The teika lle/llee is a traditional ritual that was performed when a large fish or animal washed ashore. The first part of the ceremony involves waving coconut palms at the animal as it is pulled ashore. I was told that the point of this ceremony was to keep the foreign object from causing harm. After the conversion to Christianity, this ceremony was converted into a ceremonial greeting when an important visitor came to Sikaiana, for example the Resident Commissioner during the British Protectorate. I saw the ceremony performed in 1980 when the Bishop of Malaita visited Sikaiana and in 1982 when the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands visited Sikaiana. The images below are from the Prime Minister’s visit in 1982. See also the images from the Prime Minister’s Visit images. Go to pdf of PowerPoint about this ceremony. Listen to a re-enactment of the chants that were sung during the teika lle.

Traditionally, the coconut palms are held to ward off the evil of the large fish or animal that has washed ashore. During my stays they were a way to greet an important visitor. The visitor is taken from the shoreline and carried inland. Dances were then performed.