D ialogue on Traditional Leadership

Buala, Santa Isabel Province, Solomon Islands
July 19-21, 2005

Agenda | Papers | Participant List | Press Release | Photos

[Tribute to the late Sir Dudley Tuti]

The Province of Santa Isabel in cooperation with the East-West Center in Hawai‘i hosted a three-day forum for dialogue on the role of traditional leaders in local governance. The forum, “Isabel Tok Stori,” brought together Isabel leaders with scholars from elsewhere in the Solomon Islands and Melanesia to discuss efforts to strengthen indigenous leadership today. 

The experience of Santa Isabel in developing its Council of Chiefs—now part of a “tripod” arrangement for cooperation between chiefs, church, and government—provided a reference point for discussion of the problems and prospects for traditional leadership in modern nation building.

During the time of tension in Solomon Islands, traditional leaders were often a source of continuity and stability. As debates about constitutional reform and possible state government progress, the importance of traditional leadership is once again a topic of national discussion. The Isabel Tok Stori forum offered an opportunity to discuss these issues from local, national, and regional perspectives.

With community members and leaders from the Province, Church, and Council of Chiefs present, the Buala Tok Stori allowed for open discussion of traditional leadership in Santa Isabel as well as possible futures for indigenous governance in the Solomon Islands and beyond. Questions taken up included,

• How can traditional styles of leadership improve the integrity of local governance?

• What are the risks that formalizing traditional leadership will change its nature?

• What are the roles of women (and youth) in traditional styles of leadership and how can they obtain a more effective voice in community affairs?

• What lessons learned from the Isabel “tripod” experience might be relevant for other communities where numerous churches work alongside one another?

• What is the role of traditional leaders in developing cultural policies that promote customary knowledge in areas such as education and tourism?

Dr. Geoffrey M. White is the project manager for the Isabel Tok Stori.