Travel Guide

South Pacific Watanabe Tour (2)

As early as the early 17th century, Spanish explorers sailed to this island and discovered these mysterious tribes. Although it was difficult to navigate between the islands under the conditions at that time, they still traveled all over the islands here. The unique terrain, magical natural environment, and diverse tribal cultures have shocked them immensely. It is much more convenient to travel to various islands now. You can take a boat, and larger islands also have airports suitable for small planes to take off and land. This morning, the two of us took a 40 minute flight from Port Vila to Tana Island by a small plane. As it was a small plane, we could only check in 10 kilograms of luggage, so we could only bring essential items with us and store the rest with Yongge.

After the plane arrived at Tana Island, we took a pickup truck through a secluded forest. The driver took us to a remote private inn booked online. The inn only had four independent cabins with roofs covered with coconut leaves, which were cheap and simple. There was electricity but no internet, and we could barely fit two beds inside. The layout was very simple and localized. Not far from the house is the beach, and the indigenous tribe is one kilometer away from the inn. There are no shops or villagers around, and behind the house are dense weeds and forests. We stayed in the inn's cottage for three nights and were awakened every morning by the chirping of birds. The problem of eating in Vanuatu is not easy to solve, so I brought an electric kettle from China specifically to prepare instant noodles on this island. However, I left the base in Port Vila and forgot to bring my phone when I came out today. It seems that I am really tired and my mind is a bit flooded.

Tana Island is more secluded, sparsely populated, and far from civilization than the capital of Vanuatu, Port Vila, and the largest island, Santo Island. The primitive culture of the tribes is better preserved. This time we will visit several primitive tribes on Tana Island, including the Black Magic Cannibal Tribe, the Naked Tribe, and tribes near the volcano crater, as well as observe the eruption of the Isul volcano up close. In the afternoon, the two of us rented a Toyota pickup truck and were taken to the Black Magic Tribe by the driver and guide. There is a tradition among the indigenous people of Vanuatu that young men must participate in coming of age ceremonies by jumping from a simple wooden frame over 30 meters high, symbolizing their coming of age. The wooden frame stands tall on the slope, and they tie their feet with vines. They jump naked from the wooden frame without any protection below. When they land, their hands support their heads on the loosened soil to protect their heads. This is the most primitive tradition of the indigenous people of Vanuatu. It is said that this is the birthplace of bungee jumping in the world, but unfortunately we couldn't go to see it this time.

On the way, I encountered a few little brats swinging on a big banyan tree, holding a vine hanging from a tree over ten meters high. They were probably practicing their courage to prepare for their coming of age ceremony.

The indigenous people of Vanuatu are known for their ferocity. It is said that in the 1960s, they still had the custom of hunting and eating foreign tribes during inter tribal conflicts, so they are also known as cannibals. Magic tribes are one of them, and although they no longer eat people, they still maintain this primitive way of life. Ever since I set foot on this magical land, I have been a little uneasy in my heart, not knowing what will happen in the next few days. In about two hours, we arrived at the outskirts of the Dark Arts tribe and a strong leader was waiting for us on the roadside, leading us into the tribe. We were walking through the dense jungle when suddenly there were waves of terrifying screams that were chilling. Soon, several indigenous people wearing grass crowns and grass skirts with blackened faces rushed towards us, holding sharpened palm poles and roaring at us with various threatening expressions. We were startled and started screaming. They were shouting around us, pounding hard on the ground with palm poles, as if warning and demonstrating to us. Fortunately, there was a strong man with him, otherwise he would have really been scared out.

Following the winding path all the way to the oldest banyan tree in the tribe, this ancient banyan tree is regarded as an inviolable deity by the villagers. The dense air roots hanging down from the banyan tree become the pillar roots after falling to the ground. The branches are lush with leaves, covering the sky and blocking the sun. In the middle, there is a tree hole that is more than ten meters long and can only be passed through by one person. It is dark inside, and I bravely walked in. Halfway through, suddenly a child's cry sounded in my ear, and the mournful voice echoed in the hole. Looking closely, a young black face was crawling in the bushes, with big eyes flashing. It turned out that it was the terrifying sound made by this child, which scared me. I was scared a lot, so I advise everyone not to participate in such activities if they cannot withstand this kind of fright or have heart disease.

I just walked out of the tree hole, and I don't know what was holding me under my feet. I couldn't move, and my heart was so scared that it almost jumped out. Looking down, it turned out to be a disguised indigenous person lying on the ground, holding my feet unexpectedly. After several struggles, I finally got rid of it.

The leader led us further inside, and two indigenous people came in front of us. They picked a few leaves on the roadside and overlapped them. A child could easily lift them up by lying on top of the leaves. The burly man introduced that it was black magic that endowed these leaves with incredible power, and for thousands of years they had been using these leaves to carry heavy objects.

Boys in the tribe are required to undergo circumcision shortly after birth, which involves using traditional methods to remove their foreskin. The strong man explained the process of the ritual to us, but it felt too cruel, so I won't go into detail.

They showed us another kind of magic, asking you to say the names of yourself and your lover, then pick two leaves, recite some spells that we don't understand, shout out the names of the two people loudly, slap hard, and the leaves stick together, saying that the two will never be separated in the future.

In the tribe, we started learning dance as toddlers learning to speak. We gathered in a circle next to a large banyan tree, inviting us to sing and dance together, praying for blessings and good health from the heavens.

They chose Mr. Lin as their chief from the two of us, put me aside and didn't allow me to watch. They took Mr. Lin to the forest to dress up as the Romans did, told him the rules of being a chief, and then walked out of the dense forest with their new chief singing and dancing.

Vanuatu has a drink called "Kava Wine", which actually does not contain alcohol. It is made by crushing the roots of a plant called Kava Pepper, which grows in the South Pacific Islands, and crushing them into juice by hand. Kava wine is used in tribal ceremonial occasions, such as weddings, funerals, celebrations, and welcoming guests, all of which rely on it. After drinking this kind of wine, the tip of the tongue will feel numb, and then the expression will calm down and the whole body will relax, creating a sense of satisfaction and comfort. Mr. Lin is revered as a chief, and of course, this treatment is necessary. I also followed the local customs and slowly tasted it, feeling that the taste was strange and there didn't seem to be much other reaction.

For Vanuatu people who are born with fine curly hair, our black straight hair is obviously very unconventional, and their curious eyes contain a guarded look. When taking photos with them before leaving, he opened his big mouth as if he wanted to eat people, but of course, this was just a symbol. We experienced the battle scenes of the Black Magic Tribe along the thrilling journey, listened to the past struggles between cannibal tribes, and the history of eating prisoners or other races. Unfortunately, our translator cannot keep up with the rhythm and can only provide a rough idea.