1
00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:51,589
The South Pacific.
The first Europeans to sail these waters
2
00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:57,152
took back to their chilly northern homes
stories of islands of paradise,
3
00:01:57,240 --> 00:01:59,629
where the warm sea abounds with fish,
4
00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:03,793
coconuts drop
from the trees and life is easy.
5
00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:12,399
The islands lie thickest in the southwest.
6
00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,392
But the explorers soon found
that the people who lived here,
7
00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:19,519
were far from gentle innocents
wandering through a garden of Eden.
8
00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:22,672
Some were head... hunters, others cannibals.
9
00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:27,470
And they were all haunted,
even tormented, by their gods.
10
00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:29,710
(Drumming)
11
00:02:42,640 --> 00:02:46,189
The people of Melanesia,
as this part of the world is called,
12
00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,317
created numberless images of their spirits.
13
00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,949
They constructed them from bark cloth,
they wove them from fibre,
14
00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:56,396
they carved them in wood
and hung them with human hair.
15
00:02:56,480 --> 00:02:58,471
Some resembled human beings,
16
00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:02,599
some creatures that have never been seen
in the natural world.
17
00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:06,076
(Pipes)
18
00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:19,876
(Pipes and screeching)
19
00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:36,752
(Drumming and handclaps)
20
00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:51,512
Many of the people who created these things
stopped doing so long ago.
21
00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:55,798
Their islands were small and easily policed
by government officers and missionaries
22
00:03:55,880 --> 00:03:58,917
but there are also
large islands in the South Pacific,
23
00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:04,472
some so big that even today, few outsiders
have visited the people living in the interior.
24
00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:07,552
0ne such lies in the New Hebrides, Malekula.
25
00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:16,312
The only roads in Malekula run round the coast
and then only in short, unconnected lengths.
26
00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:20,393
Inland, rivers alone
break the carpet of dense jungle.
27
00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:25,479
Villages are very difficult to see from the air,
28
00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:29,030
so deeply buried are they
in the tall forest.
29
00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:38,270
That brown spot is, in fact, the roof of a hut.
30
00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:41,352
All that can be seen of a whole settlement.
31
00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:51,556
This is the hut
and also the highest point of Malekula.
32
00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:55,915
Only a handful of outsiders
have ever been here.
33
00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,436
And the reason is not difficult to discover.
The journey is not an easy one.
34
00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:05,436
You have to wade across river 26 times...
I know cos I counted them.
35
00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:08,751
And climb up very steep, muddy slopes.
36
00:05:08,840 --> 00:05:11,877
And it rains.
And if it rains heavily,
37
00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:15,111
well, you may come up here thinking
you're gonna spend days,
38
00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:19,796
and end up spending weeks,
because the rivers will become impassable.
39
00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:24,271
But it's a marvellous place to be
because this is not so much a village,
40
00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:28,353
as a great ritual centre, a holy place.
41
00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:33,355
These huge log gongs,
this is the mother gong,
42
00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:36,716
sound through these mountains
to the many people
43
00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:42,432
who have their huts scattered in the forest
and who will come here for the big ceremonies.
44
00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:46,035
It's planted with special ceremonial plants.
45
00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:48,793
This is the tanket, the croton plant,
46
00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:53,192
which is an essential part
of many of the ritual sacrifices.
47
00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:58,995
Over here they are food plants...
bananas, paw paws, coconut,
48
00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:03,710
cassava, yam, taro, bread fruit,
but there are not just food plants.
49
00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:07,076
There also grow other plants
that otherwise are only found
50
00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,391
in some remote parts of these mountains,
but whose blossoms
51
00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:16,237
and whose leaves are essential
for many of the rites that are held here.
52
00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:19,630
No woman is allowed anywhere inside
this enclosure
53
00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:25,955
and I myself may not pass an invisible line
which crosses the path just here.
54
00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:30,079
For beyond lies the entrance to the namao,
55
00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:36,190
a house that is shielded
from view by this palisade of leaves.
56
00:06:36,280 --> 00:06:41,274
The namao is the men's sacred house where all
the important tribal decisions are taken,
57
00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:43,954
where the great ceremonials are held.
58
00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:49,194
No stranger, no white man
has ever seen inside a namao.
59
00:06:49,280 --> 00:06:53,558
And so we only know what is in there
from what the men themselves tell us.
60
00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:57,872
One thing is quite certain.
Inside, there are great quantities of carvings
61
00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:00,758
and sculptures of all kinds.
62
00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:05,117
Mulumulanassar
is the most important man here.
63
00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:08,158
He knows more about the supernatural world
than anyone else
64
00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:12,279
and he will decide whether we may see
any sculptures from the namao.
65
00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:15,193
A man becomes important by sacrificing pigs
66
00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:19,990
in a series of rituals that only the most
dedicated can complete in his lifetime.
67
00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:22,640
The spirits require not just ordinary pigs,
68
00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:25,792
but tuskers that have been specially mutilated.
69
00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:30,510
This is the most valuable kind.
Its upper tooth was knocked out
70
00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:34,593
so that its lower tusk
could grow in a complete circle.
71
00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:41,238
Mulumulanassar during his long life
has sacrificed over 300 pigs.
72
00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:43,550
By doing so he's reached such a high grade
73
00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:47,838
and become so holy
that he is already partly dead,
74
00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:51,595
already spending some of his time
in the next world among the spirits.
75
00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:54,638
It's through him
that they convey their wishes to the living.
76
00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:11,348
Without warning, a Numpuki spirit
has come out of the namao.
77
00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:15,956
Normally, this only happens on a day one
month after the death of an important man.
78
00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:23,436
More men emerge
from the sacred enclosure.
79
00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:30,751
These are Metenyeli boards.
80
00:08:30,840 --> 00:08:34,799
The staring eyes represent
the unblinking gaze of a dead man.
81
00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:38,236
For this is the spirit face
that glares down on a boy
82
00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:42,108
during the painful,
terrifying rites of his initiation.
83
00:08:51,880 --> 00:08:55,793
Mulumulanassar is permitting us to see
much more than we could have hoped.
84
00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:59,111
It was out of the question
that we should go inside the namao
85
00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:03,113
but now its sacred objects
are being brought out to us.
86
00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:06,954
The people tell us the names of each of them.
87
00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:09,600
These are Nangar.
88
00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:13,271
This, Nimelaloks.
89
00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:17,153
They're made from clay and cobwebs.
90
00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,949
Some incorporate the curving tusks
of sacrificed pigs.
91
00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:24,669
All undoubtedly
are used in the long ceremonial dramas
92
00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:28,992
that are enacted in the namao, the cult house.
93
00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:35,596
We are taken to an outlying hut.
94
00:09:35,680 --> 00:09:37,033
This is not the namao,
95
00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:41,318
but a place where other sacred objects
are being stored.
96
00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:48,316
All these things are so ritually powerful
that no woman or child may see them.
97
00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:52,632
It may be that the women too have images
of their own in houses of their own,
98
00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:56,190
but I, as a man,
will never be told about that.
99
00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:59,917
These boards form the ceiling
of the initiation hut
100
00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:03,709
where boys are confined for a whole year.
101
00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:05,472
- Rambaramp?
- Rambaramp.
102
00:10:05,560 --> 00:10:07,118
Him?
103
00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:11,713
And these are the most spectacular of all.
104
00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:21,668
A Rambaramp is an effigy of a dead man
painted with designs that proclaim his status.
105
00:10:21,760 --> 00:10:24,149
Its head is his actual skull,
106
00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:28,199
fleshed out with clay,
mixed with vegetable fibre.
107
00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:31,875
Mulumulanassar
takes us to a special place in the village.
108
00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:34,474
Here, beneath a shroud of painted bark,
109
00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:36,710
lies the body of his son.
110
00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:46,511
Above, symbols of fruit bats and doves.
111
00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:48,477
His son died six months earlier.
112
00:10:48,560 --> 00:10:50,152
The body is now headless
113
00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:53,198
for the skull has been removed
and made into a Rambaramp,
114
00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:56,955
which will be displayed
in a great funeral ceremony.
115
00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:19,597
The rites are being held for six other men
as well as Mulumulanassar's son.
116
00:11:19,680 --> 00:11:23,639
It is the biggest funeral ceremony
to be held for decades.
117
00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:29,313
The women have assembled
carrying branches of croton leaves.
118
00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:56,716
Specially large yams
have been grown for the occasion.
119
00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:00,588
They will be presented to the spirits
of the dead men.
120
00:12:10,840 --> 00:12:13,638
This is Iblabnambump
from a nearby village.
121
00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:15,438
The only man in all these mountains
122
00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:18,671
who has has reached a rank higher
than Mulumulanassar.
123
00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:21,228
He alone knows the full rituals.
124
00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:25,233
Without a man of his rank,
the ceremony could not be held.
125
00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:29,279
When he and Mulumulanassar are dead,
there may be none who knows
126
00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:33,353
how to perform a similar service
for their spirits.
127
00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:37,712
A long screen of leaves
has been put up in front of the namao
128
00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:41,793
and above it, mysterious figures begin to dance.
129
00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:49,874
The people call these in pidgin,
Pikinini Blong Rambaramp.
130
00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:51,712
The children of the Rambaramp.
131
00:12:51,800 --> 00:12:55,839
Their dances may be the acting out
of one of the myths of creation
132
00:12:55,920 --> 00:12:58,832
in which they took part in a titanic battle.
133
00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:03,357
But no outsider knows exactly
what this puppet play does mean.
134
00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:27,836
And now the Rambaramps appear.
135
00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:29,876
(Drumming)
136
00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:35,070
(Drumming stops, singing)
137
00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:43,832
More and more
are brought out from behind the screen
138
00:13:43,920 --> 00:13:46,480
until there are seven standing in a row.
139
00:14:08,480 --> 00:14:11,233
0fferings are piled up
in front of the Rambaramps,
140
00:14:11,320 --> 00:14:14,551
and their living relatives
lament before them.
141
00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:17,279
(Mournful singing)
142
00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:40,598
0nly very high ranking men
like Iblabnambump
143
00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:45,993
are entitled to carry such a ceremonial spear
or perform such dances as this,
144
00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:50,119
the dance of a man hawk
on its way to heaven.
145
00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:54,913
The spirits of the dead
have at last received their due
146
00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,753
in yams, pantomime and dance.
147
00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:02,038
They can now rest in peace
in the land below the sea.
148
00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:15,234
Five hundred miles away to the northwest,
still in Melanesia, the Solomon Islands.
149
00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:17,390
Here things are very different.
150
00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,790
White explorers first came here
back in the 16th century,
151
00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:24,998
and European influence today
is almost overwhelming.
152
00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:33,356
This is Lao lagoon, where the people have built
artificial islands of coral blocks
153
00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:36,432
in order to escape
from the mosquitoes of the mainland
154
00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:41,036
and, in the old days, to give themselves
protection from marauding head... hunters.
155
00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:46,638
Even here, one of the remoter parts of the
Solomons' Western influence is all pervasive.
156
00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:49,188
(Children singing)
157
00:17:00,080 --> 00:17:03,356
In the old days,
the Solomon Islanders built cult houses
158
00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:05,829
just as they do in the New Hebrides.
159
00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:10,675
The last traditional priest in Lao lagoon
took me into his.
160
00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:23,119
There was only one sculpture to be seen.
161
00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:27,352
A crudely carved image of a bird
cut out from a plank.
162
00:17:27,440 --> 00:17:32,036
The priest said that he sometimes came
to sit here and chant the old songs
163
00:17:32,120 --> 00:17:34,156
but few people ever joined him.
164
00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:39,596
Beyond the cold fireplace,
165
00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:43,275
a simply carved post
containing the skull of his father
166
00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:47,638
and a battered tin trunk in which he said
there were other human bones.
167
00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:49,950
But once the spirit houses of the Solomons
168
00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:53,919
were filled with images as splendid as any
in the Pacific.
169
00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:56,230
Images of the gods.
170
00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:01,950
The gods give manna, supernatural power.
171
00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:07,319
If a warrior is strong, if a chief is wise,
it is because he has manna.
172
00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:09,311
Animals and even inanimate things
173
00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:14,190
like strangely shaped stones
or dangerous reefs possess manna.
174
00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:16,555
It is neither good nor bad.
175
00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:18,278
It is power.
176
00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:22,797
But it all derives from the spirits
and unless they're given sacrifices,
177
00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:24,836
they might deny it to a man.
178
00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:32,598
Some spirits are those
of long... dead ancestors.
179
00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,353
0thers have never inhabited a human body.
180
00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:38,671
Spirits for example,
from the realm of the sea.
181
00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:43,959
It is such a one as this
that a man must placate
182
00:18:44,040 --> 00:18:49,990
if he is to ensure success in his hunt
for bonito fish, dolphins or turtles.
183
00:19:01,240 --> 00:19:05,870
And the help of spirits may be gained
not only by ceremonies in the spirit house
184
00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:08,713
but by enacting, in dance and mime,
185
00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:14,158
the story of a fishing expedition
in which a sea spirit comes to the aid of men.
186
00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:16,196
(Singing)
187
00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:49,078
A turtle has been spotted and now the boats
must quickly encircle it with nets.
188
00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:05,676
(Singing)
189
00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:29,671
Splashing makes a noise underwater,
190
00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:34,072
which frightens the turtle
and drives it towards the nets.
191
00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:22,356
(Singing continues)
192
00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,196
(Excited cheering)
193
00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:01,392
(Whooping)
194
00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:09,596
Not a big turtle
but nonetheless a cause for jubilation.
195
00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:13,673
It will provide food
for a whole family for days.
196
00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:20,750
If you live on an island in a lagoon,
197
00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:23,354
the one thing you lack is fresh water.
198
00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,716
And so every day the lagoon people
go across to the mainland
199
00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,360
to collect it and to wash.
200
00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:32,000
(Children singing)
201
00:23:27,280 --> 00:23:29,510
In the old days, this was the one time
202
00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:33,070
when head... hunters from the interior
could creep up unseen
203
00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:36,391
on the islanders from the lagoon and kill.
204
00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:41,554
A head was a head whether it belonged to
a warrior or a woman or a child.
205
00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:46,753
This construction is one of the last relics
of those old savage days.
206
00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:49,308
Today this is a game.
207
00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:52,870
A century ago it was a way for warriors
to steel their nerves
208
00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:55,190
and train themselves for bravery.
209
00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:16,549
Those days are not so long past.
210
00:24:16,640 --> 00:24:20,189
Even in 1912, there were
plenty of men in the Solomons
211
00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:24,239
who needed no encouragement or coaching
to demonstrate to a missionary,
212
00:24:24,320 --> 00:24:27,517
who was also
an enthusiastic amateur film... maker,
213
00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:30,160
how they set out on head... hunting raids
214
00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:33,630
in tomakos, the black sea... going canoes
215
00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:37,315
which they paddled for hundreds of miles
through the islands.
216
00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:48,029
(Excited shouting)
217
00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:55,073
Even then the people had enough skulls
to set up on poles
218
00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:58,038
so that the triumphant warriors
could dance around them
219
00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:02,193
just as they used to do when they returned
from a successful raid.
220
00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:09,231
The men wore on their heads
discs cut from the shells of giant clams
221
00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:12,756
and overlain
with a filigree pattern of turtle shell
222
00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:16,469
designed and cut with the greatest delicacy.
223
00:25:21,360 --> 00:25:25,114
They carried dancing shields
made of plaited cane
224
00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:29,557
and covered with a mosaic of pearl shell
cut from nautilus.
225
00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:38,709
Their paddles too were often carved
with designs of ancestral spirits,
226
00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:42,713
shown squatting in the position
in which a man used to be buried.
227
00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:47,078
Almost everything connected with the sea
was richly decorated.
228
00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:58,793
A dolphin spirit made of blackened wood
and inlaid with pearl shell,
229
00:25:58,880 --> 00:26:01,758
a technique that was a Solomon speciality.
230
00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,715
The Muzomuzu, the all... seeing god
231
00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:11,678
which they fixed to the prow
of their head... hunting canoes,
232
00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:16,231
whose gaze was so ferocious
that none would dare cross in front of it.
233
00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:27,156
In all the Solomons today,
one seaworthy tomako still survives.
234
00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:30,073
It can still reach speeds of 15 knots or more
235
00:26:30,160 --> 00:26:34,995
just as it did when it was one
of the most feared craft in the Pacific.
236
00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:57,391
Tomakos were up to 50 feet long
and could carry 40 warriors.
237
00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:00,199
They were made from planks
only half an inch thick
238
00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:05,354
sewn together edge to edge with split cane
and sealed with the pulp of putty nuts.
239
00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:08,716
The old man who made this one
is now over eighty.
240
00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:11,268
These are cowry shells, aren't they?
241
00:27:11,360 --> 00:27:13,828
Do they have a special meaning, these?
242
00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:21,117
- They are custom decoration.
- They are custom decoration?
243
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:27,355
But supposing a tomako did not have those,
why would that be wrong?
244
00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:36,796
It's... A tomako would be regarded as ugly.
245
00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:39,189
As ugly? Yes, I see.
246
00:27:46,360 --> 00:27:51,718
These are decorations
after raids in several places.
247
00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:54,678
They are... He place here for that, er, thing.
248
00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:57,228
After head... hunting? You must have?
249
00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:05,793
(Singing)
250
00:28:10,160 --> 00:28:13,630
0ne craft flourishes if anything
more vigorously than ever...
251
00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:15,950
the making of shell money.
252
00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:21,717
Small pieces of rock oyster shell are
roughly chipped into discs with stone hammers.
253
00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:32,673
Then they are ground smooth and flat.
254
00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:41,432
Each little disc of shell
has a hole drilled in its centre
255
00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:44,193
using a bow drill tipped with flint.
256
00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:48,114
The most sought... after and therefore
most valuable shell is deep pink.
257
00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:51,795
It's difficult to get
but you can turn ordinary white ones pink
258
00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:54,792
simply by putting them on a hot stone.
259
00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:00,998
Then they are strung
and given a final smoothing.
260
00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:04,640
And from the one
or two villages that make it,
261
00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:08,554
shell money is traded to places as far away
as parts of New Guinea,
262
00:29:08,640 --> 00:29:11,074
a thousand miles to the west.
263
00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:14,789
Here in the Solomons, it is still
essential currency for many transactions
264
00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:17,553
and particularly in weddings.
265
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:28,232
The family of a young man is coming to one
of the islands in Lao lagoon
266
00:29:28,320 --> 00:29:30,675
to claim a bride for him.
267
00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,798
The wedding party
have brought with them shell money,
268
00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:45,273
the bride wealth which the bridegroom's family
must, by tradition, pay to the bride's parents
269
00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:47,396
as part of the wedding settlement.
270
00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:52,349
Each of these belts is worth about
L100 in European currency.
271
00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:59,234
There are also necklaces of dolphin teeth.
272
00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:26,030
The bride is decked with the riches
that she has brought to her parents.
273
00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:34,599
As everywhere else,
weddings are times of mixed feelings.
274
00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:39,196
Husbands rejoice to get wives
but fathers grieve to lose daughters.
275
00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:41,794
(Man wailing)
276
00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:02,511
After this traditional ceremony,
277
00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:06,912
the couple will have their marriage
consecrated in a Christian church.
278
00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:19,552
For over a century now, Christianity
has been preached throughout Melanesia
279
00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:22,712
and that, together with European influence
in general
280
00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:26,634
has meant that most of the old religions
and practices have disappeared.
281
00:31:27,400 --> 00:31:33,077
But now, in the wake of Christianity,
new, strange religions have begun to emerge.
282
00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:38,393
Odd amalgams of Western practices
and the old traditional ones.
283
00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:41,995
Behind me is the southern coast
of Guadalcanal in the Solomons
284
00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:45,914
and there, 20 years ago
a man named Moro had a vision.
285
00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:51,950
As a result of it he founded a new religion
which today has several thousand followers.
286
00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:55,510
We sent a message down to Moro
to ask if we might visit him
287
00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:59,718
but we have no idea what sort of reception
we're going to get.
288
00:33:05,280 --> 00:33:07,271
(Shouting)
289
00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:26,436
Welcome. How do you do?
290
00:33:29,880 --> 00:33:32,394
- Some more people?
- Some more come later time.
291
00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:33,833
- Later?
- Yeah, later.
292
00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:36,195
- You come first?
- I come first now.
293
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:39,916
(Talking in native language)
294
00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:46,118
- All right, we go?
- Yes, please.
295
00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:47,952
Thank you.
296
00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:58,079
(All) # God save our gracious queen
297
00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:03,871
# Long live our noble queen
298
00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:08,829
# God save our queen
299
00:34:08,920 --> 00:34:14,711
# Send her victorious
300
00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:20,352
# Happy and glorious
301
00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:26,072
# Long to reign over us
302
00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:31,473
# God save the queen
303
00:34:32,240 --> 00:34:38,190
# Send her victorious
304
00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:43,798
# Happy and glorious
305
00:34:43,880 --> 00:34:49,557
# Long to reign over us
306
00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:55,351
# God save the queen #
307
00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:03,116
- We will go, please.
- Thank you.
308
00:35:03,200 --> 00:35:04,553
There.
309
00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:09,272
Good day.
310
00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:18,558
Thank you.
311
00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:29,677
Good day. This is very kind of you.
312
00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:32,593
(Pipes playing)
313
00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:58,589
We would like to give you a hearty welcome...
314
00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:04,312
Moro's spokesman is David, once
a fully... trained teacher in a missionary school.
315
00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:11,192
And we would like to let you know
the main history of this island Isatab.
316
00:37:12,280 --> 00:37:18,753
In the beginning
there was nothing but darkness.
317
00:37:18,840 --> 00:37:23,356
It was Irogali the creator.
318
00:37:23,440 --> 00:37:29,197
Irogali came down to the dry land
and form three eggs.
319
00:37:30,240 --> 00:37:32,435
Two of the eggs hatched
320
00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:35,432
and there were two dogs.
321
00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:42,153
Irogali named them Lauwala and Lauwili.
322
00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:48,592
And there were people without mouth, limbs,
323
00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:50,830
and a voice appeared.
324
00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:58,751
These people's work is to keep the life
and the power exist in the island.
325
00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:05,440
- Will you translate for me?
- Yes, sir.
326
00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:11,196
Moro, and all people from this village.
327
00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:13,032
(Translates)
328
00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:21,154
I would like to thank you
on behalf of all my companions
329
00:38:21,240 --> 00:38:23,959
for this great welcome
that you have given us.
330
00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:26,793
(David translates)
331
00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:32,079
We know very little
in London, where I come from,
332
00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:35,197
about the house of memories here.
333
00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:37,555
(Translates)
334
00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:42,714
And of all the things
that you are teaching your people.
335
00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:45,394
(Translates)
336
00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:51,278
And I give you my thanks and my greetings
from all the people that I represent
337
00:38:51,360 --> 00:38:53,920
for welcoming us so handsomely.
338
00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:58,390
(Translates)
339
00:39:05,240 --> 00:39:07,276
Thank you very much indeed.
340
00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:10,232
Thank you, Moro.
341
00:39:10,320 --> 00:39:11,275
Thank you.
342
00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:15,072
Moro's vision had come to him in a trance.
343
00:39:15,160 --> 00:39:19,517
Irogali the creator,
had told him to disregard the Christian god
344
00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:22,512
and revive the old ways that were dying.
345
00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:27,958
The people must learn once more how to weave
and carve and fish in the traditional manner.
346
00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:31,032
They must once again become
men blong custom,
347
00:39:31,120 --> 00:39:32,951
for that was their birthright.
348
00:39:33,040 --> 00:39:35,793
Those ways are their ways.
349
00:39:35,880 --> 00:39:38,440
(Singing)
350
00:39:56,480 --> 00:39:58,436
But this revival of old crafts
351
00:39:58,520 --> 00:40:02,559
does not mean that everything
from the outside world should be ignored.
352
00:40:02,640 --> 00:40:05,234
The people should take just what suited them.
353
00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:09,518
The white men had special cult houses
that they called museums
354
00:40:09,600 --> 00:40:12,273
where they venerated treasures from the past.
355
00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:16,512
Very well, the people of Makaruka
wanted to do just the same sort of thing,
356
00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:19,068
so they too should build such a place.
357
00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:22,630
But a stranger might only go into
this house of memories
358
00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:25,598
if he showed proper reverence
to the ancient gods
359
00:40:25,680 --> 00:40:28,353
and discarded his alien Western clothes
360
00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:32,877
and like everybody else in the settlement,
wore only custom clothes.
361
00:40:58,720 --> 00:41:04,556
Reviving old dances is an important part
of the life that Moro has planned for his people.
362
00:41:43,720 --> 00:41:47,713
20 years ago, anthropologists could find
no sculpture whatever
363
00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:49,233
in this part of the island.
364
00:41:49,320 --> 00:41:51,311
All had been destroyed by missionaries
365
00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:55,393
or discarded by their Christian converts
and carried away by visitors.
366
00:41:55,480 --> 00:41:57,710
Moro and his people had been forced, therefore,
367
00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:01,554
to reinvent the images
they needed for their house of memories.
368
00:42:01,640 --> 00:42:05,030
Someone had seen labels
on the exhibits in the white man's museums,
369
00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:07,759
so they provided the same here.
370
00:42:08,680 --> 00:42:12,832
"The memory of opposum.
How the oppossum got plenty. "
371
00:42:12,920 --> 00:42:15,559
That is to say, brought wealth.
372
00:42:15,640 --> 00:42:22,273
The memory of Irogali the creator bird god
that Moro saw in his trance.
373
00:42:25,920 --> 00:42:29,595
The memory of Lawili, the first man.
374
00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:40,233
From the house of memories,
Moro took me to the most holy place of all.
375
00:42:40,320 --> 00:42:42,993
It is, in part, the community's treasury,
376
00:42:43,080 --> 00:42:46,755
for it's hung with hundreds of strings
of shell money.
377
00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:53,473
- Well, what is this on the floor?
- (Speaking local language)
378
00:42:58,320 --> 00:43:00,788
- It's, er... the island.
- The island?
379
00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:06,355
And this one is oldest thing, huh?
380
00:43:08,720 --> 00:43:10,472
And this one?
381
00:43:15,800 --> 00:43:18,360
So that is... that is Irogali.
382
00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:20,158
I understand.
383
00:43:20,240 --> 00:43:22,435
And snakes?
384
00:43:22,520 --> 00:43:26,308
Are these ordinary snakes
or are they spirit snakes?
385
00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:30,672
- They're not made by man.
- They're not made by man?
386
00:43:30,760 --> 00:43:32,716
Picked by man but they're not made by man.
387
00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:35,792
- You mean you find them?
- Find them from the ground.
388
00:43:35,880 --> 00:43:39,350
You found them in the ground.
I see, so no man he cut this?
389
00:43:39,440 --> 00:43:41,396
- No one cut this.
- No man.
390
00:43:48,280 --> 00:43:52,068
When we came out the people had assembled
to hear Moro talk to me
391
00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:54,276
through David the interpreter.
392
00:43:54,360 --> 00:44:01,198
Why does Moro keep in the custom house
these many things?
393
00:44:02,840 --> 00:44:06,435
He told me before when started that
394
00:44:06,520 --> 00:44:08,954
he would like to keep all these memories
395
00:44:09,040 --> 00:44:13,352
in order to prove
that the people living in the island
396
00:44:13,440 --> 00:44:16,193
are true natives of the island.
397
00:44:16,280 --> 00:44:19,477
And it also shows that all these things
398
00:44:19,560 --> 00:44:24,315
will prove which line
owns each part of the ground.
399
00:44:24,400 --> 00:44:29,633
Now, whenever they want to build business
in the future nobody will pluck them out.
400
00:44:44,720 --> 00:44:48,156
This my land and I live in the land.
401
00:44:48,240 --> 00:44:50,754
Everything that is from the land is mine
402
00:44:50,840 --> 00:44:54,469
and anyone who wants it may... will pay for it.
403
00:44:55,560 --> 00:45:02,159
Why do Moro's people no longer wear
any European clothes?
404
00:45:13,040 --> 00:45:17,158
This is to show how my people
lived in the olden days.
405
00:45:22,680 --> 00:45:24,636
(# Pipes playing)
406
00:45:46,000 --> 00:45:50,630
All over the Pacific,
people have lost the likenesses of their gods.
407
00:45:50,720 --> 00:45:53,473
It seems to many of them that in doing so
408
00:45:53,560 --> 00:45:56,233
they have lost their manna, their power,
409
00:45:56,320 --> 00:46:00,598
and that they will never regain
their ancient dignity without it.
410
00:46:00,680 --> 00:46:06,357
So in Makaruka, Moro and his people
are striving to create new images
411
00:46:06,440 --> 00:46:10,911
so that they may recapture
some of the splendours of their past.