Ambryn Island - Island of Socerers and Volcanos

I have to go back a couple of days which is what seems to happen. When you get caught up in events and have a special time, it seems too soon or early to immediately write it up and get it out on the blog. We have had several times like that and Ambryn Island was one. We only stayed at one anchorage there but there aren't very many. We actually had a report from one yacht that we knew in Whangarei that Ranon was a horrible place to go - the people asked for outrageous fees to do everything and were very unfriendly. We went anyway and found both items wrong.

They do have a formal "information center" and they do have a set of "official" tours and activities that they charge for. When we first dropped the hook in a very open anchorage (no protection for 180 degrees - i.e. a "roadstead anchorage") a dugout canoe came out with a fella about 35yo, named Jeffrey. He was very polite and welcomed us to Ranon and Ambryn Island. He told us where the information center was and that while there were many tours we could pick and choose what we wanted to do or do none of them, but we were welcome any way if we did none. We could walk where we wanted and just hang out if we wanted. He did say that his wife would do a boatload of laundry for 500vt (about $5US!!) or get us vegetables or fruit and bring them out. He could also get fresh-baked bread if we wanted, which we ordered. He went to White Swan and gave them the same spiel and then White Swan gave him the big wahoo that they had caught on the way up from Epi. We saved the one we caught to share with WS for that night and later since our reefer is big and has room.

Later on that day Jeffrey came by but this time on a big fiberglass open boat with three other fellas on board and he asked on behalf of the "captain" if we could sell them some gasoline for the boat. We said we could spare about 2 gallons but would only trade for it not for money. They liked that so we gave them some and they mixed some outboard oil in it and away they went up the coast. Gas is hard, and expensive, to come by out here. We were asked for many things this visit, including one of the most prized items - cow ropes. They know yachtie often have spare ropes from leftover halyards and other lines that have to be renewed periodically. They have a lot of cows that they move from spot to spot and graze but they need to tie them up with cow ropes. The ropes get worn out quickly in the brush with the stupid cows wrapping themselves up around trees and rocks all the time. I cut up one old halyard from the rope locker and traded for the two pieces separately.

White Swan wanted to go see a Rom Dance which is one of the tours you can do here. Ambryn is the only island with this dance and it is done in what's called a "custom" or "kastom" village, i.e. one that still practices the old ways before white men came. The Rom Dance is one of the customary dances and the men dancers wear these very exotic outfits with masks and full dried leaf coverings for their bodies. Not all mean wear the full deal. If not the men are naked except for a penis sheaf called a "namba" and a few leaves here and there. High ranking men, like the village chief, wear different kinds of leaves and/or feathers. They also have anklets with dried nuts that are a type of rattle that shake when they stomp their feet during the dance. The dance is done in a tight circle with the men in the wild complete costumes on the outside and the men without anything except their nambas and leaves in the middle. They stomp their feet on the ground, which is a hard packed but damp sand clearing, to the timing of songs or chants they do. They stomp their feet so hard that the ground twenty feet away shakes, from only about 16-18 men, and later a few very small boys in the middle.

Performing in the dance is a special privilege which you have to buy your way in to. It is kind of a secret society and the masks and costumes are tabu to women or anyone not brought in to the society. The men in the middle are sometimes initiates who are moving up to the full costume rolls and higher status. They have a tabu hut where the costumes are stored and no one but a member can go in or even touch the outside of the hut upon real physical punishment, including beating and banishment from the village. Very serious stuff. I asked the chief afterward how long the dance area had been in use and as far as he knew for at least 13 generations. They had some way to keep track of that. They had big tamtams set up around the area with one big one in the middle. A tamtam is a carved breadfruit tree long that is set in the ground and has a carved head on the top. The lower, and longest, part has a slit in it and is hollowed out behind the slit so that it resonates when struck by a stick. Jungle drums!! All this was used for any ceremonial purpose, like eating the neighbors or missionaries back in the old days. BTW - the Rom Dance is only for fun and secret society stuff - sort of like the Elks or Eagles clubs in the US. It is not religious and does not have any other mystical purpose.

However, Ambryn is home to the most powerful sorcerers in all of Vanuatu. People from other islands are afraid of the power of the sorcerers from here. Part of that is probably due to the fact that Ambryn is still a young and very active volcano. We could not go visit this volcano like we did in Tanna because they had just started the yam planting and it was tabu to go to the volcano during the planting and growing season. The reason is so as not to make the volcano mad from tramping around on it. In past years they have had the entire crop destroyed from acid rain from the volcano when the weather did not cooperate. The entire time we were anchored there the volcano put up huge clouds of noxious gases that rose thousands of feet above the high volcano way above the coastline. If the winds shift more so that these clouds blow over the Ranon area, then the daily rains would wash out the acids in the vapors and destroy the crops. So no messing with the volcano nor the volcano gods during yam season.

After the Rom Dance they put out an array of really good quality local carvings. Ambryn is also noted as the best island for woodcarving, including the tamtams, masks, flutes, flying foxes and other items. Cindy and I bought something entirely out of our budget because it is without a doubt the most beautiful carving we have seen anywhere, including the Marquesas which we thought was top before. It is a quality job done on a two tone special hardwood with a red tone to it. It is a delight to see and to hold. Now all we have to do is get it back home without any scratches.

After getting back to Ranon from the village with the dance (about a 45 minute walk straight up to a ridge top), we were asked if we could help the village by troubleshooting and repairing an AC generator they use for lighting and videos. It figures - no roads, no cars but they have DVDs. We said of course so came back later. Well, one turned in to two, then three, then four. The first one had more problems then we had equipment or time to troubleshoot but we got the next one running and making juice just fine. The third one had no gas and the owner was not home and the fourth one had a missing spark plug and the crankcase was full of rain water so we passed on it. When we got back we had two big garbage bags full of vegetables and fruit from the boat crew we gave gas to two days earlier. Jeffrey pulled me aside and asked if we had any "spirits" he could buy and I said no but I could give him some. We have rum we got in Mexico two years ago that we will never drink so I gave him a liter. You are not really supposed to do this but he seemed really nice and not likely to beat his wife up or anything. Well, that night someone on shore was singing at the top of their lungs and we figure it was him. He also did not show up on the beach to go out to a new sailboat so we think he was sleeping it off at home. Hope he does not lose his job or anything. We will not be sharing any more of our excess booze with the locals any more.

We left that morning and took off for Pentecost Island on our way to Maewo Island just north of Pentecost, and that is where we sit. More on Pentecost in the next blog. Wonderful children on the beach in the rain!!

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see:

http://www.sailmail.com