All Mixed Up 1 - Physical Adornments

History records that Europeans first made landfall in these isles back in 1606 (at which time the archipelago was known as the New Hebrides), but “Westerners” didn’t begin immigrating until the mid-1800s (primarily as missionaries and farmers seeking plantation land). In 1906, the English and French initiated a dual condominium government presence in Vanuatu. Then, during the Second World War, hundreds of thousands of American troops passed through Vanuatu. These influences, along with the general progression of the world-society, have contributed substantially to the current state of the Vanuatu’s otherwise very traditional culture. It would seem that the country now finds itself in a rather precarious position, perhaps not unlike a prepubescent teen caught between the two worlds of childhood and adulthood. This all makes for an interesting “mix.” In this series of posts, I want to share some of the ways in which locals (especially Christians) are struggling to sort out where they fit in these mixed up parts of societal life. 

Before proceeding, I think it important to admit that one of the primary sources of confusion has come from missionaries who have come in and not only sought to convert locals to Christ and His kingdom, but have simultaneously mixed in their own cultural practices as if they too were gospel. For instance, a wikipedia author states of a particular 19th century missionary that “he spent the rest of his life there, working to convert the inhabitants to Christianity and western ways” (emphasis mine). In fact, looking back, I see scenarios in which we too have been guilty of such (in spite of the fact that we came specifically planning not to promote “Americanism”).

I begin this series considering physical adornment (i.e. clothing, jewelry, hairstyles, etc.). The full spectrum of this category is represented in Vanuatu. There are still a few remote villages that proudly maintain purely kastom dress - grass skirts and no top for the females, and merely a nambas (the creative use of a couple of leaves) for the males. These communities are few and far-between, and to my knowledge little-to-no (effective) evangelistic work has been done in these villages. In a sense, kastom is their religion. On the other extreme, and about as uncommon, are those who dress in almost audaciously-Western garb - oversized sunglasses, large leather handbags, very tight/revealing skirts and shirts for the women, and shined shoes, neckties, and product-infused hair for men (many young men are also heavily influenced by the American “rap” culture, and seek to dress accordingly - caps pulled low, large jewelry, baggy clothing, gold teeth, basketball shoes, etc.). 

In most villages, especially those on islands outside Efate (where the capital city of Port Vila is located), there remains an unwritten taboo against women wearing trousers (long or short). The clothing of choice is the Island (aka “Mother Hubbard”) Dress. History says that this style of dress was introduced into Vanuatu in the late 19th century by missionaries highly offended by the scantly clad women they encountered throughout the country. [On that note, there was an insightful comic in the local newspaper several years ago, which was drawn in two windows. The first was captioned “1856” and caricatured a smartly-dressed European missionary couple aghast at the brevity of clothing the local men and women wore, embarrassingly offering a set of “more proper” clothing to them. The second was captioned “2006” and showed a ni-Vanuatu couple walking along the beach dressed in the type of clothing they had been presented a century and a half earlier, embarrassingly crossing paths with a couple of Europeans running on the beach proudly displaying their speedo and bikini. “My how times have changed” it noted.] Some villagers today still see a woman wearing trousers as a great and significant offense, while others have become conditioned to accept it without question (though even these would still have standards against inappropriately brief or tight clothing).

Aelan dres blong Vanuatu

I was at a wedding ceremony recently where a local Christian (who was visiting town from one of the outer islands) asked me if I thought it was appropriate for the women to twist, braid, or otherwise decorate their hair. Modern ni-Vanuatu marriage ceremonies will be the topic of another post in this series, but here I emphasize the uncertainty of the acceptability within the culture for women to fix their hair in non-traditional (read: Western) ways. Some accept it without hesitation, whereas others are quite uncomfortable with it, assuming it to communicate something rather less than desirable. Too, I have been asked many times over the past 9 years whether the wearing of jewelry or having tattoos are at all acceptable. For tourism purposes, many otherwise “modern” villages participate in custom dances where only traditional clothing is worn (thus basically naked), and many question the appropriateness of Christians participating or watching these events.

This mis-mash of beliefs and standards makes Vanuatu a difficult place for a Christian to ascertain what is right, especially when the populace has become so transient (villagers visiting town regularly). While there are biblically-mandated standards regarding our dress and other ornamentation, culture certainly plays a significant role in determining the acceptability of many practices. When society itself is so “up in the air” regarding what is and is not appropriate, it forces us to really think through things (especially when those of “us” who are often called upon to provide counsel in such disputes are not in our original culture to begin with). As Christians, we all have to walk the balance between Christian influence, cultural sensitivity, and personal freedom. And currently, that is a fairly difficult venture for ni-Vanuatu Christians.

It becomes abundantly clear that the cross-cultural worker must, if he is to be truly effective (regardless of whether is task is educational, agricultural, health, financial or religious), have a proper respect for the cultural nuances with which the locals are dealing. An understanding of cultural anthropology is not easy, especially in a dynamic society, but it is an undertaking that will ultimately pay rich dividends.