The Sixth Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

184 Top Mansak Family Vanuatu b.unknown Temar ne ari (ancestor spirit) c.1995 Natural fibres, clay, synthetic polymer paint, ochres, pig’s tusks, bamboo and sticks / 130 x 36 x 15cm Temar ne ari (ancestor spirit) c.1995 Natural fibres, clay, synthetic polymer paint, coconut shells, bamboo and sticks / 120 x 48 x 24cm Below Temar ne ari (ancestor spirit) c.1995 Natural fibres, clay, synthetic polymer paint, pig’s tusks, coconut shells, bamboo and sticks / 94 x 45 x 50cm Temar ne ari (ancestor spirit) c.1995 Natural fibres, clay, synthetic polymer paint, ochres, pig’s tusks, coconut shells, bamboo and sticks / 94 x 34 x 13cm Purchased 2008. The Queensland Government’s Gallery of Modern Art Acquisitions Fund / Collection: Queensland Art Gallery Ambrym, the name given to the island by an early explorer, 1 which means ‘Here is your yam’, is situated near the centre of the archipelago of Vanuatu, with Pentecost to the north, Paama to the south and Malakula to the west. At the centre of the island are two active volcanos, called Marum and Benbow by the islanders. North Ambrym is very remote and accessible only by sea. The nearest airstrip, an hour’s flight from the capital, Port Vila, is situated on the south-western side of the island. From there, it takes between two and three hours by dinghy to reach the northern part of the island. This remoteness and isolation has helped conserve many of North Ambrym’s traditions and rituals, particularly in the face of the challenges posed by the arrival of missionaries and settlers. However, the fundamental structure of life on Ambrym — categorised into the three major areas of family ties, rights, and sacred societies or initiations — has been so well preserved that the art of the island has gained regional and international recognition. In the past, the Ambrymese traded with their neighbour islands, which share many traditions and rituals: towbuan (boar killing ceremony) and mague (a hierarchy of grades) are common on Malakula, Pentecost and Ambrym. These ceremonies are the highest status performance rituals of North Ambrym. They are performed according to family ties, of which there are two key elements: te woren (the mother’s agnates) and te mukuen (the wife’s and/or father’s mother’s and/or mother’s mother’s agnates). 2 All life events — birth, puberty, circumcision, marriage and death — are marked by ritual ceremonies performed to either te mukuen or te woren , or both. The towbuan is an important rite for conferring status, and both men and women achieve titles and prestige through this rite. The boar tusks sacrificed to te woren or te mukuen are returned to the sacrificer, to be worn around the neck and the arms on public occasions. If the boar is sacrificed to te woren , the tusks are worn on the right arm; if it is sacrificed to te mukuen , then they are worn on the left arm. The mague is another path for gaining prestige in North Ambrymese society. It is the hierarchy of 15 grades, arranged into 10 ranks, where men and women (only if a woman’s husband has achieved the 15th grade) pay rights for either ‘stones’ or the rite of mounting onto a platform over a carved tree fern to achieve titles. Initiates who attain these high levels of prestige are influential and, by extension, so are their wives and children. Sacred societies and secret initiations also play an important role in North Ambrym. These are respected men’s societies in which initiates receive knowledge for objects such as masks or ‘stones’. The Ambrymese believe these objects are sacred and require an intimate knowledge of the ancestral spirit world. They are also honoured and jealously guarded, being kept far from the villages or in tabou houses belonging to the high chiefs. Today, North Ambrymese traditions and rituals live in harmony with Western culture. The latter has influenced all villages, but the former remains deep in the minds and the hearts of North Ambrymese people. Napong Norbert Endnotes 1 The island of Ambrym owes its name to Captain Cook; see Destination Vanuatu, <http://www.vanuatuparadise.com/NewFiles/anglais/iles/ambrym_ang.html >, viewed October 2009. 2 Agnate refers to being related through males or on the father’s side. Traditions and rituals in North Ambrym