The people of Vanuatu, a name, which means “land eternal”, are largely Melanesian and the people are called Ni-Vanuatu (meaning “of Vanuatu”). Ni-Vanuatu have lived in these islands for centuries and more than 113 distinctly different cultures and languages still thrive here. Vanuatu is recognized as one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. Dances, ceremonies, status and systems of authority, artistic styles, animal and crop husbandry can vary from island to island, and often from district to district. The style of art in Vanuatu differs from one island to the next and, like the customs and traditions; it has remained very rich and varied.

Over the millennia, natural boundaries, large open stretches of water, dense jungle and mountainous terrain, isolated many groups, even from the same ethnic origins, from each other. And isolation bred not just warfare, but quite different, sophisticated societies and political systems.

Today, there are four main cultural areas.
In the northern areas, there are two variations of a social and political society where men and women can 'purchase' positions of status. Wealth, in the form of mats and pigs - particularly pigs with rounded tusks - is not defined so much by how much an individual owns, but by demonstrating how much he can give away. Grade taking ceremonies, where large numbers of pigs are ritually killed and gifts given to members of an extended family, are elaborate affairs. Although the status of a person may be publicly displayed with, for example, certain body decorations, and a respect for their status, there is no real authority attached.

In the central areas, Polynesian type systems have predominated. Here, a hereditary chief is a powerful authority figure reigning over an entire class system, complete with nobles and commoners.

In the southern islands, particularly Tanna, titles or names are bestowed on certain men, which designate them as chiefs. This status can give them rights over land and even possessions of entire social groups. Women hold a very low status whereas in places like Ambae and the Shepherds, women can achieve the rank of Chief.

With no written language, story telling, songs and dances are of paramount importance. Art, in it's many forms, from body decorations and tattoos, to elaborate masks, hats and carvings are also a vital part of ritual celebrations and the social life of the village.

Similar to Australian Aboriginal stories of the dreamtime, and Maori legends of the past, ni-Vanuatu culture is also abundant in mythic legends. Natural formations, the presence and causes of volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters, are all imbibed with legends of significant cultural importance. Even today, natural events are considered not to be the result of, say, plate tectonics or a chance passing of a cyclone, but events brought about by the actions of individuals who may have offended certain spirits.

Naturally, traditional societies' economies are based on produce from the land. Staple foods are mostly root crops; yam, taro and manioc. Seasonal fruits like breadfruit are important mainstays. In most areas a portion of the jungle is simply cleared to plant crops. However in places where there is plenty of water, taro is grown in complex terraces hand built from earth and rocks. As mentioned above, pigs are a mainstay of the economy not just as food but also as a form of money and prestige.

Bislama language

Because of a long history of inter island and inter village trading, many ni-Vanuatu speak numerous languages. However, over 113 distinct languages and many more dialects are found throughout the group. When Europeans arrived, a lingua franca evolved. It's name, Bislama, derived from the Bech-der-mer (sea cucumber) traders who developed a form of pidgin English throughout the Pacific. It began as a simplified form of phonetic English, with Spanish, French and colloquialisms added for good measure.

Spoken Bislama is relatively easy to understand if the speaker is slow and enunciates the phrases. Written Bislama is also relatively easy to comprehend. However, in the same way that a Welch barman may have absolutely no trouble in understanding your spoken English, and Australian or American may have great difficulty understanding the barman, simply because of a strong accent.

Traditional Ceremonies

In custom-oriented areas, traditional ceremonies still form an integral part of village life. From the island of Epi northwards, status and power are earned by taking “grades” through the nimangki system. Men show their wealth in elaborate ceremonies, accompanied by feasting and dancing, and ritual pig killing.

The island of Tanna is home to the Nekowiar, a spectacular three-day gift-exchanging ceremony where up to 2000 participants attempt to outdo each other with lavish gifts, dancing and ornate make-up.

On Pentecost Island, the famous land-diving ceremony celebrates the yam harvest from April to June. Men and boys dive from wooden towers with vines tied to their ankles, helping to guarantee a good harvest the following year.

Ambrym’s Rom Dance is another impressive grade-taking ceremony. Dancers wear tall, conical masks and a cloak of banana leaves.

For the most part, it is used to depict the age-old lifestyle, reproduced in the form of item for daily use, such as dishes, or for ceremonial purposes.

Carvings

Materials used for carving are hardwood, the softer tree fern and stone. The carvings are made of wood: bowls and platters used for preparing food, in the shape of turtle, bird, fish in stylized form. Also pestles, knives, weapons, war clubs. Spears and bows.

Mostly they represent human figures. Among other carved items, one finds pig-killing clubs, chiefs’ staffs, masks made out of hardwood, ferns, plant paste, clay of coconut fiber. You can also see a lot of carved tree ferns representing male or female figures standing upright, with their arms hanging down the side of their bodies, and small statues made from volcanic pumice stone or coral.

Painting

Painting serves to finish off the faces and headdresses, and also the dancing apparel and the tamtams (slit gongs).

The four colors used originally were: white, which came from burnt coral mixed with the sap of plant; ochre, derived from clay; black, from smoke; and yellow which was extracted from a plant belonging to the ginger family. And the marrow of the tree fern was used to produce a purple dye. Blue was not added to the range of colors until earlier this century, when the Europeans came.

And there is the art of sand drawing, which is used to illustrate a legend, a song, and a story or relate a ceremony.

Tattooing

When the first Europeans came, women’s bodies in the Banks Islands were “dressed” in tattoos, which were carried out with spikes from orange tree dipped in a dye made from the juice of tree ferns, producing a crimson red color. The designs represented in particular the levels of graduation from rank to rank, but also depicted and age-old mythology, especially in the northern-most islands.

On Efate and the surrounding islands, only people's faces and forearms would be tattooed. Here method was somewhat different, as they used to sear the skin, leaving scars of varying geometric designs.

Traditional clothing

The traditional garment for men is called a “nambas” which is a penis-sheath made from bark or the leaf of the pandanus. Women wear grass skirts, using leaves, woven mats or the fibers of the burao. To this basic form of dress they would add masks, headdresses and various ornaments for different ceremonies.

Pottery

At one time, pottery was made throughout the islands, but nowadays it is only found on the western coast of Santo. The items are small, usually moulded on the women’s knees to shape them and turn them into bowls. Baked in a wood fire, they are somewhat fragile.

Weaving

Weaving is mainly a woman’s occupation. They make mats, baskets, women’s bags, usually out of the leaves of the pandanus and the coconut tree, the stalks of the burao. Some women also use wicker, rattan, coconut fiber or reeds for weaving. There are other items produced by South Pacific islanders, the Tongans and the Wallisians, in particular the TAPA cloth, which are quite unique, made from the bark of the mulberry tree. They used to serve as garments (for marriage or funeral ceremonies).

Although Kava is not a food crop, it is a significant part of Vanuatu cultural society. Kava is a derivative of the pepper tree family. Traditionally it is cut and chewed into a pulp, then spat into a bowl. The mushy pulp is squeezed and the resultant liquid drunk in. On some islands, both men and women may drink kava as an evening soporific after a hard days work. On Tanna it has become more ritualized as a 'men only' pastime, so much so that women dare not pass near nakamal's (men's houses) at the time kava is being drunk, lest they accidentally see the ritual and be punished with a beating.