Head on Collision Between Two Cultures When Rare Secret Art Was Released Recently

Receiving an invitation to the opening of art exhibitions at the prestigious Annandale Art Gallery, a converted Masonic hall, is a common occurrence for Bethany.

The stately building in Trafalgar Street, was opened in the 1860’s as a Methodist Church. In the 1920’s it was converted to a Masonic Lodge. Now an upmarket art gallery in a trendy inner city suburb of Sydney, Australia.

The owners of the Gallery have earned their enviable reputation in the art world, through specialist showings of the very best in Australian and overseas modern art. 

The invitation, on the 22nd July, appeared  to be exceptional from the start. It spoke of secret rare art. Never before had the sacred art been seen outside of the tiny remote tropical island, South Pacific archipelago, Vanuatu.

Dressed in full custom regalia, a group of nine Ni-Vanuatu artists would perform a sacred ceremonial dance from the island of Ambrym, at the opening.

Bethany eagerly arranged with two friends to attend the opening, which sounded rather mysterious and lots of fun. Afterwards they would enjoy dinner at one of the fine restaurants of Darling Harbour. The problem of working their way through the Sydney traffic and finding  parking for the Mercedes-Benz was averted with the firm decision to take a taxi, or be dropped off by one of the husbands

"Arriving a little later than we expected because of the Sydney traffic, we were greeted by the lovely sounds of a string band playing island music as we approached the  doorway to the Gallery,”  Bethany told me. “It sounded as if the South Seas had come to town. Made one think of swaying palms and blue green tropical oceans. It was inviting to think of taking that South Pacific cruise my husband and I have been promising ourselves,” she mused.

As they joined the other guests sipping French champagne, Bethany and her two friends buzzed with excitement as they admired the rare artifacts. These included beautifully carved wooden figures and masks, plus a four metre drum (upright tam-tam). One of the world’s largest free standing musical instruments in the world.

“We understood this art to be very ancient and rare, yet it could easily be mistaken for pieces of modern artwork”, said David Baker the Gallery’s curator. “There is only one similar piece of work to this in a British Museum.”

A barely clad figure appeared. Stepping up to the gong he began a steady methodical beat, on the lip of the wooden gong's face. The carved face stylized to represent an ancestor. The long slit up the front of the drum giving the ancestor a voice once more.

Four dancers came next, dressed in what looked like a head-to-toe tent made of dried leaves, with brightly painted masks, topped with chicken feathers, covering their faces. In a slow rhythmical, yet dreamlike shuffle, they began making their way to the center of the room. Their voices filled the gallery in a monotonal chant.

Another five men, dressed in the full regalia of their secret society, moved in the centre of the first four dancers. Stomping their feet and clapping their hands, they lifted their voices in the  chant.

Unaware of the sensation they were causing, the five mature Ambrym men, were dressed with only a wide bark belt slung low over their hips. A Namba penis sheath, barely covering the essential part of manhood, they concentrated on their sacred dance. A bright red hibiscus flower adorned one ear.

Unaware of the sensation they were causing, the gleaming and well formed buttocks of the dancers jiggled up and down in time to the beat of the drum, the matrons of Sydney stared in utter shock.

“When the dancers first entered the room it was rather awkward to know where to put one’s eyes. I haven’t seen that much bare bottom since my four children were tiny,” laughed Bethany.
It is one thing to imagine these men dancing in the soft lighting of a tropical island forest, bare feet pounding out the ceremonial rhythm on a dirt floor, but to think of them as having just come from a modern hotel room, braving the Sydney traffic and Australian winter, was a mind bending thought.

“We were told these men are taboo and no women are permitted to touch them even today,” laughed Bethany. “In fact, if any female saw them performing the dance they had to be killed. A good thing that doesn’t apply now.”

Life moves at a different pace in the tropical islands of Vanuatu, voted the Happiest Country on Earth in 2006. A beautiful nation of over 153 distinct languages and cultures with few modern communication devices spanning the remote distances.

Education is an oral tradition and many villagers still live as their ancestors have done for generations. Tradition and culture is handed down from father to son through dance, song, sand drawings and carvings. Many of the younger generation have lost the ability to understand the mystic language of the carved gongs.

The chiefs are starting to recognize the educational needs of their people. They decided to share the secrets of their society and release some of their sacred rare art, to ensure its survival, setting the art world on its ear. Their aim is to inspire their young people and make them more aware of their ancient culture.

Few people are aware that the tiny neighbor of Australia still has such wonderful secrets tucked away in the ‘Must See’ Travel Adventure destination of the south Pacific.

Education needs beyond the main islands goes to the bottom of the list of priorities for a government who in 2007 admitted that they do not have the  resources to meet the educational needs of the nation. 

YouMe Support Foundation offers a unique once in a lifetime Blue Moon Opportunity. Not only is it a world first, it will make a very real difference in the lives of these children. You can’t afford to miss this. You can make a difference in your own life, plus help some really deserving kids. Kids who will reach out and embrace the head on collision of two societies.