Read any number of travel memoirs about Vanuatu, and you will find repeated use of such hard-K words as kava, kastom, cargo cults, and cannibalism (as well as such non hard-K words as volcanoes and land-diving).
Oddly, these same travel memoirs only mention Christianity in passing — or, when they do mention it, they take a dim view of its arrival with Western missionaries in the 19th century.
This is puzzling to me, since 83% of ni-Vanuatu identify as Christian (well more than the 63% of Americans who do), and churches dot the island landscape.
I supposed church life is less exotic and narrative for these travel writers than older cultural manifestations like kastom and cannibalism, but to overlook Christianity in Vanuatu us to misrepresent the day-to-day lives of the people who live there.
When our host Numa and his family went to a Sunday service at the Presbyterian church a few days into our stay on the islet of Uripiv, Kiki and I joined them.
It was interesting to see how the pastor’s sermon was rich with South Pacific sea-life metaphors (such as the tenacious, faith-like grip of sea crabs and octopi), or how some old Vanuatu kastom traditions (like the separation of men and women to opposite sides of the sanctuary) manifested during the service.
My favorite moment in the service was when this beautiful family came up and sang this beautiful Bislama gospel song (see video below).
Note: “Dispatches” are short vignettes, profiles, and mini-essays written and posted from the road, often in tandem with my Instagram account. I don’t host a “comments” section, but I’m happy to hear your thoughts via my Contact page.
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