Ni-Vanuatu name

Last updated

Ni-Vanuatu names are the names used by the people of Vanuatu, who are commonly known as ni-Vanuatu. Under the law of Vanuatu, a child's name registered at birth should include "the family name, the Christian name, if any, and the Melanesian individual name", the latter of which is also known as a "traditional name" or "custom name". [1] [2]

Naming customs differ between the various islands which comprise Vanuatu. The decision whether to give a child a custom name and/or "foreign name" may be tied to the parents' expectations of the child's future life path: whether he would remain in his village and inherit his ancestors' property and social roles, or whether he would leave to pursue a career elsewhere. [3] Dickinson Tevi of the Mama Graon Project has expressed concerns that due to Western influence, the use of traditional names is dying out; he described traditional names as a vital link between children and their cultures and customs. [4]

Traditional names may be given at birth, [2] or bestowed in adulthood by chiefs. [5] Chiefs may also remove a traditional name so bestowed; in 2012, the chiefs of Tanna and then-President of Vanuatu Iolu Abil came to an agreement that Abil would no longer use the traditional name "Kaniapnin". [6] Land tribunals may look at custom names as one factor in attempting to determine who has the right of usage of disputed custom land, as custom names are also sometimes tied to toponymy. [7] For example, in central and southern Vanuatu, men's custom names make reference to the place where their clan's founding ancestors first appeared, known in Bislama as stamba. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanuatu</span> Country in Oceania

Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu, is an island country in Melanesia, located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is 1,750 km (1,090 mi) east of northern Australia, 540 km (340 mi) northeast of New Caledonia, east of New Guinea, southeast of Solomon Islands, and west of Fiji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Frum</span> Figure associated with cargo cults on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu

John Frum is a figure associated with cargo cults on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu. He is often depicted as an American World War II serviceman who will bring wealth and prosperity to the people if they follow him. Quoting David Attenborough's report of an encounter: "'E look like you. 'E got white face. 'E tall man. 'E live 'long South America."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ni-Vanuatu</span> Melanesian ethnic groups native to the island country of Vanuatu

Ni-Vanuatu is a large group of closely related Melanesian ethnic groups native to the island country of Vanuatu. As such, Ni-Vanuatu are a mixed ethnolinguistic group with a shared ethnogenesis that speak a multitude of languages.

Futuna is an island in the Tafea province of Vanuatu. It is the easternmost island in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Philip movement</span> Religious sect followed by Kastom people in Vanuatu

The Prince Philip movement is a religious sect followed by the Kastom people around the villages of Yaohnanen and Yakel on the southern island of Tanna in Vanuatu. It is a cargo cult of the Yaohnanen tribe, who believe in the divinity of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (1921–2021), consort to Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Vanuatu</span> Religion in the country of Vanuatu

Christianity is the largest religion in Vanuatu. Vanuatu is an archipelago made up of 13 larger islands, and approximately 70 smaller surrounding islands, each home to multitudes of diverse cultural and religious communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph Regenvanu</span>

Ralph John Regenvanu is a Ni-Vanuatu anthropologist, artist and politician. He has been a Member of Parliament since September 2008, was a member of Cabinet for most of the period from December 2010 to January 2012 and then from March 2013 to June 2015, and was the Director of the Vanuatu National Cultural Council from 1995 until December 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Vanuatu</span>

This article presents an overview of the culture of Vanuatu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turaga nation</span> Indigenous movement in Vanuatu

The Turaga nation is an indigenous movement based in northern Pentecost Island, Vanuatu. Its leader is Chief Viraleo Boborenvanua, and it has also been associated with Motarilavoa Hilda Lin̄i. The organisation has its headquarters in the traditional village of Lavatmanggemu on the north-east coast of Pentecost.

Meet the Natives: USA is an American reality television series that premiered on the Travel Channel on November 29, 2009. The series follows five tribesmen from the island of Tanna, Vanuatu, as they travel to the United States on an adventure to explore America and the American way of life. During their visit to America, tribesmen intended to spread the message of peace and kindness that they had been taught by a foreigner known as "Tom Navy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Land and Justice Party</span> Political party in Vanuatu

The Land and Justice Party is a traditionalist, pro-indigenous and pro-youth political party in Vanuatu. The party was launched on 11 November 2010 and is led by MP Ralph Regenvanu.

Robert Murray Bohn Sikol is a Vanuatuan politician. A former U.S. citizen by birth, he is one of very few naturalised citizens to become members of the Parliament of Vanuatu.

<i>Tanna</i> (film) 2015 film by Bentley Dean, Martin Butler

Tanna is a 2015 Australian-Ni-Vanuatu film set on the island of Tanna in the South Pacific, depicting the true story of a couple who decided to marry for love, rather than obey their parents' wishes. Starring Marie Wawa and Mungau Dain, the film is based on an actual marriage dispute.

Lamenu Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Tanna Island, Vanuatu. Its foremost use if for football purposes attributable to its grass field.

Jocelyn Naupa is a Ni-Van advocate for gender equality and women affairs in Vanuatu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mungau Dain</span> Vanuatu actor

Mungau Dain was a ni-Vanuatu actor and villager who starred in the 2015 Australian-Vanuatuan film, Tanna. Dain, who had never acted before, was cast in the film alongside Marie Wawa, another Yakel villager, and other local untrained actors. Tanna, which is based on the true story of a ni-Vanuatu couple in 1987 who committed suicide after their tribes refused to allow them to marry, won the Audience Award Pietro Barzisa at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival in 2015 and was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards in 2017. Dain, who reportedly had never seen a movie before his casting, traveled internationally in support of the film, including to Australia, Los Angeles and Venice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marie Wawa</span> Vanuatu actress

Marie Wawa is a ni-Vanuatu actress and villager who starred in the 2015 Australian-Vanuatuan film, Tanna. The film, which was the first to be shot entirely in Vanuatu, won two major prizes at the 2015 Venice Film Festival and was nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards in 2017. Wawa appears in the lead role opposite Mungau Dain as two star-crossed lovers.

The Victoria-Vanuatu Physician Project (ViVa) was a Canadian non-governmental organization of physicians and their families from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. For 24 years it supplied a medical doctor to the island of Tanna, Vanuatu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squatting in Vanuatu</span>

Squatting in the Republic of Vanuatu is the occupation of unused land or derelict buildings without the permission of the owner. After independence in 1980, informal settlements developed in cities such as Luganville and the capital Port Vila. Land in Vanuatu is either custom land owned by indigenous peoples or public land owned by the republic.

Ni-Vanuatu nationality law is regulated by the 1980 Constitution of Vanuatu, as amended; the 1980 Citizenship Act, and its revisions; and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Vanuatu. Ni-Vanuatu nationality is typically obtained under the principle of jus sanguinis, i.e. by birth in Vanuatu or abroad to parents with ni-Vanuatu nationality. It can be granted to persons with an affiliation to the country, or to a permanent resident who has lived in the country for a given period of time through naturalisation. Vanuatu has had several programs that grant honorary citizenship by investment. Nationality establishes one's international legal identity as a member of a sovereign nation. Though it is not synonymous with citizenship, for rights granted under domestic law for domestic purposes, the United Kingdom, and thus the commonwealth, have traditionally used the words interchangeably.

References

  1. "Civil Status (Registration) Act [Cap 61]". Vanuatu Consolidated Legislation. Pacific Islands Legal Information Institute. 1988. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  2. 1 2 "Country Analysis: Vanuatu". Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. 1999-02-05. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  3. Gregory, Robert J.; Gregory, Janet E. (2006). "Custom and Western Medicine: The Ethics of Intervention". In Sharma, Awadesh N.; Gautam, Rajesh K.; Gharami, Ajay K. (eds.). Indigenous Health Care and Ethno-medicine. Sarup & Sons. p.  76. ISBN   9788176257244.
  4. "Mama Graon Director warns customs dying". Vanuatu Daily Post. 2011-09-15. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  5. "Kilman gets invite from Malekula's Council of Chiefs". Vanuatu Daily Post. 2011-01-27. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  6. Ligo, Godwin (2012-05-10). "President's traditional name removed". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  7. Garae, Len (2012-02-14). "How Ambaean is named Tasso". Vanuatu Daily Post. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  8. Sofield, Trevor H. B. (2003). "Empowerment and Sustainability through Village Ownership: The Ghol, Vanuatu". Empowerment for Sustainable Tourism Development. Emerald Group Publishing. p.  259. ISBN   9780080439464.

Further reading