North Solomon Islands

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The North Solomons are the former German Solomon Islands in Melanesia which were part of German New Guinea. The islands are also known as Bougainville after their principal island.

They are geographically part of the archipelago of the Solomon Islands, but politically they are divided into North Solomons Province of Papua New Guinea and the Choiseul, Isabel and Western provinces of the Solomon Islands.

[edit] History

Main articles: History of Bougainville and History of the Solomon Islands

On 17 February 1568 the archipelago was discovered by Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendaña y Neyra, who named its Islas de Salomon.

In April 1885 a German protectorate (Schutzgebiet) was declared over the northern Solomon Islands: Bougainville, Buka, Choiseul, Santa Isabel, and Ontong Java.

In 1893 a British protectorate was declared over the southern islands as British Solomon Islands Protectorate, which included New Georgia, Guadalcanal, Malaita, and San Cristobal. In 1898 Britain annexed the Santa Cruz, Rennell and Bellona Islands.

On 14 November 1899 (effective 1900) Germany transferred Choiseul, Santa Isabel, the Shortlands and Ontong Java Islands to the British Solomon Islands, but retained Bougainville and its surrounding islands.

[edit] Missions

The Roman Catholic Prefecture Apostolic of the Northern Solomon Islands was established on 23 May, 1898, by separation from the Vicariate Apostolic of New Pomerania, including the Islands of Ysabel, Choiseul, Bougainville, and all the islets under German protectorate.

In 1897 the islands were put under the jurisdiction of Mgr Broyer, Vicar Apostolic of Samoa, and in 1898 formed into a new prefecture under Mgr Joseph Forestier, who resided at Kieta, on Bougainville Island. Fever was so prevalent at the mission that most of the fathers who went to the islands in 1898 were carried off by disease.

In 1911 the mission contained: 3 churches; 3 stations; 10 Marist Fathers; 5 lay brothers; 7 sisters of the Third Order of Mary; 2 Samoan catechists; 5 Catholic schools, with 140 pupils; 2 orphanages; and a few hundred Catholics. The Marist missionaries belonged to the Province of Oceania, the superior of which resided at Sydney, New South Wales.

Former German Schutzgebiete (colonies and protectorates)
Colonies	Africa	German East Africa	(Tanganyika, Rwanda, Burundi)
		Witu	(sultan under protectorate)
		German South-West Africa	(Namibia)
		German West Africa	(Kamerun, Togoland)
	Pacific	German New Guinea and	(German Solomon Islands, German Marshall Islands,
		associated Pacific islands	Caroline Islands, Mariana Islands, Nauru, Palau)
		German Samoa
Concessions	China	Kiaochow / Kiautschou
		Tsingtao (leased)
Unrecognized	New Swabia

[edit] Sources

(incomplete)

• This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.
• World Statesmen - Solomon islands