13th - 21st August 2005

Fair winds and sunny weather made the passage from Fiji to Vanuatu possible entirely under sail. At sea we feasted on mahi-mahi, wahoo, and squid, harvesting catches almost daily. The voyage provided the opportunity for training exercises in tacking, celestial navigation and other seamanship skills.

a distant view of Mount Yasur, Tanna Island

Drifting several miles off Tanna Island, we could see the faint orange glow of the volcano, Mt. Yasur, against the dark sky. On this, our last night at sea, a pod of dolphins surrounded the ship as if welcoming us into this new country.

The anchorage at Port Resolution provided an idyllic setting for our introduction to Vanuatu. Densely vegetated hills overlooked the small, protected bay, which was traversable by a short canoe paddle. A broad sand beach encircled the back of the bay while volcanic rock cliffs forming dark caves and intriguing crevasses bounded the two sides. On one side, hot springs bubbled from the rocks, a leisurely swim from the ship. The springs formed a natural jacuzzi situated to provide a perfect view of the sunrise over the bay. At dusk flying foxes would ascend from the trees, their silhouettes filling the sky.

the village of Port Resolution, Tanna

This landing, Port Resolution, owes its name to Captain Cook, who landed here in 1774. Since Cook’s time, the people of the local villages have looked after sailors arriving at this port. Today there exists an open-air yacht club and three guest bungalows operated by the nearby village. Eco tours on medicinal plants and demonstrations of traditional practices such as archery, woodcarving, weaving with coconut palms, walking on fire-heated rocks and “magical” carrying of injured people using leaves are offered as a means of income for local villages. We were received here warmly, greeted shortly after arrival by men paddling outrigger canoes.

demonstrations of archery, firewalking and lifting on leaves, then Eibes and Michel are lifted!

To begin our acquaintance with the nearby village, as well as Vanuatuan culture, we invited several of the islanders onboard to perform an evening kava ceremony. The people of Tanna, an island famous for growing the strongest kava in the world, still widely adhere to traditional practices surrounding the drink. Most women native to the island do not drink kava, but men drink every evening in the village nakamal. During this time the village leaders call attention to issues that have arisen in the community in an attempt to resolve conflicts without aggressive confrontation.

the chewed kava root before it is transformed

Onboard the Heraclitus, the locals guided us through preparation of the drink, first chewing the kava root, then mixing the chewed root with water and finally squeezing and straining the resulting liquid through the fiber bark of a coconut tree. We drank the kava one coconut shell cup at a time, on each occasion offering a petition in the direction of Mt. Yasur.

We soon learned that the local village, as well as villages all over the island, was in the midst of festivities surrounding the circumcision of several boys, an important rite of passage in Vanuatuan culture. This celebration extends from the time the boys are circumcised until they are completely healed which takes a few months. During their recovery the boys remain in a specially prepared hut by the ocean, hidden from the eyes of women and girls. At the end of this period the village holds a great celebration commencing with an all-night dance involving the entire village, then presentation of the circumcised boys the next morning to the village, feasting, and plentiful gift-giving.

children being painted for the celebrations

We were invited to participate in the celebration with the local village, in the phase shortly after the boys had been circumcised. The women of the ship joined the village women in preparing lap lap, a “national dish” of sorts consisting of grated cassava mixed with coconut cream and occasional additives such as cabbage or pork, then baked inside leaves in an earthen oven. The men of our crew helped butcher pig and goat and went with the village men to visit the circumcised boys. In the afternoon the food was shared and exchanged between families and the different sides of the village.

a group of young boys soon to be circumcised

the boys returning from the bush after their circumcision in whose honour the celebrations were held

In a village a few hours’ walk from Port Resolution, Michel, Eibes and Eddie attended the “coming out” ceremony for the circumcised boys of that village. Click here to see a short movie of some of the celebratory dancing which carried on from dusk through til dawn.

women preparing to dance through the night in the celebrations

Click here to see a short  Studio of the Sea film of some of the celebratory dancing wich carried on from dusk through til dawn.

In the spirit of a true cultural exchange, we invited people from the local villages onboard to see how we live. The women were quite interested in how we make our bread, so we held a breadmaking session, turning the Heraclitus into a floating bakery and producing over a dozen loaves in one morning! The women took to the doughmaking well while many of their husbands watched, just as intrigued.

bread lessons on board Heraclitus

Continuing our own immersion into this new culture, we attended and participated in an event held weekly by followers of the Jon Frum movement, the main religion on the island of Tanna. Rooted in World War II, this so-called “cargo cult” has arguably helped preserve many traditional Vanuatuan ways, as followers have resisted changes to lifestyle, customs and beliefs promoted by foreign missionaries since the war. The event we attended was held in a Jon Frum village a three-hour walk from Port Resolution, on a trail over thickly vegetated hills, past farms growing banana, taro, cassava and corn, and beyond stunning overlooks extending to the sea and coastline far below. People from all over Tanna gathered in this village to participate in the all-night singing and dancing, a vigil calling Jon Frum to return.

an 'altar' in the John Frum village

The evening began with everyone gathering in a central hut—the Jon Frum house—and singing to the accompaniment of guitars. The songs change weekly, transmitted to the people through certain prophetic individuals of the village. Slowly, people began to drift out of the hut and started to dance, filling the area around the hut, flat and cleared for this purpose. The men hovered close to the hut while the women stayed farther back, approaching the inner men’s circle but always turning back as if seeking refuge in the shadows. Brightly painted grass skirts swished around the dancers’ hips, adorning men and women, alike. Song after song, dance after dance the night drew on, accompanied occasionally by the deep rumbling of Mt. Yasur, traveling through the ground as if fuelling this all-night dancing and singing marathon. Finally, shortly after daybreak the next morning, the music ceased and those remaining in the arena quietly disappeared into their huts. Some went to the nearby hot springs to bathe in the steaming water flowing into the sea. We were treated to a breakfast of lap lap wrapped in island cabbage leaves before the eight o’clock flag raising ceremony, during which time American, French, and Australian Aboriginal flags were solemnly raised. A fourth flagpole remained, apparently vacant while the Vanuatuan flag was down for repairs. After the ceremony we were sent off with good wishes from the village and accompanied by several energetic kids back to Port Resolution.

Our time in Tanna would not have been complete without a visit to Mt. Yasur. A bumpy yet beautiful truck ride took us to the interior of the island over a rutted dirt road beneath a canopy of towering tree ferns and giant banyans. Eventually the road climbed forested hills, finally to arrive at what appeared, in contrast, a Martian landscape of ash and rock, devoid of trees or other plants. We hiked the final several hundred yards up a slope, taking us to the rim of the volcano, which encircled the gaping crater with its three steaming pits. The crack of the first explosion heard from the rim sent a shock which rocked the whole earth beneath our feet, sending fiery lava and boulders high into the air. Continuing with rumbles and explosions every few minutes, the glowing oranges and reds intensified as the evening light faded. Creating an impression defying explanation, the experience redefined the term, “eruption” for each one of us.

some views of the lively Mount Yasur

After two weeks, with memories that would endure far longer, our time in Tanna drew to a close. The village held a huge Sunday feast, complete with a bountiful variety of foods, music by the John Frum village guitar band, dancing, soccer, volleyball, and relaxing on the central green as we prepared to say our goodbyes. The next day we departed Port Resolution, the ship laden with gifts of fruits and vegetables, beautifully woven bags and mats of pandanus leaves, colorful grass skirts and feathered head ornaments, seed and shell necklaces, and good wishes from our newfound friends. With excitement in anticipation of exploring more of this country, we left the bay.