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Without games, toys and electronics, kids find ways to
play games and have fun. They loved the balls we brought! |
In Vanuatu, the languages are
English, French and Bislama. Bislama is a form of Pigeon English or what we
might call Pig Latin. Actually there are as many languages/dialects in Vanuatu
as there are islands – something like 83! There was not much intra-action
within the islands so each developed its own communication style. They do not
understand one another any better than we understand their native language. And
since Cyclone Pam, the aid workers have found a tribe living in caves in
northern Tanna that no one knew existed and they have a completely different
language!
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The little ones are not too sure of "white people," but the
older ones are eager to follow us around and watch us. |
Both the French and the British
held land in Vanuatu, which was finally given independence a short while ago.
In fact, we will be celebrating their 35th Independence Day while we are here.
We have heard that they are “wasted” for several days and it is not always best
to be in Port Vila. We will be on one of the northern islands by then. It
should be a quieter celebration there.
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A number of new house are under construction. |
Last year we made friends with the
tribe on Avokh and saw a little of their lifestyle. We noted that they are less
developed in the business of tourism than many islands we have visited across
the Pacific. In addition to taking clothing, food, tools and educational
materials to Avokh, we are also documenting ways other islands attach tourists
(i.e. yachties) and glean a few bills from their pockets! There is little in
the way of entrepreneurship here. They believe in the “Cargo Cult” left over
from the wars when the USA left a lot of things behind. Now they truly believe
if they pray for something, it will come from the skies just like all of the
stuff dropped from planes years ago. In a way, we are reinforcing their
thinking by bring stuff for which they pray! Self-motivation does not seem to
be a high priority in success.
Port Resolution, like many of the
villages we have seen, has a market where handmade items and fruits and
vegetables are available for purchase. Usually a visit to a village means an
audience with the chief along with a gift, a village tour, sometimes a food
tasting and almost always a stop at their “market.” This market could be a
building or it could be a table or mat on the ground. The villagers hope you
will make a purchase – and we always do just to leave a little money in their
hands.
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Serah's Café and family |
Since Port Resolution is a tourist
destination for people wanting to visit the active volcano on Mount Yasur, they
have a cement block building for their market. I bought a blow horn seashell
for 1100 Vatu or $11 USD. Someone had been enterprising enough to find the
shell, clean and polish it and offer it for sale resulting in a little money in
his pocket.
In addition to a few shells and
shell jewelry items for sale, there were carvings, woven baskets, purses and
fans, and a limited supply of fruits and vegetables. I am sure in other years
the food items would be plentiful and the yachties would buy. We took photos to
share with our friends on Avokh as we are encouraging them to find ways to get
a little money to purchase the things they need.
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A typical island kitchen: no running water, no fridge! |
A lovely young woman, Maria, took
us on a walk through the different villages so we could find specific people
for whom I had messages and letters to deliver. On our walk, the full picture
of the damages from Cyclone Pam became evident. Many houses were destroyed; we
saw new construction everywhere. Construction materials are somewhat limited
until the leaves come back to make roofs. There was a lot of fallen tree wood
available to building and canoes.
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Men fishing in canoes under the direction of someone
in a tree on the hill using his cell phone to tell them where
he sees the fish! A form of modern technology! |
Dennis went with Patrick and his
wife to see a garden. The islanders spend the days working in the garden as it
is their main source of food. We might picture a garden as we know it: tilled
soil, neat rows of plants, few weeds as they are pulled when small, a sprinkler
running, etc. Here a garden is plants among the bush! There is no tilling:
there are no rows. The weeds are the jungle and demand daily attention or they
will take over the garden in no time.
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White Sand Beach; there is also Black Sand Beach in the
area below Mt. Yasur volcano. |
I stayed with Patrick’s children
and Maria as I chose not to do the climb to the garden and back. We went to the
edge of the cliff to watch the men fish in the bay. Several of the men were up
in trees with their cell phones! Not for better reception, but to direct the
men in canoes with nets as to where they could see the schools of fish! They go
out in the canoes at certain times related to the tides to catch fish as they
flow into the bay or back out of it with the tidal water.
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Patrick's family |
Patrick also let us see the new
house he was building. The construction was very sound and made of materials
from the land. It is just one large room where they sleep. It appeared that
their mats were under a plastic tarp to keep them dry. When the house is
finished, a kitchen will be build nearby. There are no dining rooms and no
furniture of any type. Sit, eat, and sleep on mats. That’s it!
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Inside their new house |
It was very disheartening to see so
many of the large old breadfruit and mango trees fallen or broken up as we
walked through the villages. It will be a year before they produce fruits.
There were no hanks of bananas growing anywhere. Some palms had a few coconuts
which provide coconut water for the thirsty. At least, we saw water pumps there
in Port Resolution and it looked like they were getting clean water as well as
collecting rain water. I wonder what we will find in little Avokh?
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