The Martyrs of Melanesia

Melanesia is a region in the southwestern Pacific Ocean that includes the New Hebrides (Vanuatu), the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, and New Guinea. The nineteenth century Christian missions to Melanesia were one of history's great cross-cultural encounters. This essay tells the stories of approximately a dozen people who lost their lives violently while serving as Melanesian missionaries. They were casualties in a religious struggle that radically altered Melanesian societies.In 1800, there were virtually no indigenous Melanesian Christians, but today the vast majority of Melanesians identify as Christian. Unfortunately, the collective position of the Melanesian martyrswithin this critical historical transformation has received little scholarly attention. Perhaps this preliminary study will foster more research, of greater breadth and depth, increasing our understanding of the martyrs of Melanesia.