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Etymology
Vanua- derived from different Austronesian languages means “home or land” and -tu meaning “stand”. The combination of the two Austronesian words means “Our Land” or “Our Land Forever”. In Bislama dialect, Ni-Vanuatu means a Vanuatuan citizen, patricianly of Melanesian descent but not limited to. The term “Ni-Van is used as a colloquial term rather than ni-Vanuatu.

History
First inhabitants of Vanuatu were by Austronesian-speaking people dating back to 1200-1300BC and later by Melanesian people in 500BC . European explorers discovered Vanuatu in 1606 by Captain Pedro Gernandez De Quiros, however settlement did not happen until Captain James Cook charted the islands and deemed it The New Hebrides. During Captain Cook’s exploration of the island, ni-Vanuatu were kidnapped and forced to work in plantations in Fiji and Australia, this practice is now known as “blackbirding” .

European Settlement
In 1906, France and England established a condominium which was a joint influence of the New Hebrides population from the British and French colonies. During the joint rulership from the two countries, ni-Vanuatu lived under French and British authorities. The two colonial authorities devised the nation into francophones and anglophones. In 1980, New Hebrides gained independence on 30th July and changed the island’s official name to Vanuatu .

Economy
The Melanesian population produced most of the copra plantations compared to the French and British. Melanesian workers were occupied with their own plantations which lead to European owners sourcing labour from foreign countries such as Vietnam and French Indochina for general agricultural labour and construction. After World War II, American soldiers introduced Eurocentric concepts such as camp supplies, construction aviation, electricity and running water. The two factors of introducing overseas workers in combination with the introduction of modern facilities lead to Vanuatu’s economic momentum which helped created the backbone of the island’s copra production. Tropical agriculture was the main focus as other areas such as forestry, fishing and native crafts were underdeveloped at the time . Sustainable produce came from yams, taro and cassava for locals and copra production such as coconuts and cocoa make up majority of Vanuatu’s production .

Profiles of labour workers, miners and construction workers were mainly of Melanesian descent as labour job demands rose with the economic boom. In 1953, Vietnamese workers started returning home and by 1963, most Vietnamese and French Indochinese labourers returned home. This caused a shortage in plantation workers which lead to recruitment from other islands such as Tahiti.

Temperamental weather strongly impacted plantations, as hurricanes destroyed the main copra of coconut plantations. Competition from overseas in combination with natural disasters led to a solution of sourcing different agricultural mediums such as cattle. Local demands of meat as well as international export welcomed another economic boom in Vanuatu .

Land and Nationalism
Ownership of land was a controversial subject due to the cultural and spiritual representation to native Vanuatuan’s. In Melanesian society, property of land was to be negotiated amongst the community rather than overruled by European law. Questionable European regulations were made to “keep natives pacified and to make them civilised” during the Condominium which led to difficulty in reconciliation, especially in claiming land for plantations. On 30th July 1980, New Hebrides gained independence and the island officially became the Vanuatu as we know today. The National constitution eventually determined land ownership in Vanuatu belonged to native ni-Vanuatu’s, meaning the land rights were given to the traditional owners and community to make decisions.

Education
Prior to Vanuatu’s independence in 1960, the French government offered additional effort into support the French population. Free education and buildings were developed whilst the British government required education fees from parents. The competition between the two ruling governments caused a division in the education system, as ni-Vanuatu based their decisions on financial and political reasons. The French system was popular to Melanesians however the British system was still an option to many as ni-Vanuatu parents say “Yumi no save yet se waben saed bae I win” translating to “We don’t know yet which side is going to win out”. The rational of many feared the unknown of which ruling government would take over the nation. Tertiary education was often presented with a bias from the French government, based on the fears of higher education presenting ideas of anti-colonialism to the general population. English-medium to French-medium university scholars reflected this concept with a ratio of 120:1 in 1983, three years after the independence of Vanuatu.

Language
English, French and Bislama are known as the official languages of Vanuatu. French and English are used mainly for written communication whereas Bislama is widely used for verbal communication .

Despite the first European contact in Vanuatu in 1606, English was not introduced to ni-Vanuatu until the 1840s when the English-speaking missionaries arrived on Captain James cook’s orders. This was around the same time when European sourcing of sandalwood in the pacific turned to Vanuatu. The history of English and French colonialism had conflicting and competing situations in which language to use in Vanuatu thus Bislama is used as a tool of unity. Bislama originated from French colonisation naming the Melanesian Pidgin-English dialect and was often termed “Beach-la Mar”. Pidgin English has a long history with a wide diversity around the world and developed its unique dialect during the sandalwood trades in Vanuatu. Bislama is often essential as the privileged population are educated in English and middle to lower class population were often educated in French. Bilingual ni-Vanuatu wasn’t common thus the use of Bislama. Official welcoming speeches, opening of parliament and most official events utilise Bislama. Ni-Vanuatu of different ethnic backgrounds, such as Chinese and Vietnamese often use Bislama as greetings and opening introductions as a form of communication .

Traditions
Traditional values and beliefs are described as kastom in the native ni-Vanuatu community. It represents the unity and national identity of ni-Vanuatu. The development of kastom was a symbolism between the traditional native values compared to the foreign concepts of Eurocentric ideals. In 1979, a year before independence, it was institutionalised that the “preservation and promotion of New Hebrides culture and languages” was acted upon in Parliament . Indigenous cultures suffered a loss through European colonialism as disease and weapons were introduced early century. Parliament faced ongoing pressure to preserve the traditions of ni-Vanuatu, particularly in the post-colonial era leading to attempts of teaching indigenous culture being implemented in schools and development of art centres.

Kastoms were often expressed through religion, clothing, native arts and indigenous culture. Women particularly had a unique perspective of differentiating traditional customs to colonial ideas. Island dresses represented a national connection to Vanuatu however many ni-Vanuatu women consciously choose to shift their options to modern clothing as their attitudes towards convenience, aesthetics and gender equality are considered. Although modern clothing is preferred on most occasions, the respect for kastom in island dresses are incorporated into special events such as festivals, ceremonies and church.

Answers to Module 7 Questions

 * Describe your media

The media is a map of Vanuatu with their island names labelled


 * Is it your own work (Links to an external site.)?

It is my own work, drawn from a copy of the Vanuatu map.


 * What is the file format (Links to an external site.)?

JPEG


 * What license (Links to an external site.) have you chosen?

Less restrictive license:  :


 * What category/gallery (Links to an external site.) will you add it to?

Demographics, population of Vanuatu


 * How will you describe (Links to an external site.) the file?

A map of Vanuatu with labelled islands. The capital city of Vanuatu is Porta Villa located on the Efate island