Cheke Holo
Also known as: Hongrano; Maringe
The Cheke Holo people inhabit the central portion of the island of Santa Isabel in the Solomon Islands. In pre-Christian times, they built megalithic shrines in honour of deceased chiefs. Between 1860 and 1899, they suffered greatly at the hands of raiders and headhunters from other parts of Santa Isabel and from other islands further to the west. As a result, most either fled to remote inland areas of the island or to Bughotu in the far south, where they came into contact with Anglican missionaries. Most converted to Christianity in the early twentieth century.
Traditional Culture(1900)Expand All +
Belief
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Supernatural Beings |
| Nature Spirits | Present, and a major focus of supernatural practice (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 30-51, 43, 108-109 | |
| Nature god(s) | Absent (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 30-51 | |
| Ancestral spirits | Present, but not a major focus of supernatural practice (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 30-51, 36-38, 54-55, 110, 249 | |
| Deified ancestor(s) | Present, and the principal focus of supernatural practice (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 30-51, 36-38, 54-55, 110, 249 | |
| God(s) | Absent (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 30-51 | |
Supernatural Punishment |
| Supernatural punishment for impiety | Present (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 38, 54-55 | |
Afterlife and Creation |
| The actions of others after one has died can affect the nature of one's afterlife | One factor in determining one's afterlife (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 249 | |
General Features |
| Forces of nature are controlled by or imbued with the supernatural | Present (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 38 | |
Classes of Tapu |
| Social hierarchy tapu | Present (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 38, 60 | |
| Resource management tapu | Present (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 54-55 | |
Mana |
| Mana related to social influence or technical skill | Absent (Source) |
| Blust (2007) Keesing (1984) Blevins (2008) White (1991), pp. 37-38 |
|
| Mana as a personal quality | Absent (Source) |
| Blust (2007) Keesing (1984) Blevins (2008) White (1991), pp. 37-38 |
|
| Mana as a spiritual or religious concept | Absent (Source) |
| Blust (2007) Keesing (1984) Blevins (2008) White (1991), pp. 37-38 |
|
Practice
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General Supernatural Practices |
| Costly sacrifices and offerings | Present (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 249 | |
| Largest religious community | Larger than a household, no larger than the local community (Source) |
| White (1991) | |
| Political and religious differentiation | Considerable overlap between religious and political leaders (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 54-55, 58-59 | |
Social Environment
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| Importance of Patrilateral descent | Low (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 33 | |
| Importance of Matrilateral descent | High (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 33 | |
Conflict |
| (No) external warfare | Frequent, occurring at least yearly (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 89 | |
| (No) internal warfare | Frequent, occurring at least yearly (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 82-83, 89 | |
Isolation
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| Contact with other cultures | Frequent, through trade, warfare, travel, etc. (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 83-84 | |
| Distance to closest landmass inhabited by a different culture (km) | 0.0 (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 23 | |
| Distance to nearest continent | 1702.0 (Source) |
| Tryon & Hackman (1983), pp. 23 Google Maps (2014) |
|
| Pre-Austronesian population | Present: Clear evidence of human occupation prior to Austronesian settlement (Source) |
| Bellwood (1995), pp. 109 | |
| Hindu / Buddhist influence on supernatural belief | No evidence of influence and not in region of known contact (Source) |
| Cribb (2000), pp. 2.21 | |
| Islamic influence on supernatural belief | No evidence of influence and not in region of known contact (Source) |
| Cribb (2000), pp. 2.23 | |
| Christian influence on supernatural belief | No evidence of influence but in a region where contact is likely (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 82-84, 93-94 | |
Subsistence and Economy
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Land-based means of subsistence |
| Animal husbandry as a source of food | Absent (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 21-23 | |
| Land-based hunting performed by individuals | Medium (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 21 | |
| Land-based gathering | Medium (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 21 | |
| Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Medium (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 21 | |
| Agriculture / Horticulture | Principal (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 21-23 | |
Water-based means of subsistence |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Minor (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 21, 23, 89 | |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals | Minor (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 21, 23, 89 | |
| Water-based gathering | Minor (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 21, 23, 89 | |
Commercial Activity |
| Trade / wage labour as a source of food | Medium (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 21-23, 33, 40 | |
| Metalworking | Absent (Source) |
| Bellwood et al (1975) | |
Physical Environment
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Geographical Range of Culture |
| Number of islands inhabited by culture | Two (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 22-23 | |
Features of Island with Largest Culture Population |
| Island type (island with largest culture population or largest island if unknown) | Volcanic high island (Source) |
| Laracy & Foster (2020) | |
| Island Size (km²) | 4660.0 (Source) |
| Clark & Bedford (2008), pp. 64 | |
| Maximum elevation (meters) | 1219.0 (Source) |
| Clark & Bedford (2008), pp. 64 | |
Location |
| Latitude | -8.3 (Source) |
| Tryon & Hackman (1983), pp. 23 Google Maps (2014) |
|
| Longitude | 159.6 (Source) |
| Tryon & Hackman (1983), pp. 23 Google Maps (2014) |
|
Post Contact History(1900-2014)Expand All +
Religious History
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Conversion |
| Role of social status in conversion process | Primarily a top-down process. (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 95 | |
| Use of force in conversion | Low (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 81-130 | |
| Adoption of a world religion | Present and predominant (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 95, 136 | |
| Resident missionary involvement in conversion process | Present, and from Austronesian societies only (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 81-130, 93 | |
Syncretic Movements |
| Syncretic religious movements | Present, but did not survive to the present-day (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 81-130 Solomon Islands Census (Isabel Profile) (2009) |
|
Secular History
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Demographic and Social Changes |
| Foreign government systems | Present, and of high importance (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 183-208 | |
| Immigration | Absent (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Census (Isabel Profile) (2009), pp. 35 | |
| Language shift | Medium (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Census (Isabel Profile) (2009), pp. 32 | |
| Foreign education systems | High (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Census (Isabel Profile) (2009), pp. 28, 30 | |
Economic Changes |
| Changes in means of subsistence | Medium (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Census (Isabel Profile) (2009), pp. 39 | |
| Exportation of goods to other cultures | Present and substantial (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 35, 254 'Santa Isabel' (2016) |
|
Loss of Autonomy |
| Nature of loss of autonomy | Largely voluntary (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 183-208 | |
| Loss of political autonoomy | Medium (Source) |
| White (1991), pp. 183-208 | |
Current Culture(2014)Expand All +
Belief
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Religious Demographics |
| Dominant world religion | Christianity (Source) |
| Solomon Islands Census (Isabel Profile) (2009) | |
External Links
References
Bellwood, P. (1995). Austronesian Prehistory in Southeast Asia: Homeland, Expansion and Transformation. P. Bellwood, J.J. Fox, & D. Tryon (Eds.), The Austronesians: Historical and Comparative Perspectives (pp 113-114). Canberra, Australia: ANU Press.
Bellwood, P., Ayres, W. S., Clune Jr, F. J., Craib, J., Durbin, T. E., Young, F. A., ... & Green, R. C. (1975). The Prehistory of Oceania [and Comments and Reply]. Current Anthropology, 16(1), 9-28. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2740946
Blevins, J. (2008). Some Comparative Notes on Proto-Oceanic *Mana: Inside and Outside the Austronesian Family. Oceanic Linguistics, 47 (2), 253-274. Retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/ol/summary/v047/47.2.blevins.html
Blust, R. (2007). Proto-Oceanic *Mana Revisited. Oceanic Linguistics, 46(2), 404-423. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20172322
Brookfield, H. C., & Hart, D. (1971). Melanesia: a geographical interpretation of an island world. London: Methuen.
Brunton, R. (1989). The Abandoned Narcotic: Kava and Cultural Instability in Melanesia. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Clark, G.R. & Bedford, S. (2008). Friction Zones in Lapita Colonisation. In G.R. Clark, G.R, S. O'Connor & B.F. Leach, Islands of Inquiry: Colonisation, Seafaring and the Archaeology of Maritime Landscapes (pp 59-73). Canberra, Australia: ANU Press.
Cribb, R. (2000). Historical atlas of Indonesia. Surrey, UK: Curzon Press.
Google Maps (2014). Retrieved from maps.google.com
Keesing, R. M. (1984). Rethinking "mana". Journal of Anthropological Research, 40(1), 137-156, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3629696.
Laracy, H. M. & Foster, S. (2020). Solomon Islands. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Solomon-Islands.
Santa Isabel (2016). Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Santa-Isabel.
Solomon Islands Government. (2009). Provincial Profile of the 2009 Population & Housing Census: Isabel. Retrieved from: http://www.spc.int/prism/solomons/index.php/sinso-documents?view=download&fileId=67
Tryon, D. T., & Hackman, B. D. (1983). Solomon Islands languages: An internal classification. Canberra, Australia: Department of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University.
White, G. M. (1991). Identity Through History: Living Stories in a Solomon Islands Society. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.