Adagege

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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]

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References

  1. "Historical Photographs of Malaita". University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  2. Stanley, David (1999). South Pacific Handbook. Moon South Pacific. p. 895. ISBN   978-1566911726.
  3. Moore, Clive (2017). Making Mala: Malaita in Solomon Islands, 1870s–1930s. ANU Press. p. 128. doi: 10.22459/MM.04.2017 . ISBN   9781760460976.
  4. 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.

8°26′S160°51′E / 8.433°S 160.850°E / -8.433; 160.850