VANUATU: Pentecost and Maewo

Naghol, the land diving ceremony, takes place in three locations at the south end of Pentecost Island for a short time each year to ensure a successful yam harvest. Witnessing this spectacle was high on our agenda, and it was indeed amazing. The previous post had some photos of the jumping and background information; here’s a bit more.

Preparation includes digging up the earth beneath the tower. Vine lengths are adjusted carefully, but the spaded ground provides a softer landing in case a vine is slightly too long and the jumper lands on his head. 

Checking vine security at the top...

...and vine length at the bottom

Tying vines around a jumper's ankles
(photos of jumping appear in the post entitled Vanuatu Snapshots)

And the charming child at the start of this post was one of the dancers.

With only 8 guests attending, experiencing this ancient tradition felt intimate and powerful.

Continuing up the west coast of Pentecost, we stopped briefly at Waterfall Bay. Barter is more common in outlying villages than cash, and we traded a fishing knife for a guided walk (guides are required) to the beautiful cascade.

The path passes through the community garden; this gate keeps pigs and cows away from the root vegetables. Deciphering Bislama, the sign reads “when you open the gate to go swimming, please you must shut the gate”.

Visitors always attract playful children!

Art skipping stones

and enchanting a brother and sister
by juggling tree nuts

Loltong, our last stop on Pentecost, was hosting the island’s soccer tournament when we arrived.

Like sporting events in the U.S., this one had food stalls (though the menu of fish and rice would probably not be as popular in the States)

A man prepariung kava for the evening's events
(generally consumed only by men)

Kava roots used to be chewed
prior to soaking them in water for the "brew",
but now they are ground in a meat grinder
(there's something to be said for progress!)

Women preparing root vegetables--primarily taro and cassava--
for dinner

We landed our dinghy at the remains of an old wharf and hiked with our instruments up to a primary school to play for them. They thanked us by gathering lots of pamplemousse (grapefruit)—our favorite fruit, and it lasted for ages (fortunately, since they gave us so many!).

When we left the wharf an older man holding a toddler was there, with several other people nearby. I asked the man if they were his family. Smiling, he said “Yes, but in Vanuatu, we are all brothers”: a statement both beautiful and palpably true.

MAEWO ISLAND

The west coast of Maewo Island has one outstanding anchorage, both in terms of beauty and safety. We greatly enjoyed the small bay and village of Asanvari, and ended up staying several days; in retrospect, it is still one of our favorite places.

Everyone appreciated our music immensely, asking us to play several times, and in return invited us to attend a special feast to celebrate the installation of the new chief. We felt immensely honored. Photos would have been inappropriate (to say nothing of difficult in the near darkness), but sharing communal food unearthed from a pit lined with rocks—with leaves as plates, and without utensils—in that setting was a deeply memorable experience.

Nakamal, or community center, where the feast took place

Along these steep wet coasts, waterfalls are plentiful

This generator was supposed to provide electricity for a "yacht club" for visiting boats, but neither the generator nor the club was operational. Specialty items like generators and solar regulators don't come with tools or maintenance training, so when they stop working the local owners are often at a loss. Art helps whenever he can, and managed to fix part of this generator.

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Playing with Mama's canoe,

before she spends the late afternoon fishing

Linda helped us up and down steep muddy little paths,

to show us their 'water garden':
taro roots carefully tended in a diverted stream bed

In every village we visited, people are summoned to school and to church
by clanging on an old gas cylinder 

Playing for an avid audience:
students, and everyone else in the area who heard something
they'd never heard before and came running
(photo taken on my camera by 4th grader Max)

This young girl, trying to look formal for a photo, is in typical attire: a skirt but no shirt, a woven bag (used for holding snacks—usually cooked roots—and carried by everyone, regardless of age or gender), and a small bush knife. Even toddlers use knives; who knows when you might need to whack a vine out of the way, or lop off a piece of fruit?

We were reluctant to leave such a peaceful and beautiful place…