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The local music industry of Vanuatu has expanded by leaps and bounds since the 1990s. In the early nineties, bands like Huarere and Tropic Tempo arrived on the scene; and it was these bands that gave traditional Vanuatuan music a distinctly modern identity. |
Groups like XX-Squad and Vanessa Quai are also popular. Traditional Vanuatuan instruments are the tamtam drum, which is intricately carved from a log, as well as panpipes, conch shells, and gongs.
The panpipe is an ancient musical instrument based on the principle of the stopped pipe; it usually has ten or more pipes of gradually increasing length (and, at times, girth). The panpipe is regarded as the ancestor of both the pipe organ and the harmonica, or mouth organ. The pan flute is named for its association with the rustic Greek god Pan. The pipes of the pan flute are typically made from bamboo; other materials used include wood, plastic, and metal.
The pipes comprising it are stopped at one end, at which the standing wave is reflected giving a note an octave lower than that produced by an open pipe of equal length. Panpipes were used in some songs by The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Bee Gees, Agustín Lara, Luis Miguel, Aerosmith and Céline Dion, and have enjoyed some popularity in New Age music.
It is primarily through their dances that Vanuatuans celebrate the key events in their lives. Births, deaths, circumcision, initiation, marriage and harvests are marked by bacchanal orgies, dance and story narrations. Called ‘kastom dances,’ these events are held in a sacred area ‘nasara.’ Each tribal group has its distinct kastom dance replete with gestures and movements unique to the community. In the north, there are the Sea snake dances, the Malekula Central region has Mask dances, Ambrym has its Rom dances, the Southern region has the Toka festival and John Frum dances. All tribes have their set of harvest and pig-killing dances for Yam planting and hunting ceremonies.
Outsiders and female tribal members are prohibited from viewing some of these kastom dances; however, some are performed for foreigners solely for the purpose of sharing the ni-vanuatu culture with the outside world. There are strict rules with regard to the costumes and rehearsals of these dance recitals. The Toka dances of Tanna are rehearsed until the Chief is satisfied with the performance quality.
Sometimes the accruements of the dances such as the masks and costumes are destroyed immediately following the dance presentations such as is done with the Rom dances. Participation by the large extended families and tribal affiliations is intrinsic in the structure and presentations of the dances, weaving family, tribe and culture together into an unbreakable bond. What follows are brief glimpses at the various tribal dances from around the islands of Vanuatu as they are passed from one generation to the next to celebrate the events of their lives.
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Sea Snake Dance The Sea Snake dances are seen in the Northern islands of Vanuatu, on Mota Lava and Vanua Lava in particular, and seem to be a humorous rite celebrating fertility and coming of age into puberty. The tribal performers wear elaborate headdresses and paint their bodies with horizontal white stripes, in resemblances to Sea Snakes found in the surrounding ocean waters. |
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Rom Dance
Already hidden in mystique by its active volcanoes, ever-present earth tremors, and black magic traditions, the island of Ambrym is the location of the annual Rom dances. The Rom dance performed to the accompaniment of drum beats (these are slit drums called Tam Tams) is itself a visual mystery as it is exclusively male and kept very secret. Some of the dancers, meant to be spiritual men, are dressed in tall conical banana fiber masks and banana leaf capes, costumed from head to foot. The masks and capes are then destroyed immediately after the dance to prevent the spirits from haunting the dancers. The Rom dance is an initiation dance used in the grade taking ceremonies called Maghe, to enable advancement to higher levels within the tribal social structure.
Malekula Dance
This colourful mask dance with war-like overtones is performed on Malekula, are a colorful Mask dance with war-like overtones. The Masks used here are usually inspired from animistic origins and characterised by tall conical hats. The pig-killing dances on Malekula are characterized by white painted body markings and and sea shell ankle rattle bracelets which add to the rhythmic accompaniment of the ever present hand or much larger, TamTam drums.
Toka Dance
The Toka dance is performed on the island of Tanna during the huge Nekoviar Festival held once in three to four years. This festival celebrates the end of a past tribal war and is now used as a symbol of friendship and reconciliation between the different tribal groups. The ceremonies can last for over three days and commences with a night-long dance by women called the Napen Napen.At dawn the men begin the Toka dance followed by the Nao dancers. The final stages of the festival include the requisite pig-killing feast and an exchange of gifts to seal the new alliances formed. Listen to a short audio clip of the Nao group singing at the Toka dance festival.
Source: Survivorfever.net
Wikipedia.org
