VUREAS BAY FESTIVAL

The festival here this year turned out to be a bust because the organizer, a chief from up the coast a bit who had asked for the job months before, for some reason never did anything.  Our friends in Vureas Bay only found this out when they asked him a couple of weeks ago.  They felt obligated to put something together, and even though it was rather short notice, they organized a one-day affair.  As it was, only one other boat showed up.  If we had been the only boat there, we would have told them not to bother, but ….  The result was a little low key, but quite nice anyway.

We of course would have enjoyed a full festival, but it was enough to spend the time with our friends in the village there.  After a few days, though, it was time to head south again.  The season was progressing and we had a long way to go upwind to Port Vila, before we could even think about departing for New Caledonia.  

Our first stop was back at Lakona Bay, a convenient stop for the night.  We probably wouldn’t have gone ashore, since we were leaving early the next morning and we had already said our goodbyes.  We were anchored in full view of the village, though, and we didn’t want to be rude, so we did go ashore, not intending to stay long.  They don’t fully understand our desire to be back on board before dark, and it’s sometimes impossible to get away, especially when they insist that we stay to drink some kava with them — this being a somewhat significant ritual.  We’ve been through this before, and it’s always been meaningful, but we were somewhat taken aback by the level of ceremony this time.  This was more of a formal acceptance of us into their community, well more than as just casual visitors as we’ve experienced in other places.  The kava was prepared strictly according to tradition, pounding in a stone mortar, soaking and squeezing, with multiple repetitions, a time-consuming process.  When it was ready, Chief Starr and his wife Susan each filled a shell, asked us to stand before them, and gave a brief speech.  We replied as best we could in Bislama, whereupon they handed us the shells simultaneously, which we then downed together in one motion as per custom.

We were touched.  I don’t know if we will ever return to either Lakona Bay or Vureas Bay, but we hope to, and we know that if we do, it will be to rejoin a community which we feel somewhat a part of, and which we are sure they feel much the same.

We are in the final preparations for departure from New Caledonia to New Zealand, planning to leave early tomorrow morning, so I’ll leave you here for the time being.  I’ll be back after we get this passage behind us, and fill in more gaps.  It looks like this passage might be a little more “interesting” than we would like, but the potential for cyclones is increasing, so we need to take this opportunity.  It should be safe enough, but maybe not very comfortable.

LAKONA BAY FESTIVAL

We had only been to one other festival in Vanuatu, in Vureas Bay on nearby Vanua Lava two years before.  It was colorful and exotic to us, and we have very fond memories of it and the people there.  There are other, much more elaborate (and both more publicized and more expensive) festivals in Vanuatu, though, of which we had only seen pictures and heard stories.  Our expectations, then, in such a remote and less traveled place, were modest, based on our limited experience.

Well, were we ever surprised.

The morning of the first day, we were met on the beach by hostile warriors wielding clubs and bows and arrows.  After an initial threatening display, a chief came down holding a tabu leaf (a symbol of his authority), called off the warriors, and escorted us up to the festival grounds where we were welcomed with song and flowers by the entire village. 

Festivals in Vanuatu are typically spectator affairs, but not this one.  There were activities in which we could participate, such as a bow-and-arrow competition and a tug-of-war between married men and single men.  We got to paddle in a dugout-canoe race, one yachtie and one local in each canoe — Robyn’s canoe won!  Besides the activities, there were demonstrations of traditional cooking and weaving.  There were magic shows (pretty well done, even if not believable).  Mock war and peace making.  A mock wedding ceremony.  Lots of high-octane bamboo-band music.  Traditional “water music”.  And eye-popping custom dances.  All of this was terrific, but the dances were the highlight.

We had arrived a few days early (actually, our second visit there), and had already gotten to know a number of the people, including the head chief, John Starr, and the anglican minister, Father Levi.  The latter was the organizer for this year’s festival, and he deserves a great deal of credit.  Being known somewhat already, and having some modest ability speaking Bislama — English is not a strong point here — Father Levi announced that I would be his liaison with the yachties.  Oh, joy.  Robyn could have done just as well, but it is a male-dominated culture.  Anyway, the job didn’t amount to much, other then taxing my language abilities, but they did present me with a gift at the end of the festival, a walking stick carved with a seahorse motif.  Cool!

I have numerous video clips from the festial, as well as a short movie that I made, but I have not been able to upload any of them from here.  If and when I succeed with that, I’ll put links on the blog.  But it’ll have to be just still shots for now.

From here, we made the short crossing back to Vureas Bay on Vanua Lava for their festival, and the next blog entry.

Father Levi (center), the Anglican Minister

One of the Spirits

Dugout-Canoe Race

Bamboo Band

Archery Competition

Traditional Cooking Demonstration

Chief Starr demonstrating weaving thatched roofing

Robyn loves to dance

Men's Dance

Chief Starr and Me

Robyn also loves baskets

Traditional dugout canoe

Village Men

Village House

Men's Dance

Open, Friendly People

Men's Dance

More Spirits

Bamboo Band

Basket Weaving Demonstration

Men's Dance

STILL AFLOAT, NEW CALEDONIA, NOVEMBER 19

Well, it has been a while.  The internet connectivity in Vanuatu was problematic, to say the least, and then one thing led to another ….  Sorry about that, but I’ll try to catch up a bit now before we launch off back to New Zealand.

So, where are we?  In a nutshell, we left Vanuatu on Friday, 30 September, for a magnificent two-and-a-half-day passage over to New Caledonia.  We’ve been here ever since, and are sitting at anchor now at Ile des Pins (Isle of Pines, the southeastern extremity of the southern lagoon), waiting for suitable weather for the passage to New Zealand.

We came down here a week ago, with a good forecast for departure earlier this week.  The weather gods changed their minds, though.  It then looked good for today, but that didn’t pan out either.  No idea now how long we might have to wait, but it looks like it might be another week or more.  Then again, considering the trouble and expense many people go to just to visit here briefly, I don’t expect much sympathy.  There are worse places to be stuck for a while.  There are a number of other boats waiting here with us, and we are friends with most of them, so it’s a rather social time.

I left you about to sail back to Lakona Bay on Gaua, in the Banks Group of northern Vanuatu, for their festival there.  That extraordinary event is the subject of my next post.