Reinventing tradition with tusks

Examining pig tusks to be worn during ceremonial ritual dances for the celebration of the First Anniversary on Independence. The full-circled tusks are important symbols of wealth and status unique to the Melanesian culture. It takes many years of hand-feeding a boar before the animal has full-circle tusks. Each full-circle tusk represents a very mature, probably large, boar whom women have fed daily for years.
One of these special pig tusks are seen on the new country's flag encircling two namale fern leaves on the coat of arms of Vanuatu.

• Summer 1981

• Larcom, Joan

• Skinner-Jones, Ann

• Land and Custom Sustained and Revived
• Wealth Indicators

• Melanesia
• Oceania
• Pacific Islands
• South West Bay (Malakula, Vanuatu)
• Vanuatu
• Wintua (Malekula, Vanuatu)

• Clothing and dress
• Tusks
• Vanuatu Independence

• image

• No linguistic content; Not applicable

• Skinner-Jones, Ann

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2021-11-16