Vanuatu

Information about the Vanuatu

Population: 202,609 (July 2004)

Most of the inhabitants of Vanuatu (95%) are native Melanesian, or Ni-Vanuatu, with the remainder made up of Europeans, Asians and other Pacific islanders. There are three official languages: English, French and Bislama (a creole language which evolved from English). In addition, over one hundred local languages are spoken on the islands.

Christianity is the predominant religion in Vanuatu, consisting of several denominations. The Presbyterian Church, adhered to by about one third of the population, is the largest of them.

Cargo cults also atract some followers.

In Vanuatu, kava is drunk at night in a place called nakamal, "place for peace". Men drink it from a shell or empty coconut. Women were not allowed to drink kava historically. The Tamafa is a gift to the spiritual ancestors which consists of spitting a mouthful of kava drink, then telling a few words. The cult of Kava is different on each island of the archipelago. In Malekula, it is related to the cult of death. Sex and kava are related in Ni-Vanuatu culture. It is also used in traditional medicine, for fever, asthma, and aches, but the roots used for medicine are not the same ones used for drink. Pharmacologically, kava is recognized as an analgesic (pain killer), anxiolytic, and antibiotic. Kava certainly has a social, spiritual and medical purpose.

The above includes excerpts from Wikipedia.org, the free encyclopedia:

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