Sarongs are commonly worn by both men and women. Sugar can be obtained through sugarcane, which grows abundantly in the region, and there is even a plant that is used directly to obtain soap. They make their own canoes, by cutting down thick hardwood trees and carving the boat out of its trunk with axes and chisels. Another form of fishing is with a spear. The spear is simply a metal rod with a sharpened tip, with a rubber band and a bamboo handle attached to the bottom for retrieval.
Night is the best time for spear fishing because the fish are sleeping and can be hit easily.
A few divers go down with these spears and shoot them at the fish in a slingshot like fashion. One interesting custom in the Solomons is that people don't walk or step over another person's legs or other part of the body when passing by. I was not aware of this when I noticed a friend actually walk out of her way to get around me. The unfortunate reality of globalization is causing customs like this to become extinct from many cultures, and this custom is in the process of disappearing from Honiara. There is an overpass for pedestrians to cross a busy road in the city, but residents are consciously or unconsciously not respecting the custom, as cars pass beneath them when they are using the overpass.