Cover Story
Kastom Inspires Festival
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With swirling leaf skirts, rattling seed anklets and swinging clubs, men and boys from Tangoa Island in Vanuatu’s Shefa province set the tone for the opening ceremonies of the Second Melanesian Arts Festival. In a world increasingly dominated by McDonald’s, cars and American jeans it was reaffirming to enter a place where kastom has a different face and meaning—meanings that go back to old traditions and practices, but at the same time move forward, innovating with their own distinctive character.
“Building Peace through the Sharing of Cultures” was the theme of this year’s festival. This was particularly relevant one for New Caledonia, which remains a French territory in spite of the strong indigenous Kanak independence movement. Their delegation included both Caldosh (French settlers who may have lived for generations in New Caledonia) and Kanaks, the indigenous people. They performed earthshaking dances and melodic rhythms from voices, whistles, drums and a harmonica that is the voice of New Caledonia.
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From the six provinces of Vanuatu came groups as incredibly diverse as their lands. The Small Nambas (named for the size of the pandanus leaf covering on their penis) from South West Bay, Malekula Island, astonished audience with the continuing excellence and diversity of their dances, headdresses, masks and ritual artifacts. These arts are still used in contemporary ceremonies for grade taking in the nimangki society that dominates male life in Vanuatu.
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Women and men from Pentecost Island (Vanuatu) performed wearing their distinctively colored plaited and dyed mats which are also valued as exchange and ceremonial commodities.
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Men from Erronmango Island demonstrated their special peacemaking procedure by a dance with long poles, while the women showed off uniquely patterned pandanus stripped tops and long grass skirts. One evening Ambae Islanders wearing their mats and bush material dress danced and drummed amidst the guests at an exhibition of contemporary Melanesian art. Other events included the arrival of outrigger canoes from Vanuatu’s outer islands, a special firing of graonport (clay pots or “saucepans of the earth”) by the women of Wusi village on Santo Island, sand drawing demonstrations, first-class theater performances by Wan Small Bag Haus, films in the Chiefs’ Nakamal (house) and Fest ‘Napuan 2002, a concert featuring some of the top visiting and local bands in an array of music from rock to reggae to gospel.
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Unfortunately, due to internal problems, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands could not send delegations, but were represented by nationals currently living in Port Vila. The Fiji delegation, while late in arriving, exuberantly celebrated their selection as the host of the next Festival in 2006. Wearing the finest masi (bark cloth), men complimented the women’s dances with great leaps and waving fans and clubs. Their energy was so contagious that some audience members could not help but join in. While scheduling was sometimes erratic, the excellence and vitality of the performances made this Second Melanesian Festival of Art a testimony to the enduring spirit of the Melanesian cultures.
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