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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.

Fanla Festival: A Mystical Culture

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The ROM or “masked” dance is known for its detailed and complex masks, elaborate costumes, and rhythmic drumming.  It is performed by the chiefs, elders, and sorcerers during special ceremonies, grade-taking, and occasionally for performances.

In this post I will share with you the history and magic of the cone shaped masks.  In our next blog, you will encounter the extraordinary ROM dance.

Legend of the Mask

The two-sided ROM mask represents good and evil.  The legend says that a beautiful young woman from Olal (a village on the North tip of Ambrym) created the first ROM costume to gain the love of a young man. She donned the ROM outfit and enticed him into the forest where she revealed herself to him and fatefully told him how she made the costume.

The man did not love the woman, but he did love the mask.  So, he killed the woman, took the mask, and sold the rights to make the copies of the costume to fellow tribesmen.  He traded the rights for pigs which he used to gain the next grade and improve his status.

The belief that stands for the “good” stems from a young mother who had a baby who could not be soothed.  It cried uncontrollably so she created a mask to bring it joy.

How is the ROM Costume Made?

The ancient ritual is shrouded in secrecy. Costumes are kept in strict hiding until the ceremony begins.  If a male takes a “peek”, they must pay the fine of one pig and endure a whipping with a stinging plant.

If a woman watched any process in the making of the costume then she would be killed.

The ROM mask consists of a tall, conical, brightly painted, banana fiber mask, with a face that resembles a baboon.  Each side is unique and clearly shows the fight between good and evil.  The top part is adorned with feathers, leaves, and flowers.

The dancer’s bodies are adorned in a thick, somewhat intimidating cloak of dried bananas leaves.  In their hand they carry hand woven, cone shaped weapons to ward off evil spirits.

Each costume, especially the mask is made with great sorcery and embedded with magic.

High ranking chiefs and warriors who dance alongside the Rom dancers wearing nambas.  They will often wear red flowers in their hair to symbolize pride, majesty, knowledge and strength, as well as a boar tooth necklace to indicate power and wealth.

Some chiefs will wear a namale leaf on their back to convey peace, while others wear white bird feathers to suggest both peace and safety.

The Rights to the Mask

Only men who are of a certain grade can buy the rights to make a mask.  When a man wishes to ascend the village hierarchy, he must purchase (with pigs and money) the rights to learn how to make the mask and embed it with spirits and power.  They will create a pattern and spend an extensive amount of time learning the rules that determine specific colors and shapes of the mask as well as the type of magic it will possess.

The first mask design will be very simple and will only cost a few pigs and money.  As the man ascends in grades, his mask will become more complicated and will cost a lot more. As the man ascends, he must pay with more pigs and money to learn the teachings of a more complicated designs.  The right to make or wear a sacred mask carries high costs in the Ambrym society.

Once they buy the rights to a design they own it for life.  They will be the only one that can replicate the design, carve the design, and draw the design for eternity.  

Each design has powerful magic embedded into it which is why it is destroyed after the ceremony.  Part of the teaching is not only how to create the mask, but how to embed it with the spirits.  ROM masks usually invoke the spirits of the ancestors and are important agents of social control.

Mass Destruction

Immediately following the ceremony, the creator of the costume will destroy the mask and burn the banana leaves.  They believe that the spirit within lives on and will haunt and plague the wearer if it is not destroyed.

Although, I think that is an ancient belief and practice.  Why do you ask?  Well we were told to tell other cruisers to come anytime to see the ROM dance.  But if it takes 2 weeks to make the costumes and they are destroyed after each ceremony, then how can someone come to see it anytime??

After the ceremony we were allowed to take photos of the costumes.  However, nobody was allowed to get closer than 3 meters.

This website has interesting insight into the ROM mask.

Coming up next is the very exciting ROM dance which was a profound and riveting privilege to witness.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  The ROM dance at the Fanla Festival took place on 11 July 2024.  Did you read about Fanla, the authentic kastom village where the ROM dance takes place?