The non-African black and blonde tribe: The Solomon Islanders

The mysterious non-African black tribe with blonde hair: The Solomon Islanders The Solomon Islanders of the continent of Oceania are surprisingly black and guess what? They are blondes. There are several theories and myths as to why these non-Africans are black and on top of it, blondes, from sun and salt whitening to genetic heritage from mixed-breeding with Europeans who founded the islands.. Well, in this video, we learn about this non-black black people. Solomon Island is a sub-region of Melanesia of the continent of Oceania. Archaeological and linguistic evidence show that Solomon Island was settled between 4000-5000 years ago by people from Southeast Asia. As Part of The Melanesian group of islands, which also includes Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji, the Solomon Islands first settlers were hunters and gatherers. Today, between 70 to 80 percent of Solomon Islanders live a subsistence form of life in their small villages, settlements and islands away from the main urban centres. This number is expected to erode as people move from rural to urban areas for higher education and employment. The first contact of the Europeans with the Solomon Islanders was in the 16th century, when Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendana made the trip in 1568. When he discovered alluvial gold on Guadalcanal, he thought he had found the source of King Solomon’s great wealth from the bible and named it the Isles of Solomon. It was through his influence that many of the islands in the archipelago bear original Spanish names. Solomon Islander’s Blonde hair The Solomon Islanders are the point of interest when it comes to dark skin and blond hair. The Solomon Islands are located in the South Pacific, the very heart of Melanesia, just Northeast of Australia, between Papua and Vanuatu and is an independent state within the British Commonwealth. Although the indigenous Melanesian population of the islands possess the darkest skin outside of Africa, between 5 and 10% have bright blond hair. There have been several theories on how they got their blond hair from sun and salt whitening, high fish intake, or genetic heritage from mixed-breeding with Americans and Europeans who founded the islands. A geneticist from Nova Scotia agricultural college in Canada, Sean Myles, conduced a genetic analysis on saliva and hair samples from 1209 Solomon Island residents. From comparing 43 blond Islanders and 42 brown Islanders, he found that the blondes carried two copies of a mutant gene which is present in 26% of the island’s population. The Melanesian people have a native TYRP1 gene which is partly responsible for the blond hair and melanin, and is totally distinct to that of Caucasians as it doesn’t exist in their genes. It is a recessive gene and is more common in children than in adults, with hair tending to darken as the individual matures. This contributes to the theories that black Africans were the first Homo sapiens and that all races came out of the black African race. Culture Communal, clan and family ties remain strong in these islands with the existence of the Wantok system. A key part of the Melanesian culture, Wantok means people from the same language group who are blood relatives. They are part of the extended family support and assist one another. Kastom, the pidgin term for custom, refers to traditional beliefs and land ownership. Despite the predominance of devout Christians, traditional practices are still being followed especially by those living in the hinterland of the country’s larger islands. Off the beaten path, village life remains much as it has been for centuries. While some do welcome strangers, not all do, so it is advisable to ask local authorities first before venturing to visit these remote and far-flung areas.