Malaita They first saw the island from Santa Isabel, where it is called Mala. One theory is that "ita" was added on, as the Bughotu word for up or east, or in this context "there." Bishop George Augustus Selwyn referred to it as Malanta in 1850. Mala was the name used under British control; now Malaita is used for official purposes. The name Big Malaita is also used to distinguish it from the smaller South Malaita Island. Malaita was, along with the other Solomon Islands, settled by Austronesian speakers between 5000 and 3500 years ago; the earlier Papuan speakers are thought
South Malaita Island theories. The migration goes like the recycle process such as; 1st Stage of movement:- people arrive settle on the coastal zone and move up to the highlands. 2nd Stage of movement: revolution takes place in the highlands and people move down to the coastal zone again. Family and Culture: The cultural setting in South Malaita, is based on the chiefly system which was inherited way back in history. The island is subdivided according to kingdom (Iola) and the division of each kingdom is done by the council of chief in the past during the pre-colonial era and later during Ma'asina