The Female Chiefs of Vanuatu Explorers Club Flag #101 Expedition Report
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The Female Chiefs of Vanuatu Explorers Club Flag #101 Expedition Report Photo: Daniel Farber Huang and Theresa Menders Submitted by Lew Toulmin, Ph.D., MN ’04, F.R.G.S. to The Explorers Club, New York City Report contributors: Lew Toulmin, Dalsie Baniala, Sophie Hollingsworth, Daniel Huang, Theresa Menders, Corey Huber, Michael Wyrick September 2016 This report provides information on the Flag Expedition undertaken in Vanuatu, carrying Flag 101 of The Explorers Club, in August and September 2016. The report has the following sections and annexes: Summary of the Expedition Selected Photos from the Expedition Expedition Members Anticipated Future Publications and Products Annex 1: Article in the Vanuatu Daily Post About the Festival and Expedition Annex 2: Draft Article for Island Life About the Expedition Annex 3: Interviews Supporting the Use of the Term “Female Chief” in Vanuatu Annex 4: Interviews Not Supporting the Use of the Term “Female Chief” in Vanuatu Annex 5: Festival Timeline, Maps of Maewo, Sketches and Other Documentation Annex 6: Two Songs About Kerembei Village and Maewo. These sections are presented below. SUMMARY OF THE EXPEDITION The Expedition can be summarized in two parts: its main research questions, and how the effort proceeded. Main Research Questions. The main, threshold research question posed by the Expedition was: “Is the anthropological literature on Vanuatu and Melanesia correct, when it universally states that there are no ‘female chiefs’ in the country or the region?” Evidence found that supported the thesis that there are not “female chiefs” in Vanuatu included: The existing literature on ethnology in Vanuatu, which goes back to 1914, and contends that only men are “chiefs” or “jifs” or “Big Men” in Vanuatu (and Melanesia). Interviews with eight women “notari” of Maewo island, who all stated that they did not consider themselves to be “female chiefs,” but rather that “notari” was a local vernacular term meaning “female custom leader,” and that the word “chief” was reserved for men only. Furthermore, these women stated that they were not aware of any “female chiefs” elsewhere on Maewo. All this, despite the fact that all these women had killed a pig in a custom ceremony called “making Lengwasa,” to become a “notari,” and that in Vanuatu killing a pig is often a key part of men becoming chiefs or being promoted in chiefly rank. 1 An interview with a female Peace Corp Volunteer who had worked on Maewo, who had recently killed a pig and been made a “notari.” She at first accepted the term “female chief,” but then within a few days urgently changed her stance, and stated that she was not a “female chief,” only a “notari.” Various other interviews which indicated that the term “female chiefs” is not known or at least common on Maewo or in some other islands of Vanuatu. The major evidence found that supported the thesis that there are at least some “female chiefs” in Vanuatu included: An extensive interview with Hilda Lini, who stated that she has eleven chiefly titles, is a female chief and a member of the “women’s chiefly system,” is likely the highest ranking female chief in the country, wears and has earned and paid for extensive chiefly insignia including sacred circular pigs tusks, has killed about 25 pigs in 15 pig-killing ceremonies (the usual way of achieving chiefly rank), and is recognized as a female chief by men (including other chiefs) and women, has the right to enter and speak in various nakamals (the chief’s clubhouse or building, usually reserved for men only), and interacts on “Kastom” (custom) matters with male chiefs at the highest level. She stated that her highest chiefly title is Salvantamata, but the one she is usually known by is Motarilavoa. She also listed several other high ranking female chiefs by name, stated that the Shepherd Group of islands has an “Association of Female Chiefs” which uses that name, and contended that the “women’s chiefly system” was once widespread across all of Vanuatu, including areas such as Tanna and Malekula where it has now died out. Ms. Lini served in Parliament for 11 years, held two Ministerial portfolios, has established an institute for the study of indigenous cultures on her home island of Pentecost, and won two international awards for work in ethnology and resistance to nuclear weapons. Her brother was the now-deceased Reverend Walter Lini, a founder of Vanuatu and its first Prime Minister. An email exchange with Benjamin Shing, then Director of Strategic Policy, Planning, and Aid Coordination in the Vanuatu Prime Minister’s Office, and a very distinguished senior civil servant of the GoV, who stated that “there are female chiefs in Penama province, but in other provinces the women are called ‘tambu’ or sacred women.” An interview with Alcita Vuti, acting CEO of the National Council of Chiefs (NCC), who stated that while the current partial and outdated NCC list of recognized chiefs does not include any women, the NCC is compiling a more comprehensive list, and that this list may include women, if the area councils of the NCC propose women as “women chiefs.” 2 Furthermore, Mr. Vuti acknowledged that on his home island of Ambae, the term “female chief” is appropriate and is used for and by some women. An interview with Phoebe John, who held the title and rank of “chief” for four years on Pele island north of Efate. She held this rank when her husband, the chief of the village, died, and she took over the title and all his duties, rights and responsibilities for four years while a male successor was preparing to take on the role. She then ceded the role, title and responsibilities to her successor, her nephew-in-law. She states that this system, of women taking over the title and all the responsibilities of chief, is common on Pele, Nguna and Efate islands, and that there are 5-10 women now on those islands who have held the title of full “chief.” She also stated that she served as her village chief, with decision-making and negotiating powers, in a fishing rights dispute with a neighboring village. An interview with Dalsie Baniala, the Vanuatu Telecom Regulator and one of the most senior women in the GoV, who stated that women “notaris” on Maewo will generally not state publicly that they are “chiefs” or “female custom chiefs,” in order to not offend the male chiefs, but that in private they will use these terms. She also states that the “notaris” of Maewo go through a custom ceremony of pig-killing like the men, have a similar graded system of ranks (which Dalsie and the Expedition found has three active ranks and previously had three additional ranks), and that the women “notaris” are clearly leaders and that the Western term “chiefs” is a reasonable and appropriate translation of the word “notari.” An interview with Dorosday Kenneth Watson, Director of the Women’s Affairs Department of the GoV, who stated that there are “female custom chiefs” in Vanuatu (and on Bougainville in the Solomon Islands). Interviews with female chiefs Doreen Leona and her mother Lolowei Musero Leona, from north Pentecost, who state that they are “female custom chiefs” with the title of Motari (a different word and meaning than “Notari” on Maewo); that they killed pigs in a graded system and they are both chiefs of the second rank; that there are numerous “female chiefs” on north Pentecost; and that they have paid for and earned various chiefly insignia. (Note that all the interviews referenced above are included in the Annexes of this report.) On balance therefore, the preponderance of the evidence appears to be that there are “female chiefs,” “women chiefs,” or “female custom chiefs” on at least some islands of Vanuatu, with the strongest location being north Pentecost, followed in rough order by the Shepherd Group, Efate/Pele, south Pentecost and Ambae. 3 The second major research question was, “If there are female chiefs in Vanuatu, how many are there, what are their powers, grades and jurisdictions, and what are their relations with male chiefs, and with programs countering domestic violence?” These questions will be answered in detail in the academic and other articles about the female chiefs, but in general it appears that some female chiefs are allowed to speak in the nakamals (usually a men’s only clubhouse for kava drinking and decision-making); that a very few have decision-making authority in village disputes, but this is rare; and that there is a very wide variety across the islands and even villages in terms of the names, grades, powers and insignia of the female chiefs and the women custom leaders. A very rough estimate of the number of the self-identifying female chiefs in Vanuatu will be attempted in the academic article that is forthcoming. How the Effort Proceeded. The Expedition was initially planned for August 2015, but Cyclone Pam of March 2015 caused a one year delay. For August 2016, the plan for proceeding was to attend a woman’s cultural and arts festival at a village (Kerembei) on Maewo island, where pig- killing ceremonies would initiate the female chiefs of Maewo into their chiefly status, and dozens of female chiefs would be interviewed about their powers, titles, grades and responsibilities. However, it turned out that the pig-killing ceremonies take place in December and January, not August, that the women interviewed on Maewo would not publicly call themselves “chiefs,” but rather exclusively used the local island language term “notari,” and that the women were quite shy about being interviewed. Hence only eight women were interviewed at the festival or immediately afterwards, and a female notari – a Maewo US Peace Corps Volunteer – was interviewed in the capital of Port Vila.