Tuesday, August 25, 2015

The Bamboo Band Aboard

The festival was fabulous, but we also enjoyed some snorkeling in Lakona Bay. We hadn't been in the water in a really long time thanks to the challenging weather this season in Vanuatu. But during our week in Lakona Bay, we went out to the reef near the village and had a great visit with variety of tropical fishes of all sizes and shapes. We saw a giant wrasse – easily three feet long and quite chunky as well as lots of bat fish, parrot fish, butterfly fish of many styles and some pretty good-sized groupers. We then went to a rocky shore closer to our boat that Michael had taken a swim towards the previous day and discovered an underwater field of garden eels. So we went to check them out again. It was quite a sight to watch the hundreds of eels with their bodies coming out of the ground swaying in the current. They were much longer than eels of this type we had seen in the Caribbean.

After the festival "officially" ended, there was a "farewell" on Saturday morning. They gave out special awards for the canoe races and bow and arrow shootout. Michael got an award for being the assigned "bigfella" for the committee. He was the "official" liaison between the yachties and Levi, the head organizer. He got a beautiful hand made carved wooden knife. The other prizes were handmade crafts as well, including a fan, a hat, a basket and bag.

The "committee" of festival organizers wanted to get feedback on what we all thought about the event and how they could improve upon it. Each yachtie spoke and the unanimous sound was that there was little they could do to improve the show. We then got yet another meal and listened to the "bamboo band" one more time. They did put on a great show.

On Sunday morning we were planning on leaving and offered to transport some of the Bamboo Band back to their village. We told them we could take six and as many instruments as we could fit. Another boat was also going to take six and some of the instruments. Sunday came and the other boat backed out of the transport and instead gave them some gasoline. They feared the locals would get sea sick aboard. We then were asked to take twelve people but we anticipated a rough trip once around the top of the island heading right into the wind and seas and said we couldn't. Many of the band decided to stay at the village and perform some more for an upcoming "saints" holiday on Wednesday. So the instruments would stay and we would take six people. They came out to the boat and we got underway with Isiah, Mores, Wesor, Daniel, Ifrem and Cartraet aboard(the spelling is correct, we had them sign our guest book). Most spoke pretty good english and we learned about the band and life in Lemoga, their village.

While underway, we enjoyed seven dolphins playing with Astarte for a long time. The boys loved it and sang, yelled and banged on the boat to the leaping water mammals. The dolphins seemed to respond by staying with us for almost an hour. Like everyone else, they like the bamboo band as well. The dolphins put on quite a show. The good news is that it kept everyone occupied enough to not get seasick.

We also handed over some fishing lines and the pole for them to fish. They managed to get a pretty good sized barracuda as we neared the entrance to the reef near their village. They got it in, cleaned it, and took it with them. We heard the next day on our walk from someone who said the boys cooked it after church and it fed many in their village. We loved that! They were probably quite the heroes.

We are now anchored behind a large reef near Losalava Village. Because of the large reef, there is a little less of a roll than in Lakona Bay. The first night was a very restful night. The next night there were some wind bullets coming off of the hills and we had a small roll going – but still not so bad. We took a walk into the village yesterday and met the chief and got our permission to walk around and snorkel. The plan is to be here for several days or until the wind comes less from the south and more from the east – or with any luck, the northeast. Then we can make our way back south and start our trek back towards Port Vila for departure in late September for New Caledonia.

For now, we'll enjoy this part of Gaua – and if ambitious may take the long hike to a huge waterfall near a lake. That's if the old knees recover from all the dancing at the festival!
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At 8/25/2015 7:45 PM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 14°12.47'S 167°34.19'E

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Sunday, August 23, 2015

KASTAM FESTIVAL =?ISO-8859-1?Q?=96 =93THE MUSIC=94?= - PART 3

14degrees 18.8minutes South
167degrees 25.9minutes East

The sights of the festival were visually exciting. The sounds were equally moving! There were at least four very different types of music we heard during these few days. Some we have heard before – but two of the varieties we've heard for the first time.

The Singing: The folks from these villages love to sing and they do. If they knew a song that the band was playing they would jump up and sing along. They welcomed us with a song and many of their dances included singing. Some of the sounds would include a loud yelling sound – especially during the woman's kastam dance,

The Tam-Tam: This is a large wooden log with a slit in the center. It is hit with wooden sticks and makes an incredible sound. They come in various sizes and styles – some very basic looking like a log – others quite carved and elaborate totem like structures. The large ones make a loud deep sound and the smaller hand-held ones made a less bass sound. The small tam tams are often held by one person and played by another during the kastam dances. We had both played often during the festival for various purposes from calling people together to creating music for a ceremony or dance. The large drums often have three players with the central player being the leader – calling the shots – the others on each side of him follow his lead.

The bamboo band: This was amazing. The bamboo band came from another village on Gaua – Lemoga Village - about a ten hour walk away! There were around 34 people in the band including the drummers, blowers and singers. The instruments are of varying sizes and all made from bamboo of varying widths and lengths. There are anywhere from about five pieces to 20 pieces of bamboo in each instrument. Some are struck with a wooden stick that has a foam paddle at the end. The paddle part hits and covers the end hole of the bamboo piece making an incredible sound of varying musical notes. Some of the other bamboo players use the bamboo and blow into the pieces – with great energy and enthusiasm making an almost tuba like sound. Michael tried to get a sound out of it but couldn't manage one. Some of the players are quite young. Some of the instruments are quite large and have stands that they sit upon to be played. It is quite a sight and the sound is really unique and remarkable This band has only been performing for two years. The "bamboo band" tradition has moved to Vanuatu from the Solomon Islands and seems to slowly be working its way south. This group is self taught and made their own instruments and write their own songs and musical arrangements. The village chief, Edwin, is also the band's leader. This band worked very hard throughout the festival playing for the two days of the festival, for a special Saturday morning "farewell" for a Saturday night party in the village and then some even stayed to play again on Tuesday in the village for their "saint's day." They were probably the hardest working musicians we've ever seen. Their pay: kava! As the band told us "No kava. No band."

Water Music: The last daytime activity of the two day festival was "water music." This is a woman's dance/music. They perform it in the river in waist deep water. The group of women of any number, gather in the river or ocean and literally splash around in the water. But what looks like simply playtime for adults is actually music. They synchronize their movement of hands and elbows through the water to create amazing sounds. They have a very deep thumping sound as well as higher notes. The sound coming together makes beautiful music. This particular music is said to actually have started in this bay – started by women simply playing in the water while doing their laundry and taking baths. It was started long ago and then disappeared from the culture and was reintroduced about 30 years ago. Now it is spreading throughout Vanuatu as women move from Gaua to other parts of the island chain through marriage or work. They are teaching it to others and water music is being performed on other islands as well. But it was really something to see and hear. Certainly one of the highlights of the festival.

So we got to see traditional activities and heard remarkable sounds. Take advantage of the Gaua Lakona Bay festival if you are ever in Vanuatu August 20 and 21 – same dates every year!
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At 8/23/2015 4:43 AM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 14°12.47'S 167°34.19'E

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DAY TWO OF THE LAKONA BAY KASTAM FESTIVAL

Sore from so much dancing the night before, we made our way back to the village. Another sailboat arrived the evening before, so they joined in the festivities. That meant another "welcome" song and village greeting. On Friday though, the weather was not very nice. We got lots and lots and lots of rain. But the dampness did not deter the festive feeling nor the attitude of the villagers. They still went all out.

First on the docket for the day was learning about how they prepared traditional "kakae" (or food). They did everything in a specially designed cooking hut. They showed us how they made their stone pit fires as well as a "bush" fire out of tree fern wood. The women were all using only nature made tools to prepare the food and the men used rocks and sharpened sticks to make the fire box. The tools were shells to get the coconut meat out of the husk; the thick end of palm frond with some slits in it as a grater; thin slivers of bamboo as cutting knives for the vegetables....it was all fascinating and seemed quite hard work. They pounded the cooked taro, manioc and yam into a pulp with bamboo stalks and used banana leaves as pot holders (though no pots)! The root vegetables were tossed into the hot rock pits to cook and the coconut was cooked in banana leaves.

We then saw some traditional "magic." This was great and quite entertaining. They made coconut water turn red while still in the husk by waving fronds over them; they lifted a conch shell with a palm frond; eating a poisonous sea snake (didn't quite see that one); and a battle scene where one man gets stabbed ("blood" and all) and later comes back to life! It was all quite fun and the local crowd loved it.

There was more dancing on day two – the final men's dance was a very special one with elaborate costumes and headdresses. The figures represent different spirits and the people in the crowd would each have their own special "family spirit." This dance is rarely performed at their ceremonies – maybe only once a year.

During all the dances over the two days there are these "creatures" that come out and dance around the crowds – not really part of the actual dance – but as a sideshow. They are covered head to toe in greenery – and known as the "manbush." They each have a slightly different headdress and one in particular is the "devil" manbush. He is amazing. He runs around in this costume and chases the children and they run from him. He is constantly moving, jumping and dancing - for hours! They were the figures we saw on the beach that greeted us as we pulled into the anchorage. During the two days of festivities they would come out at random times as well as during all the dances.

On day two, the participatory activity was a demonstration of the bow and arrow shooting at a very small target. The first man up, hit a bulls eye first shot! Amazing. Then the yachties gave it a try and only one of us all managed to hit a bit of the palm frond on the bottom of the target. These bows and arrows and the string – again were all made from the products available on Gaua – a taught vine, a flexible wood and a thin shaft of hardwood for the arrow.

We got another meal – a nice traditional lunch – from the cooking demonstration seen earlier. Plus, they showed the system of grade earning in a pig killing ceremony. This is where a man earns a new title or a step up in the village hierarchy. It costs the man a pig or two. This was showing how a man is made a chief. The ceremony was done in front of the very traditional "nakamal" - traditional community building or in this case, the kastam chief's personal nakamal for "men" only. It is where the headdresses are stored for ceremonies and where the men meet and drink kava. The pig that was killed in this ceremony can only be eaten by men because of the type of ceremony it was used for. It is still a culture that isn't based on sexual equality!

The day's activities ended with an amazing sight and sound - "water music." You'll read more about that in the next entry.

That evening – though it was raining hard, there was still a bonfire, music, dancing and kava as well as another meal. Though the folks were now dressed in non traditional clothes so they wouldn't get too cold in their "kastam dress."
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At 8/23/2015 4:43 AM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 14°12.47'S 167°34.19'E

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LAKONA BAY 'KASTAM=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=94 FESTIVAL =96?= PART 1

WOW!

That sums up a two-day festival in Lakona Bay on the island of Gaua in the Banks Island group of Vanuatu. On Thursday and Friday (and even a bit of Saturday), we, along with 12 other "yachties" enjoyed the hospitality of three villages. This was only the second year of this festival, but it was a truly remarkable event in both quantity of activities and the quality of them. The pictures that we'll post will tell a lot of the story (you just have to wait for us to have internet to post them).

The festival celebrates the area's "kastam". It's purpose is to pass on these traditions to their own youngsters as well as to help make a few vatus (dollars) for the villages. It takes place in a very traditional small village where there are no tin roofs nor non-traditional homes. The buildings are made of all natural products and it has a large "playground" in the center surrounded by large trees – perfect for the festivities. The villagers were all required to wear traditional clothes (though many had "western" shorts under their grass skirts) – and they were "fined" if they showed up into the area in other attire. Everything used during the festival was the traditional way of doing things...more on that later. The whole ambiance was indeed very unique and special.

We were told to all be at the beach at 8 am on Thursday morning. We then walked towards the area of the festival and were "attacked" by the warrior boys. These young men came out of the bush with spears and bows taught with arrows yelling and looking very threatening. Then a man with a "peace" frond came forward and stopped the attackers and greeted us and led us into the village. We were greeted with the entire group of approximately 150 people lined up singing and the "bamboo band" playing. We faced them and then were formally greeted with a welcome song and dance. Then every person, man, woman and child, came by and shook our hands and said hello. They also did a salusalu (hanging of flowers) around our necks. This was a wonderful way to start our day. They provided drinking coconuts and fresh popo (papaya) and bananas and the festivities continued.

The day was jam packed with several dances – men's kastam dances of different types meaning different things and in different outfits. A woman's dance, lots of bamboo band music and a demonstration of how they make their baskets (for vegetables or chickens), armbands and "bracelets/anklets" for kastam dress, roofs for houses and even some toys. We had a traditional lunch that was delicious and interesting (including some lobster salad!) and lots of opportunity to talk to the villagers about their traditions. The day was picture perfect with sun shining and a light breeze to keep the temperature perfect. The big trees surrounding the village made for comfortable viewing. Plus, they had put benches all along the perimeter of the area for seating as well as a covered hut for us to relax in.

There were two particularly unique events we watched. One was a traditional marriage ceremony. We were shown how the "bride" is carried in and the exchanging of gifts between the families (including live pigs). We also were shown how the various villages used to wage battles against each other and how the peace came following the fight. Our host, Father Levi spoke very good english and would explain these various events to us and then we would watch. The people were very good at demonstrating the traditions. One "fighter" deserved an Academy Award for his "wounded warrior" part!

The day ended with the battle of the canoes. Three canoes raced against each other – first with yachties as part of the crew and then the real race with the villagers alone. Michael took part in one race and his team came out in front!

We had a late afternoon break before we reconvened on the island for nigh time activities. This included a giant bonfire, kava making and tasting, and lots of music from the bamboo band and everyone danced – non-stop! The beat just makes you move. If you weren't dancing, someone would grab you and force you to get in gear! The kids in the villages (and there were loads of them) had a ball and laughter could be heard from all quarters. Then we were given yet another traditional meal and finally sent on our way.

It was a long first day and so filled with so many things it was hard to sleep.
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At 8/23/2015 4:43 AM (utc) S/V Astarte was located at 14°12.47'S 167°34.19'E

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Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Tolav Village, Lakona Bay, Gaua,

The Banks Islands, Vanuatu. If the anchorage didn't have the consistent roll from a swell – this place would be near perfect. It is very remote – no internet, no cell phones no shops. But it has crystal clear water (we can see the bottom and we're in 25 feet of water and it is a black sand bottom), verdant green hills and some of the friendliest people we've met. They don't speak great English – though most of the inhabitants speak two languages – their native village language as well as Bislama the language of Vanuatu. Most also have a smattering of English. They have worked hard at keeping their village (and the two nearby villages) quite traditional. They are generous with what they have.

We were greeted by two canoes when we arrived and then on Sunday, another canoe came out and delivered a giant basket of vegetables. Steven spoke quite good English and we had him aboard for a cup of tea and conversation. We also try to "pay" for the goods we are given with trade items of things they may need. We gave Steven some vegetable seeds and a can of varnish. He is the handyman for the villages and that is what he had asked for. We in turn, received green peppers, beets, spring onions, eggplants, bok choy (White bone), radishes, a few small tomatoes and fresh basil.

After Steven departed, Ben returned (he was one of our original "greeters" with his son Wesley). On Sunday he was with his wife and another son Chesley. They brought us a lovely large stalk of bananas, some drinking coconuts and some long beans. Long beans are a crazy looking vegetable that is a very long, skinny bean. We're still trying to figure out the tastiest way to prepare these. They came aboard for a cup of tea but the boats roll got to young Chesley and he got sick. Poor thing...and poor us!

On Monday, we finally made it to the village and met the chief and got permission to be at the anchorage and walk around the village. His name is John Star (though we heard it as Johnston and kept calling him the wrong name – oops). Then we met Levi, who is the coordinator of the upcoming festival and the best English speaker. He is also a minister from a village on the other side – but this is his home village where his family owns much land. He is a remarkable young man. He only had an early education to grade 3 but his family couldn't afford the school fees to let him continue his education. He moved on to Santo to work and then returned to Gaua. He was given the job of youth advisor and started to study again as he had to write letters and do some paperwork. He succeeded in his position for seven years and then was selected by someone who saw his potential to go on to the Anglican ministry. He was sent to college which he completed. He is a strong believer in balancing the native customs with the church. He started the festival that this area has in order to teach the young children more about the native "kustom" and traditions of dance and music.

The festival starts tomorrow – wish there were more boats here to support them as we can see how hard the three villages have been working. As of Wednesday, there are four boats planning to attend the event and a fifth boat with a single-hander that we are not certain will participate. We are entertained daily by someone dancing along the beach in a costume and we hear the drums being beat, as the dancers are most likely practicing They do not want us to see the "preparation."

The other exciting news for us was our reunion with a dear friend. We met Angelika and Friedl in 2009 in Curacao aboard their catamaran "Tumshi." Michael and Friedl were part of a crazy boat rescue (fiasco caused by bad anchoring and another two "helpers"). Then we got together and decided to buddy boat with them from Curacao to the Venezualan island of Los Monjes then along the Colombia coast and on to Panama. They became good friends and we enjoyed their company immensely. They went on through the canal and into the Pacific – we stayed in the Caribbean. We haven't seen them since November 2009. Angelika is now aboard a different boat "Carl" as crew with the captain Harold. Last night we had dinner with them aboard Carl. They came to Lakona Bay yesterday just so we could connect (and caught a tuna that we enjoyed for dinner). Angelika is a great cook and it was a delicious meal – especially because they have been the Torres and Banks islands for the last three months – remote areas with few supplies. We toasted with their last bottle of champagne and really enjoyed the evening and reunion. Angelika looks terrific!

Tomorrow – the festival begins.

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Saturday, August 15, 2015

Underway Again, FINALLY!

After almost a month in Peterson Bay, Santo we have finally got the anchor out of the mud and moved out. It was a pleasant stay there. Michael completed the big sewing project and now "Pukupuku" (our dinghy) is covered. We saw a rodeo and enjoyed the festivities of Independence Day. And Barbara managed to get over a bout with not feeling well (that was the reason for the extended stay). But all is well now and we left on Thursday afternoon to get out of the tricky and narrow cut during high tide. Then we anchored outside near an island and had a very pleasant evening. It is always fun to discover a new anchor spot that isn't listed in any of the books!

On Friday morning, bright and early, we pulled the anchor and sailed to the northern part of Santo and anchored in Port Olry. This was a very pretty anchorage that we snuck way back into over a few small reefs. It was that pretty place with a white, white sand beach and water of various shades of blue. Very pretty. We got visited by Marcus from a boat that was a bit further out in the bay. He needed help with his computer and Michael was able to give him a hand. Unfortunately our plans wouldn't allow us to stay in this spot - though we will probably come back.

Our goal for this year's trip to Vanuatu was to get to the Banks Islands...well we finally did. We left Port Olry at 0630 and made the 50 mile passage to the island of Gaua, also known as Santa Maria. The trip was interesting – the predicted 19 knots of SE winds ended up being anything from 8 knots of East winds to 22 knots of NE and some SE thrown in as well. That meant lots and lots and lots of sail changes. We put our downwind/whisker pole up and down three times! Of course the sea was very confused and the two plus meter "significant" waves made these pole changes challenging! But we were able to sail the entire way and got here by 1630 (4:30 pm).

We are anchored in the Lakona Bay near three villages. As we approached the anchorage, two canoes headed out towards us and met us. They told us we could anchor pretty close to shore and that the bottom had no rocks – just sand. We are settled in about 20 feet – but unfortunately, it is a rolling anchorage. There is a steady swell that works its way into this bay and hits the boat on the beam giving us a nice steady roll. We invited our canoe greeters aboard for a cup of tea and got some of the island info. We came here because on this Thursday and Friday there is a big festival. On shore, the women were practicing the "water music" which is one of the events for the festival. This is supposed to be one of the nicer events in Vanuatu and we are looking forward to it. It is a two day event filled with music, dancing, arts and local food. We will learn more when we meet today with the festival's director (who also came by in a canoe later – but we had just sat down to dinner (our only meal that day).

Today is Sunday, so we will go into the village of Tolav later today and get our official permission to be here and get more info about the festival. It is a pretty grey and drizzly day (like yesterday), so hopefully that is not indicative of this particular island's weather pattern. It is a relatively high island with what looks like lots of rivers and waterfalls. But we'll see...it will be good to get off the boat as much as possible simply because of the roll aboard.

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