Island Of Malaita Research Articles

Two new species of Eupariini Schmidt, 1910 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) from Indonesia

Two new species of Eupariini Schmidt, 1910 are described and illustrated: Airapus malaitaensis Minkina & Jákl, new species from Solomon Islands (Malaita Island) and Saprosites mapiaensis Minkina & Jákl, new species from Indonesia (New Guinea). New species are compared with their close relatives, Airapus burrundieae Stebnicka & Howden, 1996 and Saprosites crockerensis Stebnicka, 1991, respectively.

When a Plateau Suppresses a Plume: Disappearance of the Samoan Plume Under the Ontong Java Plateau

AbstractThe Samoan hotspot generated an age‐progressive volcanic track that can be traced back to 24 Ma at Alexa Bank, but the trace of the older portion (>24 Ma) of the hotspot track is unclear. We show that six seamounts located in and around the Magellan Seamount chain—north of the Ontong‐Java Plateau (OJP)—have ages (87–106 Ma), geochemistry, and locations consistent with absolute plate motion model reconstructions of the Samoan hotspot track in the late Cretaceous, and three additional seamounts have geochemistry and locations consistent with a Samoan origin. However, a large segment of the Samoan hotspot (24–87 Ma) remains unidentified. Absolute plate motion models show that, from ∼60 to 30 Ma, the OJP passed over the Samoan plume. The exceptional thickness of the OJP lithosphere may have largely suppressed Samoan plume melting because the inferred volcanic trace of the Samoan hotspot wanes, and then disappears, on the OJP. Fortunately, 44 Ma volcanism at Malaita Island, located on the southern margin of the OJP, has a location, age, and geochemistry consistent with a Samoan plume origin, and provides a “missing link” bridging the younger and older segments of the Samoan hotspot. Our synthesis of geochemical, geochronological, and plate motion model evidence reveals that Samoa exhibits a clear hotspot age progression for over 100 Myr. Passage of ancient plateaus over young plumes—here called “plume‐plateau” interaction—may be relatively common: the OJP also passed over the putative Rarotonga hotspot, and the Society and Pitcairn hotspots were overtopped by the Manihiki Plateau.

Coconut rhinoceros beetle in Solomon Islands: a tale of two invasions

Coconut rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros; CRB) was discovered in 2015 in a small outbreak in Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. This was the first record of CRB from Solomon Islands and a response plan was prepared. An awareness programme was launched and where CRB sightings were confirmed, delimitation surveys were carried out. Following the launch of the awareness programme, later in 2015, CRB was also reported from the Shortland Islands in the Western Province. Other islands were surveyed from 2015 to 2020. If CRB presence was confirmed, beetles were collected and analysed for haplotype and presence of the classical biological control agent, Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV). A distribution map and timeline of invasion were developed. The initial populations belonged to two distinct haplotypes: CRB-G (clade IA) in Honiara and CRB-S (clade II) in Shortland Islands. Despite control measures, by 2020 CRB-G had spread to islands in eight provinces and CRB-S had spread to islands in seven provinces. CRB-S and CRB-G co-occur in Guadalcanal and Malaita provinces. In 2019, OrNV was detected from field collected CRB from Guadalcanal and has since spread to Malaita Island. In both cases the virus was detected where CRB-G and CRB-S co-occur. Other outbreak areas in Solomon Islands remain OrNV-free. The two haplotypes appear to have spread following patterns of air and sea movement between the point of origin (CRB-G from Honiara and CRB-S from the Shortland Islands) to other islands/provinces.

The politics of Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity: Religious language, charismatic authority, and temporality in a Melanesian revival movement

ABSTRACT Through an analysis of a series of revival movements that erupted across the Melanesian island of Malaita in the 1970s, this article articulates a strongly political reading of Pentecostal-charismatic Christianity (P/c). A series of charismatic eruptions that swept Malaita in 1970 effected an overhaul of the epistemological, organizational, and eschatological frameworks imposed upon local Christians by foreign missionaries. Such rapid profusions of charismatic activity reveal how P/c experientialism undercuts the laborious textualism of conservative evangelical Christianity, how the democratization of charisma challenges hierarchical mission religious authority and, most broadly, how the dramatic shift to messianic eschatology constructs a qualitatively different metahistorical narrative to that imposed by the colonial project.

Apparent absence of the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) in frogs in Malaita Province, Solomon Islands

A major driver of global biodiversity loss is disease. One of the most devastating wildlife diseases known is chytridiomycosis, which is caused by the amphibian chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, and is implicated in population declines in over 500 frog species. Thought to originate in Asia, B. dendrobatidis now has a global distribution, likely due to human movement and trade. The pathogen has yet to be detected in Melanesia, but there have been few surveys for B. dendrobatidis in the region, and none in the Solomon Islands archipelago, a biogeographic region with a unique and culturally important frog fauna. We swabbed 200 frogs of eight species in three genera in lowland and highland sites in East Kwaio on the island of Malaita in the Solomon Islands. All frogs tested negative for the pathogen but it is possible that the pathogen is present despite non-detection, so further surveys for the pathogen are needed throughout the country. Despite this, it is safest to take a precautionary approach and assume that B. dendrobatidis has not yet been introduced to the Solomon Islands, and that naïve native amphibian populations may be at risk of decline if the pathogen is introduced. Protocols are needed to prevent the accidental import of infected frogs via tourism or in logging or mining equipment. Monitoring of frog populations near areas of high risk such as ports is also recommended. The frogs of the Solomon Islands archipelago are biologically unique and culturally significant, and protecting them from the potentially devastating impacts of B. dendrobatidis is vital.

Urban Women and the Transformations of Braedpraes1 in Honiara2

ABSTRACTIn the capital city of the Solomon Islands, brideprice is often given to formalize the marriage of young couples from the island of Malaita. For the young wife, brideprice is a reminder that she is expected to work and produce children for the lineage of her husband, an obligation that is at times strongly impressed upon her by her in‐laws. Data gathered in Honiara over the last 15 years, most recently in 2015–2016, show the emergence of a variety of patterns among Malaitan women living in Honiara regarding their productive and reproductive autonomy, and their role in brideprice. Beyond their diversity, what these data reveal, we argue, is that the interstitial cultural spaces created by the urbanization of social and economic relations afford young urban women the possibility of engaging with brideprice in a way that had not been possible until then. We demonstrate that, as members of an emerging new middle‐class, these women seek (either in agreement with their husbands, or in spite of them) to transform the meaning of brideprice: while showing respect to their in‐laws and to tradition, their goal is to gain greater control over their lives within the confines of brideprice sociality.

An overlooked first nest of the Malaita Monarch Symposiachrus malaitae

The Malaita Monarch Symposiachrus malaitae , formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Solomons Monarch S. barbatus , is native only to Malaita Island in the eastern Solomon Islands. The natural history of this globally near-threatened endemic remains virtually unknown; this includes basic aspects of the breeding biology, including the description of the nest and eggs. Here we provide a first description of the nest, based on a specimen in the American Museum of Natural History and compare the nest structure, characteristics and composition with the nest of the Solomons Monarch.

A collaborative bird survey of East Kwaio, Malaita, Solomon Islands

We surveyed the birds of East Kwaio, Malaita, Solomon Islands from 20 October to 2 November 2018. We conducted 66 point counts and recorded or observed 58 species of resident landbirds, including 23 of the 24 passerine species known from the island of Malaita and 15 waterbird species. We collected some form of samples (e.g., whole specimens and/or blood samples) from 61 individuals of 17 species, including representatives of the four species-level endemics: Malaita Fantail Rhipidura malaitae (Mayr, 1931), Malaita Dwarf-Kingfisher Ceyx malaitae (Mayr, 1935), Malaita White-eye Zosterops stresemanni (Mayr, 1931), and Red-bellied Myzomela Myzomela malaitae (Mayr, 1931). We demonstrate the considerable potential for conservation of the Malaitan avifauna on traditional lands in the mountains of East Kwaio. The extensive knowledge of the local people was a key factor in the success of the expedition. To facilitate ongoing conservation efforts, we documented the local Kwaio names of the birds we encountered.

First record of Solomons Nightjar Eurostopodus nigripennis for Malaita, with a description of its nest site

Solomons Nightjar Eurostopodus nigripennis, listed as Vulnerable by BirdLife International, has previously been recorded only from the north and central Solomon Islands. Even within the species' known range there are few records, limiting knowledge of its ecology. We provide photographic evidence of a Solomons Nightjar nest in a streambed on the island of Malaita at an altitude of c.270 m—the first record on this large island. This observation, combined with traditional local knowledge, suggests that the species may have a wider range of nesting habitat than previously documented, and that further surveys in collaboration with local tribespeople could be important for conservation efforts.

K-rich hydrous mantle lithosphere beneath the Ontong Java Plateau: Significance for the genesis of oceanic basalts and Archean continents

Olivine-free metasomatic mantle-derived xenoliths, frequently recovered from kimberlite and lamprophyre intrusions on the continents, are seldom described from oceanic settings. We report the mineralogy, geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb-Os isotopic compositions of a unique K-rich, hydrous mantle nodule sourced from a 34 Ma ultramafic lamprophyre (alnöite) pipe on the island of Malaita, Ontong Java Plateau, SW Pacific. The Ontong Java Plateau, the most voluminous oceanic large igeous province, has a >100 km thick lithospheric root reminiscent of thick lithospheres that characterize cratonic settings. The phlogopite, amphibole, clinopyroxene and ilmenite-rich nature of the Malaita metasomatic nodule bears striking similarity to cratonic mica-amphibole-rutile-ilmenite-diopside (MARID) suite xenoliths, and it provides a tangible example of heavily overprinted oceanic mantle lithosphere. The nodule phlogopite 40Ar/39Ar age of 44.7 ± 1.8 Ma (95% confidence level) predates the 34 Ma alnöites, but is contemporaneous with 44 Ma alkali basalts on Malaita. Geodynamic reconstructions of the Ontong Java Plateau position within the Pacific realm demonstrate that alnöite magma and K-rich metasomatic nodule formation occurred within a strictly oceanic environment during the Eocene, away from subduction zones. The elevated incompatible trace element concentrations coupled with low highly siderophile element contents suggest that the K-rich metasomatic nodule formed by olivine-absent crystallisation from low-volume mantle-derived melt comparable to alnöite, but not the Malaita alkali basalts. A genetic link between the Malaita metasomatic nodule and alnöite is further suggested by overlapping Sr-Nd-Hf-Pb isotopic compositions (87Sr/86Sr45Ma = 0.70419–0.70423; εNd45Ma = +3.5; εHf45Ma = +5.3; 206Pb/204Pb45Ma = 18.66–18.71; 207Pb/204Pb45Ma = 15.61). These isotopic compositions are generally more enriched than those of mantle-derived peridotites and 122 Ma plateau-building basalts at Ontong Java, but share similarities with pyroxenite xenoliths from Malaita previously interpreted to represent ancient recycled crustal material. Mixing models between melts derived from fertile mantle and the more enriched pyroxenite, as well as recycled sedimentary material, can account for the composition of the K-rich metasomatic nodule. Extremely low contents of highly siderophile elements and high 187Os/188Os45Ma (0.1824–0.1997) can also be reconciled with the involvement of recycled crustal components in the complex origin of the K-rich hydrous nodule. K-rich hydrous metasomatized mantle lithosphere could represent an enriched source component that is required for the formation of many oceanic intraplate basaltic provinces. As such, strongly metasomatized oceanic lithosphere provides an alternative to recycled crust components within the convecting mantle to explain enriched mantle signatures observed in oceanic basalts worldwide. However, constraining the volumetric abundance of strongly metasomatized oceanic lithosphere, possibly revealed by seismic mid-lithospheric discontinuities, is required before its importance can be established. The existence of K-rich metasomatic components within oceanic plateau lithosphere may also have implications for Archean continental crust formation models. The K-rich mantle component required to explain sanukitoid magma formation associated with continental crust building TTG magmatism may not be restricted to a subduction channel environment, but it can equally reside within overthickened oceanic lithosphere. Thus, oceanic plateaus away from subduction zones could have served as nucleation points for growth of continental crust during the Archean.

First record of Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis in Solomon Islands

Cassava bacterial blight disease was detected for the first time in Solomon Islands on Malaita Island. The bacterium was isolated from diseased cassava plants exhibiting typical leaf symptoms. Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis was identified using biochemical and molecular tests and confirmed as the causal agent by fulfilling Koch’s postulates. This is the first record of this pathogen in the South Pacific.

The Culture of Agreement Making in Solomon Islands

Current growing interest in mining in Solomon Islands warrants critical reflection on the centrality of natural resources in the post‐colonial formation of state‐society interactions, in particular, as they have been shaped by decades of forestry resources extraction. Since independence in 1978 waves of Malaysian, Taiwanese, Korean, Australian and Japanese investors have developed natural resource extraction projects. Not only have these projects been poorly regulated, they have entwined politicians, leaders and landholders with the state as an economic agent with its own base of economic power. As a result, wealth in Solomon Islands is highly politicised and dependent on the bargaining position of the state and foreign investors (Bennett 1987, 2002). Instead of looking at the failures of the state, as is common in political science approaches to Solomon Islands, we draw on case studies in forestry, mining, and customary land dealings on the island of Malaita and on the Weathercoast of Guadalcanal to highlight the kinds of social networks that enable agreements over the use of natural resources. Challenging common assumptions about the division between state and society, we show that leaders in rural regions of Solomon Islands behave like landlords, that brokers from the communities see themselves as actors equalling the state, and that the state performs like a capitalist actor.

The Things We Value: Culture and History in Solomon Islands ed. by Ben Burt and Lissant Bolton

Reviewed by: The Things We Value: Culture and History in Solomon Islands ed. by Ben Burt and Lissant Bolton Deborah Waite The Things We Value: Culture and History in Solomon Islands, edited by Ben Burt and Lissant Bolton. Canon Pyon, uk: Sean Kingston Publishing, 2014. isbn 978-1-90774-21-8; 149 pages, photographs, endnotes, references, contributors, index. Cloth, us $135.00. The Things We Value: Culture and History in Solomon Islands derives from a Melanesian art project sponsored by the British Museum and the University of Cambridge Museum for Archaeology and Anthropology and funded by the British Arts and Humanities Research Council, 2005–2010. The first object of note for this book is its cover. The photograph on the cover conveys an immediate message. A young woman wearing beautiful shell ornaments holds up a camera through which she is obviously focusing on the reader of the book. The bright red color of the camera emphasizes its presence. The camera lens is no longer the colonial lens through which so many outsiders have viewed Solomon Islanders. That perspective has been reversed—a major objective of the book and of the conference that preceded it. The title indicates the book’s focus: how and why things are valued by Solomon Islanders within their individual social contexts. These are the subjects explored by authors of the introduction and twelve chapters [End Page 496] that make up the book. Four authors are Solomon Islanders; the others are largely anthropologists and archaeologists who have spent considerable time in Solomon Islands. Solomon Islands is a “culturally diverse country of people speaking over seventy languages who live on six large islands and innumerable small ones” (1). Thus begins the introduction written by volume editors Ben Burt and Lissant Bolton. The introduction, titled “Solomon Islands Artefact Traditions and Their Historical Transformations,” succinctly yet thoroughly surveys aspects of the islands through consideration of exchange, agency, heirlooms and treasures, and their various transformations. Attention is drawn immediately to notions of value and the ways in which artifacts are valued by individuals within specific social groups, a context that often is minimal or lacking for many objects in museum collections. Illustrations for the introduction reference the past as well as the present, bringing both together as did the conference from which this volume stemmed. The introduction fittingly frames the chapters that follow. Chapters are as diverse as their organization. The reader moves from chapter 1, Salome Samou’s “Santa Cruz Feather-Money”—Santa Cruz representing the southernmost islands in the Solomons group—and transitions directly to chapter 2, Rhys Richards’s “Kesa and Other Shell Valuables from Choiseul,” an island located far to the north in Western Province. Archaeological valuables from other islands in the Western Province, a subject that one might presume to be dealt with initially (since the subject is archaeology) appear in chapter 3, “Shell Valuables and History in Roviana and Vella Lavella” by Peter J Sheppard and Richard Walter. This organizational device moves the reader back and forth from north to south, with layovers, so to speak, in the center (ie, the island of Malaita) in a process that, in effect, serves to unite the islands in nonlinear fashion. Any Western linear preconceptions about the presentation of early or ancient subjects first and contemporary art last are also not followed here. This organization of material serves to focus on each and every person and his or her family or national valuables in a manner that frees them from predictable organizational categories; all subjects belong to the Solomon Islands nation. In this review I want to consider certain chapters and the insights that they convey to outsiders regardless of any predictable positioning within the body of the text. In chapter 6, “Clan Valuables of Guadalcanal,” Jackson Gege begins by saying, “Every clan in Guadalcanal has ties to a piece of land that forms their origin and identity” (63). Most of his article is devoted to clan types—small clans (kakau) of people descended from the same ancestors in the female line and large clans (laqili) who are descended from the male line. Clan identity for an individual is then explicated along with associated clan origin stories. Gege...

Threatened Biodiversity and Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Associated Beliefs, Customs and Uses of Herpetofauna among the `Are`Are on Malaita Island, Solomon Islands

Biodiversity and traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) are in danger of being lost in many societies, especially in the rapidly urbanising Pacific Islands. Herpetofauna, in particular, are globally threatened along with their associated cultural knowledge and beliefs. The aim of this study was to examine the species richness and conservation status of herpetofauna and associated TEK among the `Are`Are on Malaita Island, Solomon Islands. Questionnaire surveys were used to collect and gather information from local informants separated into equal sex and age cohorts. A total of 18 different species of frogs and lizards were recorded and described with seven distinct cultural uses identified. Informants above the age of 60 exhibited greater herpetofaunal knowledge with males slightly more informed than females. Our results clearly show that action must be taken to document and preserve community TEK in the Solomon Islands as a foundational basis for both biodiversity and cultural conservation.

Resumption of traditional drive hunting of dolphins in the Solomon Islands in 2013.

The ‘drive hunting’ of dolphins has a long history in the Solomon Islands, specifically at the island of Malaita. In 2010, the most active village, Fanalei, suspended hunting in exchange for financial compensation from an international non-governmental organization but resumed hunting again in early 2013. Here, we report on a visit to Fanalei in March 2013 to document the species and number of dolphins killed in the renewed hunting. Detailed records for the 2013 hunting, up to the time of our visit, included at least 1500 pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata), 159 spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) and 15 ‘bottlenose’ dolphins, probably Tursiops truncatus. Molecular identification confirmed two of the species, pantropical spotted and spinner dolphins. A summary of all available records from 1976 to 2013 documented a minimum total of 15 454 dolphins killed by the Fanalei villagers alone. We also found the local price of a dolphin tooth had increased from about US$0.14 (SBD$1) in 2004 to about US$0.70 (SBD$5) in 2013. The large number of dolphins killed and the apparent incentive for future hunting offered by the increasing commercial value of teeth, highlight an urgent need to monitor hunts and assess the abundance and trends in local populations.

Heirs to Biblical Prophecy

The notion that forebears of Solomon Islanders might be descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel is widespread among To’abaita speakers in North Malaita, and it features in a particular way in the theology of the popular All Peoples Prayer Assembly (APPA), also known as the Deep Sea Canoe Movement. Prominent in this boast of an Israelite genealogy is a utopian fantasy of a just “Israel” grounded in the ancestral soil of the island of Malaita. This article describes the APPA worldview as an alternative modernity that is meaningful to the To’abaitans because it provides a new sense of self and a shared destiny. Although APPA’s theology relates to the people’s socio-economic concerns, it reveals more clearly the continuity of some key cultural models through changing global influences, local histories and cultural dynamics.

The use of herpetofauna and cultural values to identify priority conservation forests on Malaita, Solomon Islands.

Due to limited financial and technical resources, there is a pressing need to identify priority areas and strategies for conservation globally. This study aims to prioritize important forest areas for conservation on the island of Malaita, Solomon Islands. Five different forest types were sampled to quantify biodiversity using the species richness of frogs and lizards (herpetofauna) as a biological indicator of conservation status. Unlogged coastal, unlogged lowland and unlogged upland forests have minimal disturbance whereas logged lowland forests and plantation teak forests are heavily disturbed. Subsequently, the effects of human modification on forest systems are also quantified based on anthropogenic disturbance. Interviews with local community members were conducted to gather associated local traditional knowledge on the cultural importance of frogs, lizards and forest habitats. Prioritization methods based on species richness, species uniqueness, cultural importance and threatened status are used to identify key forest areas. The four main results found are: 1) unlogged lowland forests have the greatest biodiversity value, 2) unlogged lowland forests also have the highest cultural value based on local uses, 3) logged lowland forests are biologically important, and 4) unlogged coastal forests and unlogged lowland forests are under the greatest threat from anthropogenic activities. Based on these results, the conservation of unlogged lowland forests on Malaita should be prioritized. These results also highlight the importance of combining biological sampling with cultural information to improve the efficiency and long-term success of conservation actions.

Progress towards TB control in East Kwaio, Solomon Islands

[Extract] The recently published project report TB questions, East Kwaio answers: community-based participatory research in a remote area of Solomon Islands1, reported that tuberculosis (TB) remains an important issue to communities and health providers. The island of Malaita has the highest rate of TB in Solomon Islands. Many complex issues are contributors to this concerning level of disease. Factors such as remoteness, socioeconomic and sociocultural issues have been described. Massey et al particularly highlighted how cultural differences based on different worldviews had resulted in some TB patients being unable to access routine hospital based services. Since the development of a research-capacity strengthening approach with the Atoifi Adventist Hospital (AAH) in 20094, and the TB project of 20111, important initiatives and outcomes have been seen, including: * Building a new TB Ward that is culturally safer: a site for the new ward, that meets both socio-cultural and health requirements, has been agreed with mountain area Chiefs and AAH. The area has been cleared, plans drawn up and builders engaged. * Food for TB inpatients: AAH now purchases food each week for TB inpatients to enhance treatment. Currently other hospital inpatients provide their own food. * Active case finding and treatment: the AAH TB Team have conducted active case finding in distant TB ‘hotspots’ including the Kwaibaita Valley and remote mountain hamlets. Ten new cases were found during community visits and treated, including one person treated only in the community setting. * Funded Project to develop TB resources: AAH was successful in applying for a grant from the Australian Respiratory Council to develop local TB resources. This project will work with the traditional oral story-telling model of education and communication, but with modern technology. Locally made videos in local language and Pijin are being developed for community based TB education, including taking DVD players and video clips into remote hamlets and villages to stimulate discussion. * Stronger links with the National TB Program: the Provincial TB Coordinator is involved in the TB DVD project and has invited AAH to run research-training workshops in the provincial capital. * Reported TB case numbers increased: Since the commencement of the research capacity-strengthening approach and concentration on TB, annual reported cases of TB at AAH have increased from four cases in 2009 to 34 cases in 2012, increasing the case detection rate.

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

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.

TB questions, East Kwaio answers: community-based participatory research in a remote area of Solomon Islands

East Kwaio is a remote region on the island of Malaita, Solomon Islands. Atoifi Adventist Hospital (the Hospital) is the only hospital and tuberculosis (TB) services provider in the region. If people come to the Hospital with TB, they are usually admitted for the two-month intensive phase of treatment as there are no community-based TB services. Most people walk or travel by canoe to the Hospital as there are no roads. East Kwaio is known to have high rates of TB; however, it has a low case detection rate and low treatment completion. The aims of this study were to explore why people with TB, especially from the mountain areas, present to the Hospital so late in their illness or do not present at all. The study was part of a larger project to strengthen the research capacity of local health workers and community leaders, supported by visiting researchers from Australia. Semi-structured interviews with TB patients, a focus group of key informants and direct interaction with a community with a history of TB were used to explore reasons why people present to the Hospital late in their TB illness. Four interviews and a focus group of 12 key informants were conducted and a mountain hamlet with a history of TB was visited. The results represent the data from the interviews and the focus group. The time delay in presenting to the Hospital from when participants first became unwell ranged between two and three years. In the mountain hamlet, two additional people with probable TB were seen who had not presented to the Hospital during illnesses of five and nine months. Reasons for delays included: seeking care from traditional healers; the challenge of accessing health services due to distance, cost and cultural issues different from the Hospital's worldview; social isolation when in hospital; and being old so not having long to live. Delays in diagnosis of people with TB will increase the risk of transmission to family and through hamlets and villages. This study has led to plans being developed to build a more culturally appropriate TB ward and community treatment program. The study has identified TB questions that need East Kwaio answers. It has shown that a small project can inform the development of important changes to TB services, such as the redevelopment and relocation of the TB ward. To enable TB control, the local health services need to develop an understanding of, and appropriately engage with, traditional beliefs that influence how people interact with Hospital TB treatment and management. This is the case even if the beliefs are based on a worldview different than that of the health service providers. Ongoing operational research is required into TB diagnosis and treatment services and the many factors that contribute to the high TB burden in this remote area.