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 Kastom
Tribal Dances
Tribal kastom dances are one of the key
ways that the ni-vanuatu mark the importance of key events
in their lives. Every birth, death, circumcision,
initiation, marriage and crop planting or harvesting event
is marked by celebrations of drink, dance and
storytelling. The kastom dances are usually held in a
sacred area dedicated for dancing called a nasara. These
kastom dances are unique to each grouping of tribes,
generally having evolved according to
geographical area. In the North there are the SeaSnake
dances, the Malekula Central region has some of the Mask
dances, Ambrym has the Rom dances, the Southern region has
the Toka festival and John Frum dances. Harvest dances
celebrating the Yam planting or harvest and the
Pig-killing dances are celebrated by tribes of all the
islands.
 While
some kastom dances are restricted from viewing by
outsiders or female tribal members, some are performed for
visitors enabling the sharing of the ni-vanuatu
culture with the outside world. Here is a short video
clip of such a kastom dance as preformed by the
Ekasup tribe for the many visitors to Vanuatu's capitol
city, Port Vila Efate.
Additionally some of the custom dances
have stringent rules surrounding them regarding
rehearsals or costumes. 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. As one of the highest profile
elements of the ni-vanuatu culture, kastom dances are
highly regarded, closely held and revered by the tribal
members. And each detail of the dance is meted out by the
tribal elders, so as to insure the accuracy of the
repetition of the cultural tradition along the
generations. 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.
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. Local legend recounts
of how the Sea Snake once saved all the fish in the sea,
by driving off the shark who was attempting to fill
his belly with them. As the fish were now free to multiply
in numbers, apparently the Sea Snakes are now
seen as a symbol of fertility and homage to the Sea
Snake is meant to promote successful fertility among
the tribal members.
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 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. They hold conical shaped carvings symbolizing
weapons. The mystique extends to the costumes themselves,
as anyone caught viewing the costumes while they are being
made must pay a fine of a pig to the Chief and is whipped
with stinging plants. These costumes 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. The elaborately
carved Tam Tams (slit drums) which provide the rhythmic
and musical accompaniment, originated in Ambrym but have
spread to other islands as well. A pig-killing ceremony,
common to many kastom dances throughout Vanuatu and a
tree fern carving judgment are also included in
this unusual Rom dance festival.
Malekula Dance
 On
the island of Malekula there are two main tribal groups;
Small Nambas and Large Nambas. The namba is the leafed
covering worn over the male genitalia by those living the
traditional village life. Among the dances performed on
Malekula, are a colorful Mask dance with war-like
overtones, along with the traditional pig-killing and
other dances to celebrate tribal calendar occasions.
The Masks created here are usually inspired from
animistic origins and have tall conical hats. The
pig-killing dances 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.
 The
Yam dance is celebrated on many islands and is performed
to either ensure a successful planting season or to
celebrate a bountiful harvest. The Yam dances involve
elaborate costumes with palm frond fans attached to wooden
clubs. When the yam planting season is in effect, visitors
are forbidden to walk the trails in or near the
planting fields for fear of offending spirits and
causing a crop failure. Thus the kastom dances extend
their influences even over the effects of nature and have
interwoven themselves into all aspects of ni-vanuatu life.
 Here
is a short video
clip from the island of Malekula Vanuatu, which
shows the Malekula kastom dance. The kastom dancing is
performed to the rhythm of the traditional tribal hand
drums as played by the tribal elders in the video.
The tribal chant-singing heard in the video is also
integral to the overall dance presentation.
Toka dance
 The
Toka dance is performed on the island of Tanna during the
huge Nekoviar Festivaln held only every 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 festival requires
many months of planning and dance rehearsals are required
until performance levels meet the standards of the Chiefs.
 The
ceremony can continue over three days and begins with the
night-long woman dance called the Napen Napen. The women
dancers are surrounded by the men who attempt to catch
them. On this night any woman caught is fair game for the
intentions of men. At dawn the men begin the Toka dance
followed by the Nao dancers. The Nekoviar 'host'
tribe dances, re-enacting common tribal activities, and
then the Nao dance group replies with their
dance in reply to the 'Toka'. 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.
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