Dancing and other sinful distractions on Choiseul
Sister Lucy Money noted that she did not enjoy these latter formal events. When invited to the welcome for the new High Commissioner she responded, “I don’t think I am all that keen on these official functions anyway – hats (and even according to some people stockings) aren’t in my line and I’d rather stay home.” And she objected to the sea voyage to get to the venue in a crowded boat with children.
The use of guitars became more common among the local people in the Solomon's after WW II. Although the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) missionaries generally restricted entertainments such as dance and secular music, some supported the use of ukuleles and guitars. Traditional music, such as the pan pipes was also seen as being “of the devil.” The Methodists were not as strict about this, allowing some traditional playing of the pan pipes, which was strictly forbidden by the SDA. Methodist missionary nurse, Audrey Highnam said that pan pipe music was “fairyland sounding.” She believed some missionaries were too holy-minded and that they “absolutely ruined the culture.”
The Methodist missionaries encouraged membership of Boys’ Brigade, which was enthusiastically accepted on Choiseul. The boys learned marching and drill and carried flags. The ritual and ceremony involved was attractive to the islanders. Some were sent to New Zealand for further training, and some officials from the New Zealand Boys’ Brigade went to visit the Solomons. Drill and marching exercises, often with brass band instruments, were popular with SDA and Methodists alike. Methodist girls became involved in Girls’ Life Brigade (GLB), later called Girls’ Brigade. In 1961, it was announced that the Commissioner of GLB in New Zealand, Miss Gebbie, was coming to visit and conduct training courses. Girls from Kihili, Choiseul, Bilua, Roviana and Marovo took part.
In the early 1950s SDA Pathfinder clubs, which were like Boy Scouts or Boys’ Brigade, provided instruction and recreational activities as well as spiritual instruction and guidance. While designed for children between the ages of 10 and the mid-teens, typically they became family clubs with children through to grandparents involved. In the 1970s their membership waned, possibly because the SDA, disregarding the community aspect of the people, restricted the membership to that for which the organisation was designed.
Dancing presented another dilemma for the Methodist missionaries to deal with. The lack of exposure to American troops during WWII meant that there was no rock and roll culture on Choiseul, however tralala dances proved popular. These most likely came from Fiji by way of islanders who had visited relatives there. Frowned on by Methodist missionary Rev John Metcalfe, Methodist missionary Rev George Carter had a more accommodating attitude and permitted the dances. There was a fear among the missionaries that with dancing, some of the old, pre-conversion behaviour might appear, which they did not want to see.
Each mission required sensitivity and discretion to deal with these matters, and sometimes it was not well-exercised. In 1931, the SDA publication Australasian Review included an article which described how God had saved people from “dancing and other follies”. With the moral and spiritual safety of their converts in mind the SDA missionaries exercised caution about dancing.
Methodist missionaries organised slide shows on Choiseul, showing images of New Zealand and other parts of the world. Visiting SDA ministers sometimes showed movies, usually with a Christian message. The local people were easily influenced by new technology once they fully understood that the images were only that and not actually real. But it took a lot of convincing!
A balance had to be achieved by the missionaries and the local people. Despite having little contact with the American Armed Forces during WWII, there was no stopping the inexorable progression towards the modern world with its movies and music.
