Written piece
The Thread I Bring
Enneth Belo
Solomon Islands
About this piece
A poem about my great grandfather Marcus Fa’ari and great grandmother Mitlyn Falangi from Kwai and Ngongosila, Malaita, Solomon Islands, and how they passed kastom, culture, and identity to Wilfred Belo my grandfather and future generations through the thread of family.
"The Thread I Bring"
From Marcus Fa’ari and Mitlyn Falangi,
The thread began beside the sea.
In Kwai winds and Ngongosila tides,
Their customs lived, their wisdom survived.
They carried stories, strong and true,
In every word and thing they knew.
The songs of kastom, the ways of old,
More precious than silver, richer than gold.
They passed the thread to Wilfred Belo,
To keep the fire and let it grow.
He held our roots with strength and care,
Teaching us who we are to share.
Through shell money, stories, and family name,
The spirit of Malaita still remains.
The voices of ancestors still speak today,
Guiding their children along the way.
Now the thread is in our hands,
Grandchildren born of island lands.
From Kwai shores to Ngongosila sea,
Their legacy lives inside of me.
Though oceans divide the world apart,
Solomon Islands stays in my heart.
This thread I carry is more than mine,
It is family, culture, and ancestral line.
For the Commonwealth, this is my thread,
Woven by the living and the dead.
From those before to those to come,
Our island thread will carry on.
— Enneth Falangi Belo