Father Asks Forgiveness In Unprecedented Custom Ceremony

Nov. 13, 2008 - PRLog -- The peaceful tropical island nation of Vanuatu witnessed an extraordinary custom ceremony when, Chief Joshua Batakoro Vanua,  father of Lee Tamata, a high risk jail escapee, ceremonially offered ten pigs, in a plea for forgiveness for his errant son.

Ten pigs were handed over to the community leaders during a custom ceremony held at the Chief’s Nakamal. The leaders included the newly elected Prime Minister of Vanuatu, Edward Natapei. This was the highest price ever paid for peace, in the traditional custom system of the island of Pentecost.

Prior to the recent national elections, a Pentecost chief had demanded that the woman candidate, Jenny Ligo, pay 10 pigs in a custom ceremony for her right to continue to contest the elections. Jenny had already performed a custom ceremony requiring her to kill 10 pigs, just so she could enter the male dominated arena of politics.  

When Chief Joshua discovered just how much damage and fear his son had caused in the local community of Port Vila, he felt compelled to offer the pigs on behalf of his son. Chief Joshua was forced to spend three months in the capital Port Vila, away from his island home and family. The chief had to sell kava and taro to raise the funds to buy the pigs for the peace ceremony.  

Pigs are the wealth of a village and ten mature pigs are not only highly prized, they were a very costly exercise for the father. In some areas of the Vanuatu islands, curled pig tusks are used as currency. The Tari Bunia Bank has 14 branches, a bank reserve, offers interest, issues cheque books and gives loans, all on the currency of the pig tusks. The bank manager says, “The bank is protected by snakes and spirits.” There is a vault but no need to use locks.  

Chief Joshua said at the peace ceremony.  “My son has done wrong and I ask for your forgiveness.” He was able to counsel his son while in Vila and will now return home with assurances from his son, that he will serve the full term of his sentence and respect the law.  In the language of the island of Pentecost, Lee’s name means peace.

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