Melanesian cultures
Start with the region and a documented example from Vanuatu, then explore the languages and institutions below. Specify the community when asking about a practice or a historical account.
A landing place on Efate used for travel to Lelepa, as described by the photographer. It is not a photograph of a burial or sand-drawing ceremony.
Phillip Capper from Wellington, New Zealand · Image record · CC BY 2.0 · Resized and converted to WebP.
Which places are grouped within Melanesia?
Melanesia is a Pacific regional grouping that includes Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia. Te Ara describes these broad regional divisions. They do not identify a single shared language or a uniform culture.
Source : Te Ara — Pacific neighbours
What are Vanuatu sand drawings?
UNESCO describes a graphic practice that also communicates and transmits knowledge in the central and northern islands of Vanuatu. Patterns can carry several meanings. Treating them only as decoration loses the context that gives them their function.
Source : UNESCO — Vanuatu sand drawings
Languages and peoples
The institutions consulted
Vanuatu Cultural Centrevanuatuculturalcentre.gov.vu
Fiji Museumfijimuseum.org.fj
University of the South Pacificusp.ac.fj
Gouvernement des Îles Salomonsolomons.gov.sb
University of Papua New Guineaupng.ac.pg
PARADISECparadisec.org.au
Communauté du Pacifique (CPS)spc.int
Forum des îles du Pacifiqueforumsec.org
Questions to start with
- What is Melanesia and how is it different from Polynesia?
- What is the history of the Melanesian islands and why are there so many languages?
- Why does kava matter in Fijian gatherings?
- How are chiefs chosen in Vanuatu?
- How are Papua New Guinean sing-sings organised?
- What designs appear on Solomon Islands war canoes?
- What happened during the Bougainville civil war?
What the assistant will not do
The assistant can make mistakes. It should distinguish peoples and state its limits. Lexical checking covers the nine languages in the Kanak index; it does not certify every Pacific translation. For important uses, consult the source and a relevant speaker or institution.
Editorial update : · Pasifika AI / Kanaky Tech