Vanuatu Artifacts - Carved Drums
The birth place of Extreme Sport lies in the swirling mists of time on the tiny tropical island archipelago nation of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific, in the Pentecost land dive.
Vanuatu was the inspiration for the book by James A Michener, which in turn inspired the classic musical Rodgers and Hammerestein's 1958 film, South Pacific. The Television hash up of the original classic, in 2001, never found favour with the viewing public.
Voted the Happiest Country on Earth in 2006, Vanuatu once again rose to the forefront of the world stage. World Heritage status was recently granted to the grave site of Chief Roi Mata. It is thought more than 20 wives were buried live with the king.
World financial crises leave some parts of Vanuatu untouched, where the bank deals in a currency of specially grown pig tusks, intricately woven ceremonial mats and even sacred stones.
Now, the release of unique and traditionally kept secret art work, from the northern island of Ambrym, has once again brought Vanuatu to world attention. The art circles of the world are agog with excitement over the newly shown pieces.
The towering carved slit wooden gongs, go unnoticed by most of the visitors to Vanuatu. Yet, these drums are among the largest free standing musical instruments of the world.
Gazing at the sometimes four metre high gongs, few are aware of the connection to the hidden secrets of Vanuatu society. A society which has traditionally kept its secrets well away from the eyes of the world.
The carved figure of the gong is a stylized form of an ancestor. The eyes representing the morning star. The entire artifact could well be mistaken for a modern piece of art.
Carefully coordinated actions by multiple drummers, beat the lip of the gong with a small wooden club. These informal village orchestras perform rhythmical ensembles of immense variety and complexity.
The gongs form a specific role in the sacred ceremonies of initiations, funerals and dances. They were once used as the means of communicating to neighbouring villages.
"There are no pieces like the Vanuatu art in the museums of Europe and America. Only one similar piece was found in a museum in Britain.
Education of the younger generation is the only way the Chiefs of Vanuatu can preserve their ancient culture.
The art of the language of the gong is almost lost among the young people. Hopefully the sharing of their secrets, will bring about the desperately needed change in the education of the next generation.
You can take an active part in helping educate the next generation of these beautiful and ancient people . Contact Wendy thorugh YouMe Support Foundation, on admin@youmesupport.org, one of the foundations determined to help Vanuatu move forward on the education front.
Photo:
http://www.prlog.org/
