The Gilbertese people settled in the Solomon Islands in the 1950s/1960s, brought over by the British Colonial government from the Gilbert & Elice Islands (now Kiribati). They were given land and settled in Ghizo Island and some other areas that comprise the Solomon Islands. The Gilbertese people are Micronesians. People from the Western Province in the Solomon Islands are Melanesians.
The Gilbertese people are very much sea people. At home, existing on fish and coconut they avoid gardening.
A few days after taking this photo disaster struck.
On the 2nd of April 2007, an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale struck the Solomon Islands, with its epicentre located 45 kilometres off Ghizo. The quake was immediately followed by Tsunami waves and high sea rise resulting in extensive damage to property and loss of lives. The location where this mother and baby posed for me, a village of some 280 occupants, was totally wiped out by 3 Tsunami waves.
I often wonder what became of the many beautiful people I was so fortunate to meet.