Banam Bay Malekula Island VANUATU

This is the sort of island you read about in National Geographic. In 1969 the last victim went into the cannibal's earth oven (not boiled in a pot, that's a myth), and it is possible to trek up to one of the sacred places where many human bones are still lying around. A few of the older men have elongated skulls - their heads were bound as babies to make them more attractive. There are two main groups, the Big Nambas and the Small Nambas, so called because of their penis sheaths - the Big Nambas use large purple panandus fibres, while the Small Nambas just have one leaf. Needless to say, along the coast most people wear normal clothes, but traditions are still very strong for any special occasion - not just for the tourists of which there are very few.

It is not the place for women's lib., women squat when among men. If a Big Namba woman has pleased her husband he may permit her to take part in the 'tooth ceremony'. This involves her two front teeth being loosened and then knocked out with a stone. This gives her much greater status, and she has to pay a large number of pigs for the privilege. A tusked pig also has to be paid as a fine if she happens to watch any of the ceremonies, or rehearsals, that are only for men and tabu for women. On the other hand if a man goes under a woman's washing line (ie lowering himself to female work) he has to pay a fine, preferably in pigs (even tourists). The most valuable pigs are those whose tusks have grown into a complete circle - some top teeth are removed so the tusks are not ground down. We have noticed that when men paddle up to us in their dug-outs they much prefer to speak to G, and will ask where he is if he doesn't appear.

We are anchored in a lovely bay with a long white beach and a couple of small villages behind the trees. Yesterday they put on some dancing for us - we got together 8 boats from nearbye anchorages to make it worth their while. We were welcomed with leafy garlands, taken on a tour of the village, and welcomed by the chief. This is a Small Namba area, so the men of the village wore small penis sheaths of banana leaf tucked into a bark belt (Big Nambas have huge red leaves!). Some had feathers in their hair or beards, and some had seed pod rattles round their ankles. At this stage the women and children were not to be seen, and to watch the women's dancing we had to go to another clearing. They wore grass skirts, and had the babies and toddlers with them, some of whom just stood wide eyed looking at our white faces, others cried unless they were picked up. They don't get many boats visiting here, so the youngest children have probably never seen strange faces.

After several little speeches of thanks and lots of handshaking we were given coconuts to drink, and invited to eat some 'laplap'. This is a paste of yams cassava or taro mixed with coconut milk and laid out on banana leaves like a thick pastry. Pork, beef, chicken or fish may be added. It is wrapped in more leaves and cooked in an earth oven over hot stones. It was brown and crispy on top, and quite tasty.