Rennell and Bellona (Mugaba/Mungiki) Erotic

The people of Rennell and Bellona, who call their islands Mugaba (Rennell) and Mungiki (Bellona), are a Polynesian population of the southern Solomon Islands, a Polynesian outlier within Melanesia. They speak a single Austronesian language, usually called Rennellese or Rennell-Bellona, of the Polynesian subgroup, and number several thousand across the two islands and a diaspora in Honiara. The Danish scholar Torben Monberg documented their language, genealogy, and traditional religion.

Society and subsistence

Rennell is a large raised coral atoll with a brackish inland lake, while Bellona is a smaller raised limestone island. Because the porous coral holds little surface water, agriculture depends on garden pits and plots worked in the fertile hollows, growing taro, yams, bananas, and coconut, supplemented by fishing, fowling, and pigs. Society is organized around patrilineal clans and lineages tied to named land holdings, with genealogy central to identity and rights. The islanders retained a distinct traditional religion, rich in deities and ancestor cults, until a rapid and thorough conversion to Christianity in 1938 reshaped religious life across both islands within a short span of time. Lake Tegano on Rennell, the largest lake in the insular Pacific, is recognized as a World Heritage site and supports fishing, birdlife, and local livelihoods.

Appearance and adornment

The Rennellese and Bellonese have a robust Polynesian appearance: brown skin, powerful and stocky builds, and dark wavy to straight hair. In earlier times men wore barkcloth loincloths and women barkcloth wraps, the body oiled and adorned with turmeric, and both sexes wore ornaments of shell, turtleshell, dolphin and flying fox teeth, and flowers. Combs, armlets, and tattooing featured in dress for dance and ceremony, and rhythmic chants accompanied gatherings. Since conversion, modern clothing has been standard for daily life, with traditional ornament and dress brought out for cultural performance and festivity.