November 1 , 2001 - Vanuatu Kastom

Ceremony and ritual is a fundamental part of traditional Vanuatu life. Dancing, chanting, singing and feasting all feature heavily. Unfortunately for pigs the ritual slaughter of boars is also part of the process. Large boars prized for their tusks signify the status of the owner and are sacrificed to mark an upgrading of that person's rank in the culture.

Dancers.

We were fortunate to see demonstrations of Kastom dancing on two islands, Malakula and Maewo. Though the principles were much the same, the styles clothing and dancing were quite different. In Malakula the dancing had a war-like and ritualistic style whereas in Maewo it was more raucous and celebratory.

Music is an important contributor to cultural life and reflects a mixture of the outside influences that have touched Vanuatu. Choirs sing hymns in both English and Bislama, string bands jam under a banyan tree, and of course there are the traditional Vanuatu songs accompanied by tantam drums.

The artifacts created for use in ceremonies are also very island-specific. Tantam drums originate from Ambrym, elaborate head dresses are used on Malakula and statues carved from tree fern trunks are found everywhere, even in the main town of Port Vila. In most of the villages women weave sleeping mats and baskets to carry produce from the gardens.

	Totems.

Ambrym is Vanuatu's magic island. Two peaks mark the active volcanoes and the island has the sharp sooty black rocks typical of recent volcanic activity. It is probably not the safest thing to do but the hike to the crater - albeit a 9-hour round trip over baking hot lava fields followed by a tightrope-like walk along a precipitous ash cone - is worth it to witness first-hand flowing lava and molten rocks spat out every few minutes. Stunning but scary. Because of the volcano, magic is an important part of life and the dramatic carvings, especially the tantams, are very striking.

Though we try to minimize our souvenir collecting so that the boat does not sink under the weight, we couldn't resist buying a tantam. One day in years to come when we're sitting on our porch as the sun sets, just a glance at the tantam will be enough to evoke the memory of sitting in a Vanuatu village listening to the tantams beat out the rhythm as the dancers perform steps handed down through centuries of kastom.