Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is a country in the Southwest Pacific, located east of Papua New Guinea. Its capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal, and the islands have been inhabited for thousands of years, with the first Europeans arriving in 1568.

During the middle years of the 19th century, some Europeans, especially British sea captains, took part in “blackbirding,” which involved the kidnapping of men, who were then taken to sugar plantations in Queensland or Fiji and forced to work there in conditions of abject poverty. Some managed to return, but many others died in conditions that were close to slavery. The blackbirding led to many tensions and attacks on early British settlers and missionaries.

In June 1893, the British government declared a protectorate over the ...