One Finger Tells it All

A beach throng watches as Vanuatu men, squatting on their haunches, use one finger in the sand. Slowly they reveal the traditions of their community.

Isolated communities come together to communicate and express their ancient traditions through art, in a tropical islands archipelago where there are over 150 distinct languages and cultures.

Somewhere in the northern tropical islands of Vanuatu the Festival is held. Each year it is in a different place.

When the location is announced some artists may be deeply disappointed. The northern islanders of Torba Province cannot make the journey too far south across the wide expanses of wild ocean in their canoes.

Historically the link between inter-island canoe voyaging and sand drawing is strong. The Festival opens with the arrival of canoes.

The different language groups have communicated through sand drawing. This has allowed an extensive network of relationships to develop. Rituals, stories and songs have played their part.

One finger is used to produce a precise, geometric pattern directly in the sand. Sand drawing conveys detailed information about local history, rituals and cosmologies, kinship systems, natural phenomena and farming techniques.

In 2003 UNESCO added Vanuatu Sand Drawing to its listing of "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity". The UNESCO/Japan Funds-In-Trust For the Preservation and Promotion of Intangible Cultural Heritage began, in 2004, to fund the program to safeguard sand drawing in Vanuatu.

A sand drawer requires a range of skills. He must have a steady hand, a strong understanding of the graphic patterns and motifs, and a deep understanding of their significance. The spectators will expect the sand drawer to interpret the drawings for them.

Other ancient traditions are showcased as part of the Sandroing Festival. These include dances, games, magic shows, story-telling, sting figures and weaving demonstrations.

As Vanuatu moves forward into the 21st century, the UNESCO acknowledgment of the sand drawing tradition strengthens the peoples’ resolve to maintain their traditions.

For Vanuatu to move beyond being a Lesser Developed Country in the South Pacific it has recognized the urgent need for the education of its next generation in the 21st century.

However, the government admitted in late 2007 that it does not have the finances to provide a free education. The villagers of the isolated islands living in a no-cash economy have no money to pay school fees.

The educational consequences of this are:
• only 55.8% of Vanuatu kids will get to grade 6;
• of those only 18.2% will go to high school ;
• 26% will never go to school at all.

YouMe Support Foundation, a Child Trust Fund, is one of the few groups dedicated to giving these children a high school education. You can visit our website for your Blue Moon Opportunity.