Every story here is told in someone's own words. Five Ni-Vanuatu storytellers, makers and leaders share the kastom passed to them by their parents, grandparents and ancestors - knowledge carried by hand, by voice and by walking the land itself.
Through their stories, discover what still connects people to their ancestors, their communities, and the islands they call home.
Meet the five voices behind these stories and see Vanuatu the way they do.
The Water Music
Her grandmother taught her to communicate with water. Now she’s playing it back. This is Ëtëtung, Water Music, an ancient art that turns water into song, carrying stories, histories and knowledge through rhythm.
Passed down from Gaua island in the Banks Islands, Ëtëtung is performed only by women, taught hand to hand under the guidance of female elders.
Cecilia
Meet Cecilia, one of the women keeping Ëtëtung alive. A song passed down through time, and, through her, passed on again.
The Living Mountain
Philip walks Mount Yasur barefoot, not for show, but so he can feel it. To the people of Tanna, one of the world’s most accessible volcanoes is a living, ancestral presence that watches over the island and provides for it.
Through Philip’s story, discover a side of Mount Yasur that goes beyond the eruptions and the view.
Philip
Philip is a local guide and ‘barefoot volcanologist’ who has spent his life observing, studying and learning from the mountain. In his words: ‘The volcano is my university.’
The Sound of Community
Step into Ransuck Village, where everything is shared; daily life, kastom and ancestral traditions that keep the community bound together.
Fire walking is one of them: once a warrior’s test of courage before the Chief, now the moment a boy becomes a man. This is, in the words of the village, what together sounds like.
Withnold
Chief Withnold Bule Warong: Meet the Chief of the village Withnold Bule Warong, who shares how kastom continues to strengthen the bond in his community.
One Tree, One Canoe
Before he cuts a tree, Sandy taps it and listens. ‘It tells us when it’s ready,’ he says. Every canoe begins this way; a practice rooted in gratitude and respect for what nature provides.
Follow Sandy’s journey from tree to canoe, transformed entirely by hand.
Sandy
Sandy is a traditional canoe maker; a practice passed to him by his grandfather. In his words: ‘Everything I am is in this canoe.’
Our Living History
Two of Vanuatu’s oldest artforms, told through the hands that keep them alive: UNESCO-recognised sand drawing, and basket weaving.
We follow Edgar and Burity, tracing these ancient traditions through their storytellers and makers.
Edgar
Edgar is an expert ‘sandroing’ (sand drawing) practitioner. Drawing a continuous line with his finger, these designs are a sophisticated system to share knowledge, history, songs and stories understood across more than 80 languages.
Burity
Burity is a skilled weaver from Pentecost Island, taught by her mother at just eight years old. She still makes baskets, bags and jewellery by hand for the Mama’s Market in Port Vila. Through her work, Burity keeps this heritage alive and open to everyone who visits. In her words: ‘Everything I make tells a story.'
Ready to meet the voices behind the call?