Solomon Islands: Taem Bifo Long Lauru - Choiseul Customs (3-Day Rental)

PLEASE NOTE: THIS PRODUCT IS ONLY AVAILABLE TO CUSTOMERS RESIDING IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND. ANY ORDERS FOR THIS PRODUCT THAT ARE PLACED FROM OUTSIDE AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND WILL BE CANCELLED AND REFUNDED.

PLEASE NOTE: If paying via purchase order, your 3-day rental period will begin when we approve your order. (Approvals are usually processed regularly during trading hours, but please allow up to two business days.) If paying up-front via credit card or PayPal, you will have access to stream the file in a matter of minutes, and your 3-day rental period will begin straight away.

You will receive an email (separate to your tax invoice) with a link to watch this video once your payment is received (or when we approve your purchase order).

When the Christian missionaries arrived on the island of Choiseul (Lauru), they stopped the people from worshipping their own gods. Singing and dancing were outlawed and the visiting of sacred sites was banned. Today only a few old people remember the ancient customs, which have been revived and recreated for this film. Warriors preparing for war offer up a human sacrifice to their supreme god Korotobi in exchange for power and guidance in battle, the craft of pottery hand-building is demonstrated in the open air and traditional singing and dancing, birthing and marriage rites are dramatically re-enacted for the camera.

(1980, 24 mins) A Film Australia Production. Produced for Solomon Islands with Australian Development Assistance Bureau.

© National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.