Becoming a queen is an inherent right; this means that a queen is born a queen. Upon birth the baby queen receives automatic respect and honour from all her clan members through continuous visits by clan members during conception and nine months in the womb.

During the term of pregnancy the people wait as they long to see the baby’s gender until it is unveiled during birth. If the baby is a male, he becomes the ‘Munhil’ or prince. Otherwise the focus is mostly on the female when it comes to heritage.

This practice is done because it is oral history. It is where the life of the clan is rooted and where history and ownership of the land, resources and generation of ancestors can be traced.

It is common to almost all Melanesian societies that transitions in a girl’s growth are kept secret particularly when it comes to menstruation, as it is seen as taboo and sometimes as disrespectful when it comes to men’s knowledge or awarenss.

For a queen in Buka, such transitions are made public as initiation rituals because they act as stamps or the common seal for all the clans. The four clans, though different, embrace the same practices with regards to the rituals of initiation in relation to making the transitions of a queen known publicly.

During her first period, the queen or the princess is seated on a taro leaf as a symbol of her entry into the world of women.  

This initiation act is known as taptapa i puta (to sit down on the ground). When the taptapa i puta is being done, women imitate how it is like when a girl experiences her first period.

This is done in support and appreciation for their queen. In other words, the act confirms and maintains the life and history of the clan. Above all, it is symbolic to another journey of growth, power and identity.

The Taptapa I puta ceremonyis followed by hasei (to climb). In this act, the princess is led to climb a special type of banana tree. This symbolizes her entry and maturity as a woman who is prepared to climb to the throne and lead her people as future queen. It is an indirect way of crowning.

During the bride price ceremony, the queen is usually hidden from the public prior to the actual act of payment. The clan members will process with the queen from her Tsuhana (sacred house) to the prince’s Tsuhana. In Buka, women are brought and presented to the men when it comes to bride price. The same applies to the queen or the princess but with special treatment accompanied with processions.

Marriage is the next initiation process or the next stage that follows from the bride price ceremony. In the past, it was arranged marriage agreed upon between two clans (Male and female’s clans) or sometimes within the same clan as to maintain and extend the clan lineage.

Since Buka is a matrilineal society, a queen is arranged or marked with a prince. During marriage, strict regulations apply for instance should one wish to pay visit to the royal family, he or she must crawl on the ground or walk with his or her head lowered.

Hatasu (To enter the male’s house) is the act of offering the queen to her prince’ husband and his people and clan. Hatasu is the formal way of fully saying yes to the royal family’s marriage. It is also an act of giving power and authority to the queen who is now going to start a new family in her husband’s village.

When a queen dies, she is placed on raised platforms in her tsuhana. The platform is raised almost to the height of the tsuhana’s roof. This symbolizes her status and leadership in the community and in the clan.

Another reason for keeping her body on the high raised platform is that, she is not supposed to be viewed by mourners. In other words, the respect for her as their queen is maintained.

Upon death, the stealing ceremony known as kop (to steal) is done early in the morning after her day of passing. The people will go quietly to the gardens and harvest the taros. They will do it in a form of stealing.

After stealing, all the taros are brought to the tsuhana then they will prepare for the hahuru halan or singsing tulait (vigil) with their queen.

The initiation rites are done with procession known as sole (sway to and fro with chants and the garamut beat). Sole promotes solidarity and oneness amongst the people of each clan.

The rites surrounding the Te Tahol are rich and have a lot of positive things to learn from. In one way, they express the values of leadership, the sacredness of marriage and they promote a balance in gender.