Peter Abu‘ofa and the Founding of the South Sea Evangelical Mission in the Solomon Islands, 1894–1904

Abstract

Peter Abu‘ofa is a key figure in the history of the South Sea Evangelical Church in the Solomon Islands. While the modern church recognises that Florence Young created the Queensland Kanaka Mission from which the SSEC grew, Abu‘ofa is remembered as the indigenous founder on Malaita Island. This paper looks at the early years of the church and the activities of Abu‘ofa on Malaita between 1894 and 1904, the year that the decision was made to close the Queensland Kanaka Mission at the end of 1906 and replace it with the South Sea Evangelical Mission, based in the Solomon Islands. Historical memory is that Abu‘ofa returned from Queensland in 1894, which is true, although he also returned again in 1895, and the circumstances are quite different from the established story. Clearly an exceptional person, what has been forgotten is his challenge to the Queensland justice system in 1894, a case which involved the last major incident of kidnapping in the Queensland labour trade. Despite his prominence, our understanding of Abu‘ofa remains frustratingly opaque.