Simbo (S 08°16.8' E 156° 31.9')

17th- 23rd January 2006

Eddie Zuna and Nicole Lovato rejoined us in Gizo a few days before we sailed across to Simbo. Upon arrival in the beautiful bay there, Eddie dropped the anchor – something he had been wanting to do for a long time!

Eddie and Nicole as we approach Simbo

On Tuesday evening, Eddie and his close family arrived for a dinner on Heraclitus – his mother, father, three brothers and sister plus his uncle Mason, cousins, other uncles and aunts - in all about 40 people. It was a wonderful reunion for those of us who had been here in 2002 and a great introduction to Eddie’s family for those who had heard so much about them all while sailing with Eddie.

On Wednesday Eddie took some of us to Ranongga, the neighbouring island, where he and his father hold land. We saw his uncle’s betel nut ‘forest’, we harvested his auntie’s sweet potatoes that she had planted for Eddie’s returning feast and visited the family land that Eddie has talked about so much on board – a black sand beach, a crisp clear river running into the ocean and a fertile slope upon which anything can grow.

Eddie's mother, Lena

Eddie's father, Stanley

Eddie's uncle in Ranonnga

Ranonnga, land of plenty

Meanwhile the rest of the crew made the hour-long walk across Simbo island to Nusa Simbo where Eddie’s family lives to meet more of the village, help with gardening activities, play soccer and get a feel for the place.

Eddie's uncle, Mason, and his grandmother

On Thursday, preparations began in earnest for Friday’s feast – the event planned for so long to celebrate the completion of Eddie’s voyage and all that we have accomplished together in his four years with the Heraclitus. Half the crew slept over in the village on Thursday night to be ready at dawn break to kill the pigs, weave coconut palm baskets, grate coconuts, cut sago palm, peel sweet potatoes. There was a storm of activity all morning until the pig was chopped and wrapped in the baskets, then placed in the underground oven. Once the pigs and sweet potatoes were buried in their steaming earthen pits, covered with palms and leaves and topped with scalding stones, everyone began to relax a little with basket weaving, playing with the enchanting kids, sitting in the cool shade of the mango trees, discussions with the villagers.

Paul and Eddie prepare the fish for the feast

tapioca and banana pudding

Mason makes coconut cream for raw fish salad

Michel and Stanley

At around 4 o’clock, the pace picked up again – more coconut palms and banana leaves were brought to the open space in front of the Zuna house and laid out to make tables on the grass for the imminent feast. First the sweet potatoes were laid on the green strips, then the crowd began to gather, then finally the arrival of the pig – sweet, succulent and steaming. Prayers were given by an uncle of Eddie then the feast was declared open and hands dove in to devour the delicious food in front of us all.

There were speeches afterwards – from an uncle representing the tribe in Choiseul, an uncle representing the tribe in Simbo and an uncle representing the tribe in Raromana. Then Michel and Eddie both gave a speech. Afterwards all crew on Heraclitus were asked to introduce themselves.

Eddie makes his speech

Eddie's uncle from Choiseul

Dances followed – a Vanuatu dance from two Simbo girls, an ancient dance by a group of young men (trained by Mason) and the Heraclitus crew performed our fatele from Tuvalu. Sarah did a beautiful fire dance with pois and Rebecca energized every child at the feast with her bird character who wears a beak and flippers on her feet!

a Simbo girl dances Vanuatu style

all of Eddie's cousins perform a custom dance

Rebecca entertains

Sarah hypnotises

As night fell, our technical crew set up an island cinema, projecting onto the wall of Eddie’s home movies from Studio of the Sea then an action movie – this ran until three in the morning.

Saturday and Sunday were expedition days to explore Lake Ove and the volcano there where sulphur rocks and steam are building since our last visit. We cooked coconut crab, plantains, lobster, chicken, megapode eggs in the steam vents on the beach and feasted (again) on the beach.

views from the top of Ove volcano

and the feast at its base

We also visited a ‘custom’ museum on Simbo where one of Eddie’s tribe is gathering many of the ancient relics from headhunting times which are now being stolen and sold to tourists for large amounts of money. He is removing what he can from the unguarded custom sites and bringing them to a beautiful display beside his house where they can be watched over, trying to preserve some of the ancient culture before it disappears.

skulls and fish hooks

We returned to a custom site that we had seen three years ago and were shocked to find most of the skulls missing. Patti, this uncle, also showed us his grandmother’s grave, close to the taboo site, where the bakia (ancient money carved from giant clam shells) had been chiseled out only last week. It is a dramatic change since we were here last in 2002.

the grave from which bakia have been chiselled

Sunday evening was our final feast, on board Heraclitus. There was enough food to fill Synestesia and more than enough people to eat it all! We sang songs with the large crowd, then we scaled down to be with just Eddie’s close family for a story telling circle, our final celebration and honour to Eddie. As Eddie brought his family to shore in the small boat that night, they began to sing the Eomba, the ancient song chanted before the head-hunting raids and the crew on board echoed back to them as they drew away in the dark.

As we departed Simbo we met Eddie in the middle of the open sea. He was on his way back from bringing passengers to the market. He headed back to Simbo in his huge canoe with outboard and Heraclitus continued in the other direction.

This has been a true completion, a gathering and exchange of Heraclitus sea people and Eddie’s tribes. It has been an incredible emotional journey for each and every one of us and will take us all time to appreciate what we have just experienced.