Adagege

Island of Solomon Islands

Adagege, alternatively spelled Ada Gege or Ada-gege, is an artificial island built on the reef in the Lau Lagoon on Malaita in Solomon Islands;^[1] it is located in Malaita Province. The road from Auki ends at Fouia wharf opposite the islands of Sulufou and Adaege in the Lau Lagoon.^[2]

History

Originally settled by refugees from south of the Lau Lagoon, Adagage was taken over by the inhabitants of Sulufou and was converted into a specialised island for women to give birth at, later it was ritually cleansed and turned into a village.^[3] During the late 19th and early 20th century Adagege was the power base of Kwaisulia, a prominent strongman in the area who held influence across northern Malaita, during which time it was fortified with barbed wire.^[4]

References

^ "Historical Photographs of Malaita". University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
^ Stanley, David (1999). South Pacific Handbook. Moon South Pacific. p. 895. ISBN 978-1566911726.
^ Moore, Clive (2017). Making Mala: Malaita in Solomon Islands, 1870s–1930s. ANU Press. p. 128. doi:10.22459/MM.04.2017. ISBN 9781760460976.
^ Roger Keesing; James G. Carrier (1992). "Kwaisulia as Culture Hero". History and Tradition in Melanesian Anthropology. University of California Press. p. 176. ISBN 9780520075238. Retrieved October 14, 2020.