropriate conservation of artefacts and work rooms in which to undertake these
projects. These are essential if artefacts are to be made accessible for study and preserved for future
generations. Investments in staff and resources can facilitate the SINM’s contribution to the United Nation’s
Sustainable Development Goals. As described above, museums promote cultural development and encourage
social and economic growth. Through the celebration of culture and cultural affinities made visible in material
culture, the SINM is able to foster peace, unity, respect and understanding in the country.
It is important that international museums with significant collections of artefacts from Solomon Islands support
the SINM and regional cultural development. This can be done by facilitating access to their collections and
disseminating information about these within Solomon Islands. Temporary loans of artefacts and repatriation
can of course provide invaluable benefits. Collaborations and engagements in other forms are also to be
recommended, notably within the fields of research and education, where the sharing of expertise and co-
production of knowledge will have important impact for both institutions and their respective communities.
Nevertheless, beyond the value of the SINM’s collections, exhibitions, research, events and its effect on the
national economy, the museum presents a unique space for informal meetings and gatherings for its community.
The museum environment and the availability of the space is conducive to reflexion and creation and it is
essential that Coronation Gardens, where the SINM is based, is maintained and developed as an accessible site
for the public.
PHOTO 11. CROWDS GATHER AT THE GUADALCANAL PROVINCIAL DAY. AUGUST 2017.
18BIBLIOGRAPHY
Apsel, J. (2016). Introducing Peace Museums. New York: Routledge.
Atkinson, J. (2014). Education, Values and Ethics in International Heritage: Learning to Respect. Farnham:
Ashgate.
Basu, P., & Modest, W. (2015). Museums, Heritage and International Development: A Critical Conversation. In
P. Basu, & W. Modest (Eds.), Museums, Heritage and International Development (pp. 1-32). New York:
Routledge.
Bolton, L. (1999). Introduction. Oceania, 70(1), 1-8.
Bolton, L. (2006). The Museum as a Cultural Agent: The Vanuatu Cultural Centre Extension Worker Program. In
C. Healy, & A. Witcomb, South Pacific Museums: Experiments in Culture (pp. 13.1-13.13). Melbourne:
Monash University ePress.
Chatterjee, H., & Noble, G. (2013). Museums, Health and Well-Being. Farnham: Ashgate Publishing Limited.
Coombs, A. E.; Hughes, L. and Karega-Munene. (2013). Managing Heritage, Making Peace: History, Identity and
Memory in Contemporary Kenya. London: I B Tauris.
Craven, A. (1974). Curator's Notes. The Journal of the Solomon Islands Museum Association, 3-5.
Culture Division. (2015). Corporate Plan 2015-2019: Mainstreaming Kalsa in Nation-Building and Development.
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
Curriculum Development Division. (2014). Secondary Arts and Culture Syllabus. Years 7-9. Ministry of Education
and Human Resources Development. Honiara: Solomon Islands Government.
Division of Culture. (2012). Solomon Islands Nasinol Policy Framework blong Kalsa: Mainstraming Kalsa in
Nation-building and Development. Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Honiara: Government of Solomon
Islands.
Eoe, S. (1990). The Role of Museums in the Pacific: Change or Die. Museum, 42(1), 29-30.
Evans, D. (2016). Hard Work: Youth Employment Programming in Honiara, Solomon Islands. State, Society and
Governance in Melanesia Discussion Paper , 1-23.
Foanaota, L. (1994). Archaeology and Museum Work in the Solomon Islands. In P. Gathercole, & D. Lowenthal
(Eds.), The Politics of the Past (pp. 224-232). London: Routledge.
Foana'ota, L. (2007). The Future of Indigenous Museums: The Solomon Islands Case. In N. Stanley, The Future of
Indigenous Museums: Perspectives from the Southwest Pacific (pp. 38-46). Oxford: Berghahn Books.
Foana'ota, L., & White, G. (2011). Solomon Islands Cultural Policy? A Brief History of Practice. In E. Hviding, & K.
M. Rio (Eds.), Made in Oceania: Social Movements, Cultural Heritage and the State in the Pacific (pp.
273-299). Wantage: Sean Kingston Publishing.
Harvey, D. C., & Perry, J. (Eds.). (2015). The Future of Heritage as Climates Change: Loss, Adaptation and
Creativity. London: Routledge.
Mead, S. M. (1983). Indigenous Models of Museums in Oceania. Museum, 138, 98-101.
19McCormick, A. (2017). Comparative and International Learning from Vanuatu Research Moratoria: A Plurilevel,
Plurilocal Researcher's Auto-Ethnography. The International Education Journal: Comparative
Perspectives, 78-92
Rousseau, B. (2011). Shifting Others: Kastom and Politics at the Vanuatu Cultural Centre. In J. Taylor, & N.
Thieberger, Working Together in Vanuatu: Research Histories, Collaborations, Projects and Reflections.
Canberra: ANU E Press.
Sahu, R., Mwanesalua, S., Kiko, L., & Heorake, T. (2016). Solomon Islands National Museum Strategic Plan 2016-
2019: Growth and Sustainability. Honiara, Solomon Islands: Solomon Islands National Museum.
Secretariat of the Pacific Community. (2010). Regional Cultural Strategy 2010–2020: Investing in Pacific Cultures.
Silverman, L. H. (2010). The Social Work of Museums. New York: Routledge.
Solomon Islands National Statistics Office. (2015). Solomon Islands 2012/13 Household Income and Expenditure
Survey National Analytical Report. Honiara, Solomon Islands: Ministry of Finance and Treasury.
Solomon K. Dakei, Vice Chairman, Honiara Town Council. (1972). A Glance Back... A Look Forward. The Journal
of the Solomon Islands Museum Association, 5-8.
Stanley, N. (2007). Introduction: Indigeneity and Museum Practice in the Southwest Pacific. In N. Stanley, The
Future of Indigenous Museums: Perspectives from the Southwest Pacific (pp. 1-20). New York: Berghahn
Books.
Tedder, J. L. (1971). The Solomon Islands Museum. South Pacific Bulletin, 21(2), 31-33.
Tryon, D. (1999). Ni-Vanuatu Research and Researchers. Oceania, 9-15.
Voogt, P., & Kitungulu, L. (2008). Introduction. In P. Voogt, D. van Dartel, A. Hardon, & S. Legêne, Can We Make
a Difference? Museums, Society and Development in North and South (pp. 5-16). Amsterdam: KIT
Publishers.
Voogt, P., van Dartel, D., Hardon, A., & Legêne, S. (2008). Can We Make a Difference? Museums, Society and
Development in North and South. Amsterdam: KIT Publishers.
Wall, L. (1972). Curator's Notes. The Journal of the Solomon Islands Museum Association, 1-2.
20You can also read
