Roviana

The Roviana are an Oceanic people of the New Georgia group in the Solomon Islands, dwelling around the Roviana and Vonavona lagoons. Their Northwest Solomonic language was a widespread trade tongue and later the lingua franca of church work across the western Solomons. Central New Georgia was the cradle of Roviana culture, where a complex of megalithic shrines was built from the thirteenth century.

Between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries the people moved to offshore islands centred on Nusa Roviana, which grew into a regional seat of power through trade and headhunting raids launched in large war canoes.

From the sixteenth century speakers of neighbouring Kazukuru merged into the Roviana and adopted their speech. In 1789 John Shortland, commanding First Fleet vessels, named the main island New Georgia.