Le Kal Vurës: Lifting Up Our Language

The Vurës people are people of the sea, people of the rainforest, people of the land.

The life that we live today is very similar to the life that our ancestors lived many hundreds of years ago. We are very proud of our language and culture and how it identifies us as a strong community, different from all others in Vanuatu and round the world. We respect the knowledge and ways that our ancestors have passed down to us, and we want to keep this knowledge alive for our children.

Another special method that we have for preparing food is in a large stone oven called a vësëw. 

As the taro are piled in a circular mound, a hole is left in the centre. The mound is then wrapped with heliconia leaves to hold the heat in.

Water is poured through the opening onto the hot stones of the oven, then the opening is sealed up, so that the taro is steamed as it bakes.

Using this method, we can bake up to 1,000 taros at one time. 

We fish from the shore with bamboo fishing poles and gather shellfish from the rocks and reef. 

One fishing technique that we use for special occasions involves using a plant called do man. We put parcels of pounded do man in shallow pools and it stuns the fish so we can just pick them out of the water. We can catch hundreds of fish in one go like this, so we know that it is not a sustainable fishing practice. 

After the full moon in October or November, we use coconut leaf torches and gather the un ‘palolo worm’ when they rise to the surface. 

We also catch freshwater prawns in a trap called a waga.

We celebrate many traditions which are an important part of our cultural identity. Our marriage ceremonies include payment of bride wealth as a part of sealing bonds between families. 

Our death ceremonies involve feasting together on several different occasions, counting the days until 100 days is reached. 

We make elaborate headdresses that are worn as part of our dances, with different styles of dances for men and women. Sadly, much of the knowledge around traditional grade-taking ceremonies has been lost, as these were banned in early colonial days by Christian missionaries. 

Finally, background on our culture would not be complete without mention of gē ‘kava’, our cultural drink of choice. Kava is made from the roots of Piper methysticum, which are ground and mixed with water, producing an intoxicating (non-alcoholic) drink.