Vanua Lava
Kokamo's Pacifc Meanderings
Tom and Rachel
Thu 2 Sep 2010 07:44
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Kokamo is at 13:55.7S
167:26.8E
After a slight detour to entirely the
wrong bay, and a somewhat unexpected and irritating 3 hour beat back the way we
had come into 25 knots of breeze, we finally arrived in Vetumboso bay on
Vanua Lava's west coast. This is largest of the Banks islands
and the village here is currently holding a cultural festival. The
bay is surrounded by high hills and although we are fairly protected from the
swell bullet gusts of wind come down off the hills and wrap around the corner
buffeting the boat from all directions. The steep black sand beach has
waves breaking making it difficult to land the dinghy but the festival
organisers have thought of everything.....we were slightly surprised to see a
whole team of young men running to greet us the first time we tried to come
ashore but even more bewildered to see them flinging themselves into the wasit
deep water to help our little craft come safely ashore. Tom and I were
firmly told not to move and before we knew it we were hauled onto dry land
and almost carried all the way up the beach still in our dinghy. The
'landing security' teams seem to be on hand and very prepared to get wet
whenever we arrive or want to depart!
The village has made a complete
festival set up with a special stage area and many stalls selling food, even one
sit down restaurant, and of course a Kava bar. Today we have seen some
magical kastom dancing, the most spectacular was the 'Qet' dance in which the
men wore amazing, intricate, painted head dresses they had been making for
the last month. This dance is so 'tabu' that we were not allowed to take
any photos but each head dress was different, apparently representations of
animals from the sea - one had a large shark like fish on the top, but more
impressive were those that reminded us of huge sea urchins, with extemely
fine, delicate, 3 ft spines projecting out in fan like arrangements from the
wearers' heads. Each one was painstakingly painted in patterns of red,
white and black. The rythmic stamping and constant swaying from side to
side made all the spines dance and quiver. But at the end of
the festival all the costumes have to be burned and will be made new
next time because 'the spirits are very strong'.
The festivities carry on for the next
3 or 4 days......
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