Category Archives: Vanuatu

The Maskelyne Islands

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The Maskelyne islands were named by Captain Cook after his astronomer royal Nevil Maskelyne.  They are a very remote cluster of low-lying islands that sit off the southern tip of Vanuatu’s second largest island, Malekula.  It is a very remote and pristine area of Vanuatu.

The locals who live in the area still get around in their wooden outrigger canoes and live a very simple life, much as they have for centuries.

One of the reasons we came to the Maskelyne islands was to see the dugongs.  Dugongs are cousins to the manatee but are more closely related to the elephant.  They are known as “sea cows” and are truly gentle giants.  You can see all of the “fish” markers below which indicate locations where they have been spotted.  I am on a mission to swim with them!

The red arrow is where Sugar Shack is anchored when I took the snapshot of the chart.

Awei Island Anchorage

Our first stop in the Maskelyne Islands is Awei Island.  There is an anchorage between Awei and Malekula that provides really good protection from wind and swell in almost all directions.  Between the two islands is a reef that also keeps this bay calm and beautiful.

We anchored here with our friends on Moana but they left before we could get the drone out.  This anchorage is super protected by two islands and a reef.  We had perfect conditions for drone pictures.

As you can see, there are lots of reefs in this anchorage.  One that blocks the ocean (top photo, top left), one behind Sugar Shack and one to our port.

We had several days of rain so this sunny day was particularly welcome.  It is so cool to see the clouds in the water. It gives the allusion that we are floating in the sky 🙂

The Awei Village

There is a very small sandy beach in our bay that is used for a launching point. The kids take outriggers to school and the women take outriggers across the anchorage to a neighboring island to work in the garden.

The small village is a short 15 minute walk across the island to the other side.  It is remarkably clean and neat village hosting 3 families.

They have a Presbyterian church (in pink) with a dive tank as their church bell.  Not sure why they need a bell as there are so few people who live here??

A few of the ladies were weaving and they allowed us to watch.  It was really impressive how they effortlessly continued to weave while carrying on a conversation with us.  Lower right photo is their “small or tiny” garden.

It rained almost every day we were here.  But we did not let that stop us.  Rena (from sv Moana) and I went exploring on the SUPs.  We found lots of tunnels in the mangroves and checked out the reefs from above.

Sughulamp Reef

We had the chance to move to shallow, blue water at the Sughulamp Reef.  It is not really an anchorage (at least none of the charts note it as an anchorage), but it suits us well.  We dropped the hook in 2.5meters of turquoise water which is close to the dugong area.  Here we can enjoy some quiet time by ourselves.

We both jump in the water and take several hours to burnish the Coppercoat.  We have not had to do anything to the bottom since we splashed which was 7 weeks ago.  I do the “easy” part which is cleaning the sides of the hulls (4 sides x 50′ is a lot to cover) as far as I can go while holding my beath.  Matt does the hard part (clean the very bottom) using the hooka.  I have far more area to cover but he works upside down.

Lucky for us, the light grime and few barnacles easily come off with a brillo pad.  Now we have a super clean bottom, hulls, rudders, sail drive and props.  Sweet as!

Our friends took this photo…can you tell what is “different” about this photo?  Answer at the bottom.

Dugongs

You absolutely want to see the dugongs while you are in the Maskelyne Islands.  They are the gentlest of giants and simply adorable. The Maskelyne islands are a global hotspot for these shy and graceful creatures (often referred to as sea cows) and swimming with them is an extra special ocean experience.

Interest in the dugongs has helped the island communities restrict local hunting and turn towards environmentally responsible tourism to support dugong conservation instead, and guidelines are in place to ensure any interactions are a positive experience for the wonderful creatures.

Stay tuned for adventures with the dugongs in our next blog!  Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  We were in the Maskleyne Island Awei anchorage around mid-July 2024.  In our last blog post we take you through the grade-taking ceremony at Ambrym.

Answer: The photo is taken upside down.  The water was so calm and clear that it makes it hard to tell.

Fanla Festival: Grade Taking Ceremony

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The most integral part of the Fanla Festival is the grade-taking ceremony.  During this particular ceremony, two of the eldest chiefs will progress from grade 11 to 12 (there are 13 grades in total).

Grade taking is a hierarchical series of initiations in which greater religious, political, spiritual, and mythical authority is earned.  These grades are earned over a life time and carry over into the realm of the dead.  

In order to increase your grade, the man has to kill a very valuable pig.  The higher the grade, the more pigs they have to kill.  Pigs are the standard of value and all other values are related to the pig.  

The pig’s value goes up based on its tusks.  This is very sad to write and I am sure many of you will be appalled, but I am just reporting the tradition.  The locals remove the upper teeth of the pig so that the lower tusks grow up and back in through the skin forming circles.  This entire process takes 12-14 years. 

When the pigs can no longer eat, due to the curvature of their tusks, the master will mush up its food and hand feed it.

These are considered the most valuable and are highly sought after.  They are basically domesticated boars which require considerable financial wealth. These two pigs below belong to one of the chiefs who performed the grade taking ceremony today. 

Deity or Man?

With each grade, the man acquires a named rank, the right to display certain insignia, the right to perform certain rituals, the right to buy and make ROM masks, and the right to wear certain plants and flowers during ceremonies.

The erection of some kind of monument or tiki or tam tam is made after each grade taking ceremony, 

Once a man, usually a chief, reaches rank 10 or higher they are considered significantly wealthy and are usually powerful sorcerers. They hold much respect and prestige amongst the communities.

In Ambrym, these two men who have reached level 12 are considered living dead.  They have already achieved the status of their ancestors.   The red flower is a sign of power and authority and the tuskers (each wore 4 at this event) represent their high grade level.

You can easily tell the ranking or grade of the elder by the number of tuskers that they wear.  At this grade level, they are paying anywhere from 200-300 tusks.

These two chiefs, at grade 12 choose to completely isolate themselves.  They live in “secret” houses, they cook their own food, and they do not associate with others.  Visitors are not allowed.  It is considered the utmost offence to visit these chiefs who are in isolation.  They can come out when they want, visit their wives and families, but they most often decide not to.

Part of the reason for the isolation is fear.  They are very wealthy and have a considerable amount of power.  They are afraid that someone will try to poison them.  The other reason why they isolate is because they no longer wish to associate with ordinary people as they get closer to the spirit world.

The Grade Taking Ceremony

The grade taking ceremony consists of several dances including the Lepie and Bata dance. During this dance, each chief performing the grade taking goes up on a man-made platform and performs a special dance.

Then they will dance around the other nambas (men) with their special bamboo stick decorated with their specific plants to their grade.

The carvers that wish to honor these chiefs will pay great amounts of money to make ROM masks or carvings in the likeness of the chief.  These artifacts are then placed in the nasara (ceremonial grounds). They are said to be filled with special powers from that chief and they help elevate him during the ceremony.

After the ceremony the figure is left on the nasara as it has already served its purpose.  The supernatural power of the figure will slowly decrease as the figure disintegrates over the years.

Types of Chiefs

They have two types of chiefs:  Traditional Chief and Community Chief.  The traditional chief handles the ceremonial, cultural, and heritage events.  Their rank is by lineage and passed down from father to son. 

The community chief is selected by the community and handles the government laws.  For example if someone breaks their law they will be forced to pay with a pig and will be whipped with a stinging plant.

The Guests

On the first day, we felt that the events were put on for show for the tourists.  I do believe that this is truly part of their culture, but I am not sure they would have done it had it not been for the 18 white people paying for it.

However, on the second day, the day of the grade taking ceremony, over a hundred local villagers came to watch because this ceremony has not been done in most of their life times.  It was a rare and beautiful gift to witness the passing of tradition and culture.

The good thing was they did not do the pig killing ceremony because the pig that was selected ran away.  Thank goodness as I could not stand to watch that.

They did invite all of the guests to come up and dance with the chiefs and elders.  It was surprisingly tiring stomping on the ground and chanting.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This grade taking ceremony occurred on 12 July 2024.    Did you read about our black magic and sand drawing experience in our last blog?

Fanla Festival: Black Magic and Sand Drawing

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Black magic is an integral part of the Vanuatu culture and is practiced widely by sorcerers and witch doctors.  However, Ambrym is considered the black magic epicenter of Vanuatu.  This is because they believe the very active volcano gives them special powers.

Black magic is performed by special sorcerers called “the man blong blak majik.” and are usually graded a 5 or higher.  Typically, females are not allowed near the sorcerer or his black magic.  However, times have changed and women are now allowed to witness their performance.

We were told that they practiced black magic in several villages and islands.  In Pentecost, southern Ambrym, and Tanna stories were told of the great black magic that was done over the years.

What is Black Magic Used for?

The elders will use black magic to control the weather.  To call for rain and storms, to help their harvest, to find love, or to curse an enemy.

In Lonwolwol, the village chief told us that his elders used black magic to make the volcano erupt.  Why would they do that?  Well, Christianity came to the island in the 1800’s.  As more and more villagers became Christian they stopped giving the respect and power to the chiefs.  So the chiefs used black magic to make the massive volcano erupt which destroyed the entire Cristian community.

What Black Magic Was Performed

Well, the “tricks” performed at the Fanla festival were relatively mild when you compare them to say a “David Copperfield Magic show.”  They performed 4 tricks for us.

The first trick involved a palm frond or long leafy branch.  He used a machete to cut off one side of the branch (1) and all of the leaves fell to the ground (2).  He placed the branch next to the fallen leaves.  Then he proceeded to spit several times (3) as he walked around the branch and fallen leaves.  After 4-5 spits, he bent over, grabbed the branch and all of the leaves had returned to the branch (4).

The second performance required two pieces of bamboo..  They had an opening on one end but were sealed on the other.  One bamboo was empty but the other had water inside (1).  He took the water from one bamboo shoot and placed it into the other (2).  After a little walking around and lots of spitting, he turned both pieces of bamboo over and they were both empty (3).  Where did the water go?

A Little Bit of Silliness

The third trick involved a white feather.  He held it for awhile, walked around a little bit, spit several times.  Spitting is very important for Vanuatu superstition.  Then he dropped the feather and ran away from it (3 and 4).  The feather followed him.

The last black magic trick that was performed included some tourists.  They had a special stick that they said conjured up the spirits.    The nambas (men wearing nambas) formed a circle and pounded the ground with rocks.  They chanted and sang as another man pounded a stick into the ground.  The sorcerer and another man grabbed the black stick and closed their eyes.  The spirit was tossing the stick all over the place as the two men tried desperately to hold on.  Soon, two tourists were brought over to help them.  The spirit was angry and wanted the stick but the tourists and locals would not let go. 

In reality, they were fighting each other without knowing it as their eyes were closed.  But it was in great fun.

The Art of Sand Drawing

A master sand drawer must possess a strong knowledge of graphic patterns, a deep understanding of their significance, and have the ability to tell a story with his art.

Sand drawing is done completely by memory and will vary from artist to artist.  It is a unique way of telling stories, sharing their culture and history, and communicating.

They have sacred and profane meanings and were used to record rituals, mythological lore, local history, farming techniques, and more.

Sand Drawing in Fanla

During the festival we are treated to two different sand drawings.  The chief explains that sand drawing is multi-functional as an indigenous artistic expression while telling a story and passing down their traditions.

They start out by finding a clear space of sand.  If one is not available, such as during the festival, then they sprinkle ash on the ground to create a clear space.  

They start by drawing straight lines to create a grid.  When the artist is ready to begin he will position himself in the center of the art so he can reach all sides.  Using one finger, he will draw patterns continuously meandering around until the finished product is produced.  

The finger will only leave the ground once the sand drawing is complete.  The first piece he drew is the image for the ROM festival.

He then clears his area, lays more ash down and begins again.  This time he draws the island of Ambrym which is represented by the two volcanic peaks.

There are over 100 sand drawings being recorded by the artists.  They practice during their free time and consider it a hobby.

The Role of the Leader

At the end of Day 1, the chief asks who the leader is of our group.  Everyone points to me, unanimously.  Oh boy, I am not sure I am going to like this….

The chief asks me to come forward to share a cup of kava with him.  Eek gads. I did not like kava in Fiji, I doubt I will like it here.

Kava is a derivative of the pepper tree family and is cut and chewed into a pulp.  Then it is spat into a bowl.  The mushy pulp is squeezed and the resultant, brown liquid is drunk in a single gulp.  Sound appealing???

I get up and put my best smile on.  The chief has changed into “normal clothing” and hands me my mid-tide cup.  We sort of do an air “cheers” and then it is bottoms up.  

As you can see…it was a hard swallow, but I did it with a smile.

Afterwards they presented me with a special gift.  It was a piece of carved wood representing the ROM festival.  Very special and sweet.  Almost worth all of the work it took to gather the 18 cruisers.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  The Fanla Festival was held in mid-July 2024.  If you missed it, our last post showcased the ROM Dance.