Maasina Ruru

Maasina Ruru or Rule of Relationship of Siblings Together was an indigenist movement moving for self-governance, social and economic equality, labor rights and preservation of indigenous culture in the Solomon Islands between 1943 and 1953.

Background

The indigenous people on the Solomon Islands had faced the destruction of their land and culture, massacres to stop rebellion, exploitation of their labor and racial segregation for hundreds of years. With the theft of communal lands, many had been forced to work in factories during World War II just to get enough of a wage to buy their right to food, water and shelter.

Events

Maasina Ruru began in 1943 as anti-colonial, anti-racist and anti-capitalist sentiment rose among factory workers in the Solomon Islands. They developed a manifesto and began spreading it around the islands indigenous population, there was a general strike in 1945 demanding the wages of plantation workers be increased by 1200%, which led to the arresting of protest leaders and thousands of indigenous protesters in 1947 by British authorities. As such, villagers declared autonomy and refused to pay taxes and sabotage of workplaces became common. Mass arrests became common, but the indigenous people stood their ground and began blocking roads and villages across the country, leading to eventual negotiations.

Results

The movement led to the bettering of workers' rights, the creation of dozen of autonomous villages, the releasing of all political prisoners and an indigenous council to represent their voices in 1953.