Travel

Cultural experiences you can only have in the Pacific

Jun 05, 2017

Anyone who has been to any of the island nations in the Pacific can tell you that our friendly neighbours are full of rich culture and traditions going back thousands of years. Taking part in or witnessing a cultural practice in the Pacific makes for a wonderful travel experience. Here are six cultural experiences you have to witness on your next holiday in the Pacific.

1. Kava drinking in Fiji

Fijian men participating in a kava ceremony

Kava is a crop grown in the western Pacific. The roots of the plant are ground up to form a powder, which is then mixed with water in a large communal bowl and consumed cup by cup, passed from person to person. Drinking kava has a sedative, anaesthetic and euphoric effect on the human body. If you mix with the locals in Fiji, they will no doubt invite you to partake in a kava ceremony and it’s considered rude to say no! Of course, if you really don’t want to take part you can politely decline.

2. Ura in the Cook Islands

Ura is one of the popular cultural dances of the Cook Islands, performed by women. The dancers tell a story through the movement of their hips and are dressed in grass skirts as well as adorned with flowers and shell jewellery.

3. Indonesian puppet theatre

The Wayang puppets are a work of art. Image: By Gunawan Kartapranata (en.wp) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons — The Wayang puppets are a work of art. Image: (Modified) By Gunawan Kartapranata (en.wp) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

While when we think of Indonesia we may think of Bali, but the island nation is actually made up of about 18,000 islands – that’s a lot of room for cultural variation. Just one unique cultural experience in Indonesia is the Wayang Puppet Theatre – a Javanese tradition of magical puppet performances. In 2003, UNESCO designated Wayang a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

4. Elaborate Bilas in Papua New Guinea

Men dressed in traditional bilas at a festival in Mount Hagen. Image: By Cruiseabout (http://www.cruiseabout.com.au/) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Human history in Papua New Guinea dates back 50,000 years. Each year, there are Sing Sing shows where Papua New Guineans from around the country dress up in their traditional bilas – elaborate traditional wear – and take part in singing, dancing and musical performances.

5. Land diving in Vanuatu

One of the impressive land diving towers. Image: By Paul Stein from New Jersey, USA (The Tower) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Land diving is a ritual performed by the men of Vanuatu on Pentecost Island. The men construct wooden towers 20m to 30m high and jump from varying levels with tree vines tied to their feet. It’s said the tradition originated as a rite of passage for men to prove their manhood. The idea is to jump from as high as possible, landing as close to the ground as possible.

6. France meets Pacific Islands in New Caledonia

A traditional Kanak home. Image: By Bruno.menetrier at French Wikipedia [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

New Caledonia is a French colony, so French is the official language that is on road signs, buildings and so on. The European culture is juxtaposed with the traditional island people the Kanaks, who have their own ancestral rules and rituals. ‘Coutume’ refers to the traditional customs of the Kanak people, of which a greeting ceremony is of paramount importance. If you are entering tribal lands, you should always pay a ‘fair la coutume’ as a mark of respect, which is an offering of a simple gift.