 | Pacific Culture
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Vanuatu has a very rich and diverse cultural tradition which can be seen through dance, ceremonies, artifacts and architecture. Many traditions are still maintained and are incorporated into everyday life in the Islands. Within Vanuatu's Cultural Series, this se-tenant strip of stamps shows a range of masks from different islands in Vanuatu from Epi northwards. The southern group of islands do not use masks and tend to use face and body paint instead. Masks are used for several reasons, in dance, grade taking ceremonies or secret societies as part of the strong traditional structure within Vanuatu.
The variety of masks is enormous in terms of design and materials which can be wood, plant fibres, moulded clay and even cobwebs. The masks can take the form of the human face or spirits and sometimes have animals, fish or bird forms as part of the design and vary from covering the face to the whole body like a cloak as part of the overall costume. The less ritually important masks can be re-used, but others are destroyed after the ceremony to retain the spirituality of the occasion. The masks shown in this issue can be seen at the Cultural Centre in Port Vila.
The Fijians still retain many of their traditional customs, one of the most important being the "Yaqona" ceremony as seen in the $3.00 stamp. This formal ceremony precedes any event of importance and is a mark of great honour and respect to the recipient. The brew has slight narcotic properties and is made from the pounded root of "Piper Methysticum" mixed with water. In other Pacific countries Yaqona is known as Kava.
In the "Vakamalolo" or sitting dance, only the upper body, head, arms and hands move. As in the "Seasea", the Women's fan dance, traditional costumes of Tapa are worn. Tapa is a cloth made from the beaten bark of the Paper Mulberry tree. The "Seasea" is a dance using fans and slow rhythmic gestures accompanied by song. In contrast the dramatic "Mekeiwau" or Club dance with vigorous drumming, much leaping and club swinging recounts days of old when ancestors fought fierce battles. Fiji has numerous other dances and songs that retell heroic deeds, great love stories and tragic events that are woven through their colourful history.
This nine stamp issue commemorates the first Melanesian Trade and Cultural Show, hosted by the Solomon Islands to coincide with the 20th Anniversary of Solomon Islands Independence on the 7th July. The culture and customs of the Solomon Islands are rich and diverse which is reflected in the existence of around 107 indigenous languages among a population of 350,553. It is a living Culture with many of the ceremonies, dances and customs still performed and respected today.
The stamps depict costumes and events from the eight different provinces of the Solomon Islands from the head-hunting days of old to wedding ceremonies and valuable shell money that is paid as part of a dowry in some areas. Music, songs and stories are also intenvoven into events, to relay legends or concerning past wars, hunting, harvesting or weddings and other ceremonies.
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