Since the company came : a story from the rainforests of the Solomon Islands / filmed, directed & produced by Russell Hawkins.

Format:

Video

Contributor:

Hawkins, Russell, director, producer.

Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, film distributor.

Series:

Academic Video Online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Logging--Solomon Islands.

Logging.

Rain forests--Solomon Islands.

Rain forests.

Economic history.

Solomon Islands--Economic conditions.

Solomon Islands.

Solomon Islands--Social conditions.

Genre:

Documentary films.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (53 minutes)

Place of Publication:

London, England : Royal Anthropological Institute, 2000.

Language Note:

In English.

Original language in English.

System Details:

video file

Summary:

Set in the South Pacific in a remote Solomon Islands village, SINCE THE COMPANY CAME is the story of a community coming to terms with social, cultural and ecological disintegration. When village leaders invite a Malaysian company to log their tribal land, the Haporai people of Rendova Island in the Solomon Islands find themselves at a difficult crossroads. Most of the men embrace the chance to earn money and participate in the modern economy; many of the women are more concerned with preserving the forests and traditions that sustain their families. At a village meeting, Chief Mark Lamberi calls into question the tribe's finances, only to find himself the target of furious accusations from the new 'big man' of the community and Chairman of the logging project, Timothy Zama. The community is embroiled in conflicts over land ownership and logging royalties, conflicts that threaten the very core of their traditional social values. Mary Bea and Katy Soapi are two village women who are desperate to stop the logging before it destroys their land. Although women are custodians of land according to matrilineal tradition, their power is severely diminished. Forests have become a source of money, and money is the domain of men. Mary tells us: "Men don't want to hear anything from women, but we women are actually the centre of life in our village." As Rendova's forest rapidly disappears, the loggers turn to Tetepare, a nearby, pristine island held sacred by the villagers. Evocative archival footage from the 1920's provides an insight into Solomon Islands' colonial experience, and raises questions about the ongoing legacy of colonialism. We witness the ongoing disruption of their land and society, and see those same forces at work internally within the people themselves, even to this day.

Notes:

Title from resource description page (viewed August 08, 2019).

OCLC:

1122907195