Malaita island is inhabited by "salt water" people along the coast and "bush" people in the mountainous inland. In the past the salt water people escaped the headhunting bush people by making artificial islands out of blocks of dead coral near the outer reef. Here they build houses, planted palms and made a protected living. Since the introduction of Christianity the tribal warfare have stopped and the salt water people have now moved back on the mangrove covered shore. Every time they needed more land a slap of traditional man-made coral estate was added – a practice that continues to this day.