While In Port Vila, as per Independence Day festivities similar to what we witness on the 4th of July, fireworks are set off and the town is bustling with tourists and Ni Vanuatu visiting from the outer islands. Though on Paama there were no fireworks, but we did celebrate all week...island style. Leading it off with Children’s Day where kids marched, games were played and candy was eaten.
Several communities, about 10 villages, come together in Liro village and set up stalls (booths) to sell food and other handcrafts. There’s a stage, music (usually string band or the few popular songs that are played incessantly) and MC who announces activities. This year, the MALAMPA province provided 400,000vatu (about 4,000USD) for the celebration and a committee was formed to create a program for each day. Competitions included sports (football i.e. soccer, volleyball, island relay, canoe race, swimming) as well as best island dress, string band, church choir, best food stall and fastest kava chugger (I would have lost). Other races included fastest mat weaver, best sand drawing, and even custom magic (although I missed that show).
It was such a fun week…I participated in the island dress show, donned with one of my sister Lenneth’s new dresses from her powder shower and Auntie Eda made me a hat made from a coconut leaf with flowers and balloons dangling from and bouncing around my head. Each mama approached the stage dancing and gesturing, bowing and curtsying. We all danced on stage while flapping our island dresses. It was a sight.
One evening, after Mama Eva and little sister Lisa left (it’s a 40 min hike or 20 min canoe row to Liro), I stayed with my Papa Isaiah to drink kava. Women on Paama don’t usually drink kava although some do privately so it’s really lucky that I have the opportunity to storian with the papas and uncles while enjoying kava. After a couple shells for me (and quite a few for my Papa Isaiah), we ventured to the next village where his canoe is parked and we climb aboard while the waves crash around us. The ocean is slightly rough and we start to paddle…my headlamp leading us home. It was difficult to see and with a kava buzz and rocking, I just closed my eyes and paddled, hoping to keep the laplap in my belly but nope, I fed the fish on the way. We made it safely back to Tahi…me stumbling back up to my hut.
On the 30th, I was invited as a special guest along with other “bigman” of North Paama to be recognized, given a “flower greeting” and to sit on stage during the flag raising, Vanuatu National Anthem and speeches. Other “bigman” (they really say that) included chiefs, government workers, school headmasters, church ministers and community leaders. It’s humbling to be up there, with only a few women and being the only metalo (whiteman in Paama language…as they call me here, although I try to explain to them that I’m yellow J). Afterwards, we were invited to a “cocktail party” where we ate rice with beef, cookies, cake, twisties (equivalent to our cheetos/cheez doodles but nowhere as good, especially while acting like a Peace Frog) and drink juice which is really just coolaide. Yeah, I drank the coolaide.
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