Dork Geek Nerd

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Wednesday, March 12, 2008

N'gol

From a beach of white, blue-grey and black stones, some the size of emu eggs. Through an idyllic village - neat huts, the scent of woodsmoke, chooks ranging free, a general store with a New Zealand Warriors "try time" poster, western-style marble grave in one front yard. To a steep, grassy slope. At its summit, a 30-metre tower of criss-crossing branches, like a zipper in the sky.

N'gol. Land diving. Bungee jumping with a vine instead of a bungee cord. Not over a river but a patch of raked dirt.

This ancient ritual is enacted between March and June, when the vines are the right balance of strength and elasticity. The same tower is used for the entire period. Before each performance, diving platforms are erected on the structure at points corresponding to body parts. Boys as young as eight may leap from the knees, while only the bravest man will go from the head.

I wait with anticipation from a spot secured by rising at an unreasonable hour - a stumps'n'plank bench in the shade of a thorny, spider-silked lime tree. I silently petition the spirits of Pentecost Island not to let any of their sons die for the tourist dollar.

The diver climbs agilely to his mark. Fellow jumpers help tie the purposely frayed end of the vine to his ankles. It is already bound around the platform. The ground crew - an elder naked save for a penis sheath, carrying a raking stick - checks the vine hasn't become entangled with any others.

The diver steps forward. He raises his hands to acknowledge the crowd. He claps and so do we. A group of males on the hillside begins to dance, sing in unison, whoop and holler. There are echoes of the Maori haka.

The diver sways and prays...then falls gracefully into the sweltering air.

His descent stops when the vine does - two metres shy of the earth. The platform snaps in half by design. His body is jerked so violently I think his back must be broken (mine would be). But the ground crew lifts him to his feet and the diver acknowledges the audience again.

It is the most amazing, gutsiest thing I've seen in my life.

4 Comments:

At 1:34 AM, Blogger David & Mindy said...

We watched a documentary over here, I guess it was about 10 episodes, dealing with the Bunlap (sp?) tribe from Vanuatu. It was quite interesting stuff, one of the episodes dealt with the platform diving you just witnessed. I don't know how there are not numerous serious injuries, I can only imagine seeing it live. Basically, other than this...and building canoes, their life seemed like endless days of eating Lap Lap and drinking Kava...any chance for you to get a hold of such local fare?

Also...my cruise question for you...how is the food on the crusie line? A lot of the US cruies lines have all-you-can-eat buffets scattered throughout the cruise ship, so appealing that some of the cruisers are really just there to gorge themselves.

 
At 11:54 AM, Blogger Kamuke said...

You got to see it! Awesome, dude :)

 
At 4:40 PM, Blogger Dann said...

Sounds like an extremely cool holiday so far, mate. :D

In other, comics-related news: Dave Stevens just died. He's the dude who drew Bettie Page (a lot) and created The Rocketeer. He was 52.

Anyway...enjoy the rest of the cruise.

Dann

 
At 1:02 AM, Blogger Addster said...

DL: Sorry to hear about Mr Stevens. He sure could draw boobies.

DQ: There's no shortage of tucker. You can go to the fancy restaurant and eat a two-course breakfast, followed by a three-course lunch, then afternoon tea and, finally, a four-course dinner. Or you can go to the buffet and eat even more :-) I haven't had a bad meal yet.

 

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