Water Music
17 August 2009 | Espiritu Santo Vanuatu
Michael and Jackie

Vanuatan women making music by slapping the water. Quite something.
Our last day at Oyster island was a bit of a highlight. The resort arranged a pig barbecue and a group of islanders from the Banks islands performed water music.
The Banks and Torres islands are the most northerly islands in the Vanuatu archipelago, and one of the traditions up there is women playing water music. First of all some young men appeared wearing traditional costume. Painted bodies, short loin cloths and the leader of the group wearing a sort of grass coat. They played a cowrie shell and a traditional drumstick. The boys leaped with their spears scaring some of the children and older onlookers. Then eight women wearing traditional style clothes made of leaves walked down the beach and into the water.
To the tapping of the drum they slapped and pulled their hands through the water making music. The most amazing sound was the deep notes that they were able to get. Apparently the tradition arose from villagers slapping the water to scare fish into fish traps. The group played about eight songs, all different tunes and rhythms. This group of villagers were last year asked to perform in Spain. It was the first time they had left their island let alone Vanuatu. Now they are becoming quite famous. In the Banks Islands where we we are heading there are other groups of women who still make this type of music so hopefully we will see them again.
While the music was being played a large pig was been roasted. I think that this was the first time that the resort had barbecued such a large pig so predictably the serving time for the meal got put back and back since the pig was not cooked enough. In the end I think they cut off some of the pork and finished the cooking in the resort kitchens. Notwithstanding the delays the meal when it arrived was excellent and we washed it down with bottles of NZ wine from Colin's vineyard.