Maasina Rule

The Maasina Rule was a nationalist movement that emerged on the island of Malaita in the Solomon Islands after World War II. This movement was strongly anti-European and aimed to gain control over local affairs.1

The Solomon Islands are a country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, with Malaita being a densely forested and mountainous volcanic island. The recruitment of Malaita's inhabitants for plantations in Fiji and Queensland in the mid-19th century led to conflict and the establishment of a British protectorate in 1893.1

Following World War II, the Maasina Rule movement gained prominence. A reconciliation in the 1950s between the government and the movement's leaders resulted in the formation of an organized local council. After the Solomon Islands gained independence in 1978, many Malaitans achieved high positions in business and government, though this also led to tensions with other ethnic groups. Unlike in Africa and Asia, mass nationalist movements were largely absent in the Pacific Islands.12