Free museum entry for New Zealanders and people living in New Zealand
Open every day 10am-6pm
(except Christmas Day)
Free museum entry for New Zealanders and people living in New Zealand
Selwyn Teho, Vice President of the Wellington Solomon Island community in New Zealand, talks about what Solomon Aelan Pijin Langguis Wik means to him.
For Solomon Island Language Week 2025, Selwyn Teho and the Solomon Islands community visited Te Papa. The group explored their history, culture and art in our Pacific collection.
Speaking in Solomon Aelans Pijin, Selwyn shares what the Language Week means to him and how he celebrated this year.
A carver himself, Selwyn chose to stand in front of ataonga he shares a personal connection with.
Solomon Aelans Pijin langguis transcript
English transcript
The Solomon Islands, an archipelago nation situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, is made up of over 900 islands with rainforests, coastal environments, and coral reefs. The people of the Solomon Islands are primarily Melanesian and the official language is English, however, pidgin English is widely spoken.
This sculpture ‘The Great Elevation’ is an example of the integration of an indigenous Solomon Islands wood carving style with Christian symbols and motifs.
Find out about Solomon Island art, tools, clothing, currency, and life held in our collections.
Extra resources for Solomon Islands Language Week are available from the Ministry for Pacific Peoples.
This link will take you to their website.
