Source: http://www.abc.net.au/arts/artok/issues/s200543.htm
|
Traditional 'Arts' in |
||
|
By
Kirk W. Huffman Trying to define art
within the complex contexts of |
|
|
|
A straightforward word
for 'art' can hardly be found amongst the 113 indigenous languages of More than most Pacific
islanders, Ni-Vanuatu have, in general, managed to retain a strong sense of
their traditional cultural identities, and the struggle for independence in
the 1970s (leading to Although Christianity
is widely spread throughout the 83 inhabited islands, it has done relatively
little to displace traditional beliefs in the spirit world, some isolated
areas refusing to convert to Christianity at all and many areas combining
traditional ritual and Christianity in a sophisticated and successful way to
enhance relevance and meaning for all. Unfortunately many early white
missionaries (and even some of the newer 'fundamentalist' churches today)
have tried to destroy Ni-Vanuatu traditional artistic expression along with
the traditional cultures, but the culturally vibrant nation of today shows
that in most of the country these short-sighted attempts have been futile. What 'white people'
would call 'art' in Many of the forms are
determined by strict ancient traditional guidelines. Although many such
'spirit' objects are to be seen in public aspects of rituals (there are often
other aspects that cannot be seen by the public), it is often more important
how the ancestral (and other) spirits – also present at the rituals – see
them. Cultural variation in
Vanuatu is as complex as the linguistic situation, but in general most of the
thousands of spiritual 'art' forms/representations appear for rituals
associated with (male) initiation, status attainment (social ranking
rituals), men's secret societies, and death. This situation pertains
particularly in the northern half of the country, an area associated with
male and female graded societies, ancient strict traditional copyright
systems and megalithic cultures. There the innumerable types of masks,
headdresses, ritual objects and ritual decorations for the dancing grounds
portray aspects of the material and spiritual worlds and serve to link them.
The famous large wooden slit drums (horizontal or vertical) are often a
permanent feature of the ritual dancing grounds, along with the ('living')
megalith stones that are Vanuatu's historical 'books' (if one has the
knowledge to read them). At another level, the
country and islands themselves can be viewed as a profound form of spiritual
'art' – at the juncture of undersea tectonic plates, with active, semi-active
and dormant volcanoes on land and under the sea, the land itself moves: some
islands appear and disappear, some are believed to be the handiwork of
particular spirits or spiritual powers, there are few larger 'artistic
canvases' in the world! The World of Women
produces its own aesthetic 'art' forms - in large part of finely woven
material mostly from the pandanus leaf: beautiful
mats, baskets, woven (and often intricately dyed) male and female costumes,
money mats, 'bank' baskets and funerary mats. Beautifully made and decorated
beaten barkcloth was produced in some areas. The
social, economic, ritual and artistic Worlds of Men and Worlds of
Women balance and complement each other: one cannot properly function
without the other. Traditional trade and
exchange linked numerous areas, a bewildering array of complex, profoundly
spiritual societies whose traditional 'currencies' varied/vary from stringed
shell money, woven money mats through castrated male tusker pigs (the tusks
often prominently featuring in 'art' forms), glabrous (hairless) pigs and intersex (hermaphrodite) pigs to fossilised
clam shell monies. The famous circular pigs tusks
were not, by themselves, a form of 'currency'. For most Ni-Vanuatu
the material 'arts' are the (usually) viewable but rarely touchable (except
by those with the rights to do so) forms of spirit presence or power. One
word, Kastom (in the lingua franca, Bislama), covers not only these objects but also
encompasses all aspects of traditional life. The real 'arts' are the whole
complex combined ensemble comprising oratory 'song', music, ritual, dance,
drumming, body paints, masks, headdresses, ritual decorations and paraphernalia
and the smells and sounds signifying such spiritual presence in combination
with the participation of the earth itself. Thus Traditional beliefs
and laws, as well as respect and copyright explain, to a certain extend, the
reason why development of 'culture for tourism' can only go so far: one
cannot overdo it without eventually cheapening or 'prostituting' kastom, and this is to be avoided. Throughout Vanuatu -
and particularly in the areas where the ancient traditional copyright systems
reign - particular individuals, lineages, clans and areas are recognised as having the rights over certain types of
knowledge, song, ritual and material spirit ('art') forms; to obtain such
rights, one has to either inherit or purchase them (with appropriate
respect). Thus, although the Internet may have its good points, the www is
not necessarily the place to discuss in detail certain cultural aspects of
Vanuatu as this modern invention has the disadvantage of making 'free' to
almost anyone information that 'anyone' does not necessarily have the rights
to. From the late 1970s a
small group of young Ni-Vanuatu artists, trained in modern western
techniques, began to grow in the capital, Port Vila, and in 1989 they formed
their own association, Nawita (Octopus). They
produce superb work, not necessarily copying the traditional forms (because
of traditional copyright considerations) but being inspired by them. The National Museum of
the Vanuatu Cultural Centre in the capital Port Vila has regular exhibitions
on traditional and modern themes, as well as a permanent display of a selection
of the nation's rich cultural heritage. Kirk W. Huffman Honorary Curator ( Research Associate, Visiting Fleischmann
Fellow and Collections Fellow, Anthropology Division, Australian Museum 2000 Visiting Senior
Research Fellow, AAOA, Metropolitan Museum, New York, 1997-1998. Sydney |
||
