November 9, 2006

Well today was finally the Peace Reconciliation Ceremony in Marae. I say finally because it was postponed 2 or 3 times and it was rumoured to take place on as many occasions, too.

We heard one of those rumours yesterday afternoon from Jonson the truck driver. Jonson is one of the most straight forward men on the island and not inclined to idle toktok. I still didn't think that it was happening until I had been given an official invite. But that didn't come until after 7:00 this morning when Papa stopped over to ask if we had heard that it was starting today at 9:00 A.M. Rather short notice, but I wasn't surprised.

One reason for my doubt was that Yvon hadn't come back from Vila yet. Yvon has been responsible for the organization of the ceremony and had been working on having a number of officials from Vila come to the event, including the President of Vanuatu. But he wasn't here yet.

At about 8:00 I received a message that Yvon wanted me to call him from the public phone. I was in the midst of preparing to go over to Marae by 8:30 when I received the message and was feeling a little pressure to be there on time, although I knew that nothing ever happens here on schedule. At the public phone I found out from Kalo Kennedy, a man from Sangava, that the chief there had only just hit the tamtam, a community drum, for the first time which was a call for the villagers to go to the gardens and bring back the food for the ceremony. It was obvious that no one was going to make Marae before 10:00 at best.

When I talked to Yvon he apologized for not being at the ceremony, excusing himself because his "programs" in Vila were causing some difficulties in scheduling. I was at least glad that he wasn't going to enlist me to delay the ceremony until he could return. He did ask me to assist in the ceremony in whatever way I could and to take some pictures for the legal document to be prepared for the court case that was being dismissed because of the peace ceremony.

Nancy and I bicycled over to Marae by 10:00 and chatted with Chief Tisamori and his father, old Chief Charlie, one of the people who had being tied up like a pig on a stick and carried around his village during the burning in 2002. I haven't been able to completely tell how Chief Charlie feels about the ceremony as he is very quiet whenever there has been any discussion of the upcoming event. As the former head chief of the village I would think that he must be glad for the reconciliation to be finally happening, but at the same time it must be hard to completely forgive and forget an event where you have been treated like an animal.

Chief Tisamori informed me that he and Makali Kalo, who was taking over the duties of Yvon, had been prepared to make the ceremony last Saturday but that Yvon hadn't held up his end. They were ready again on Tuesday, but again Yvon i no makem wan stret fasin. So it was on with the ceremony today, Thursday, as another delay was not acceptable.

I wish I had remembered that my camera had some video capabilities as the entrance of the villagers who were asking forgiveness into Marae was fascinated to watch. At the lead were men carrying two pigs on sticks being followed by men carrying stompas of bananas, manioc, sugar cane and kava. One man Richard Genery was leading the men in a call and response song, where he would sing a line and then all of the men would grunt out a tone, not unlike village men going into battle. They brought the pigs to a clearing in the village close to where the Chief and many of his people were waiting and then one man took the blunt end of an ax and whacked each pig two or three times between the eyes, killing each one. Each pig was accompanied by "ol kakae blong hem" that is to say piles of bananas, manioc, sugar cane and kava. Then the men left the clearing briefly only to come back again leading a bull and more "ol kakae blong hem". The bull was tied up between two trees and again popped between the eyes with an ax and after it fell down a man slit the main artery in its neck attracting a number of dogs who lapped up the blood.

Then a group of Chief Tisamori's men brought over a pig and "ol kakae blong hem" to be given to the men who had come to ask for forgiveness. An interesting twist in terms of reconciliation as no one is left completely humbled, which points to why the court system in Vanuatu tries to support Kastom solutions to problems. In the courts one person wins and one person looses, but in Kastom no one wins completely and no one looses completely as each party must give something to the other party. And of course the pig was killed.

At this point everyone sat down and the speeches began. First was Makali Kalo the coordinator of the ceremony. Then came the speeches asking for forgiveness from a number of chiefs from Sangava, Finonge, Roronu and Sasaki. Noted missing in the speeches, I thought, was Chief Masamori from Tapakora, but he was to speak last. Next Chief Tisamori gave a speech accepting the requests for forgiveness. He also acknowledged that I was the person who had told him that most of the villages felt that the fishery project wasn't working because there had never been a peace ceremony for the burning of Marae in 2002. And he acknowledged that I had asked him if a ceremony was possible now. He also commented that the President of Vanuatu had proclaimed this the year of reconciliation, and he as the head of the Shepherd Outer Islands Council of Chief had felt that he should take this to heart and make a peace as a good example. That is not to imply that he might not have had his complete heart in making the ceremony, far from it.

Then Chief Tisamori gave all of the men of importance who were involved in the ceremony a mat, along with the presiding men, Makali, Pastor Kaltang, Master of Ceremony Elder Harry, the two government representatives Sam Naliko, the agriculture extentionist, and Kalwat Poilapa the island nurse. And I, Chief Masilae, Peace Corps Volunteer, also received a mat.

Then Chief Masamori gave his speech. He apparently was given final say although I am not completely sure as to why, although much of the rowrow revolved around issues in his village, and even if he wasn't the main instigator he seemingly had a hand it the situation getting out of control. But he too expressed a great desire to put this unfortunate situation in the past.

At that point I thought that we were in the home stretch but Kaltop Daniel, my chairman of the fishery committee, got up and presented a number of mats to people who were involved in making the event happen, including myself again.

Then Pastor Kaltang, my host Papa, gave a speech citing Bible passages regarding reconciliation, and then a closing prayer. Elder Harry then announced the official close of the ceremony by having many of the people of Marae stand in a receiving line allowing all of the people from the other villages to shake their hands and put everything in the past.

After there was a kava ceremony in which all chiefs, Nancy and I drank a bowl as an unofficial binding of the day's events, followed by food and conversation in which Chief Tisamori told me that the last time an event of this magnitude had taken place on Emae was nearly a century ago. While we were eating the pig that had been given to the affronting villages had been removed from the ceremony grounds to a location on the outskirt of the village to be butchered. Just as we were about to leave Chief Masamori called me to go with him to where they were butchering the pig as he wished to give me a piece of meat in respect for what I had done. He thanked me for helping promote the peace ceremony, and said if I hadn't come to Emae this problem might easily have festered under the surface for ten or twenty more years.

I marvel at how someone like myself coming in from the outside can see what the local people cannot, or will not, or maybe are not able to deal with directly, but in their hearts long to put to rest. Maybe that is just human nature. Pride gets in the way of asking for forgiveness or giving forgiveness, and against better judgment a bad situation is allowed to fester, demoralize and cripple a community.

During Peace Corps training we were told that many volunteers’ projects will never come to fruition for reasons that are no fault of their own. If we can affect just one life in our two year service we should feel successful. I have been told that many women cried with tears of joy the day the day the reconciliation was announced, and I have been thanked by many of the men on the island. I do not know if the fishery project will ultimately succeed, but in the end I know that if I accomplish nothing else in my two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer this day will stand out in my memory.

It was a good day to be part of the community of Emae.