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The 'North Solomons' are the former 'German Solomon Islands' in Melanesia which were part of German New Guinea. The islands are also known as 'Bougainville' after their principal island.

They are geographically part of the archipelago of the Solomon Islands, but politically they are divided into 'North Solomons Province' of Papua New Guinea and the 'Choiseul, Isabel and Western provinces' of the Solomon Islands.

Contents

History

Missions

Sources

History

Main articles: History of Bougainville, History of the Solomon Islands

On 17 February 1568 the archipelago was discovered by Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendaña y Neyra, who named its ''Islas de Salomon''.
In April 1885 a German protectorate (''Schutzgebiet'') was declared over the northern Solomon Islands: Bougainville, Buka, Choiseul, Santa Isabel, and Ontong Java.
In 1893 a British protectorate was declared over the southern islands as British Solomon Islands Protectorate, which included New Georgia, Guadalcanal, Malaita, and San Cristobal. In 1898 Britain annexed the Santa Cruz, Rennell and Bellona Islands.
On 14 November 1899 (effective 1900) Germany transferred Choiseul, Santa Isabel, the Shortlands and Ontong Java Islands to the British Solomon Islands, but retained Bougainville and its surrounding islands as part of the Treaty of Berlin (1899). Germany granted the claim in exchange for the British giving up all claims to Samoa.

Missions

The Roman Catholic ''Prefecture Apostolic of the Northern Solomon Islands'' was established on 23 May, 1898, by separation from the Vicariate Apostolic of New Pomerania, including the Islands of Ysabel, Choiseul, Bougainville, and all the islets under German protectorate.
In 1897 the islands were put under the jurisdiction of Mgr Broyer, Vicar Apostolic of Samoa, and in 1898 formed into a new prefecture under Mgr Joseph Forestier, who resided at Kieta, on Bougainville Island. Fever was so prevalent at the mission that most of the fathers who went to the islands in 1898 were carried off by disease.
In 1911 the mission contained: 3 churches; 3 stations; 10 Marist Fathers; 5 lay brothers; 7 sisters of the Third Order of Mary; 2 Samoan catechists; 5 Catholic schools, with 140 pupils; 2 orphanages; and a few hundred Catholics. The Marist missionaries belonged to the Province of Oceania, the superior of which resided at Sydney, New South Wales.

Sources

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★ World Statesmen - Solomon islands