The release of rare and secret art brought about the unforgettable clash of two cultures.
(1888PressRelease) August 15, 2008 - The opening of exhibitions at the prestigious Annandale Gallery, an 1860 Methodist church, converted to a Masonic Hall in 1920 and now a prestigious art gallery, in Trafalgar Street, Sydney, are always an event to be noted, on the social calendar. The Gallery earned its reputation in the art world, through specializing in showing the best of Australian and overseas contemporary art.
July 22nd seemed to be exceptional from the outset. The invitation spoke about the secret rare art on view for the first time, from a remote tropical island of the tiny South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. The Sacred art which had never before been seen outside Vanuatu.
A group of nine Ni-Vanuatu artists, dressed in full regalia, would perform a major sacred ceremonial dance from the island of Ambrym at the opening.
It all sounded rather mysterious and lots of fun.
Holding a glass of French champagne the guests buzzed with excitement as they admired the beautifully carved wooden figures and masks, plus a four meter wooden, intricately carved drum, one of the world’s largest free standing musical instruments.
“This could easily be mistaken for modern art,” explained the gallery curator, David Baker. “There is nothing like it anywhere in the world, apart from one slightly similar piece in a British museum.”
Suddenly a barely clad figure stepped up to the drum (tam-tam) and began a steady methodical beat on the lip of the wooden gong’s face. A stylized face that had been carefully carved to represent an ancestor. The slits up the side of the drum allowing the ancestor to speak once more.
Next came four dancers, each covered from head to toe in a tent like outfit made of dry leaves. Their faces covered with elaborately painted wooden masks, topped with plumes of chicken feathers.
The dancers slowly advanced towards the center of the room, planting their feet rhythmically on the floor, chanting as they moved, trance like, as one.
In their centre were five more dancers, rhythmically stomping their feet, clapping their hands and chanting in a monotone. They were dressed in the full regalia of their secret society.
Shock registered on the Sydney matron’s faces. The five mature Ambrym men were dressed only with a wide bark belt slung over their hips and a simple Nambas penis sheath barely covering the essential part of their manhood.
The dancers concentrating on their sacred dance appeared totally unaware of the sensation they were causing. Their gleaming well formed buttocks jiggled up and down to the beat of their dance.
We learned later that any woman who gazed upon these dancers would be killed in times past. Fortunately the Ambrym society has progressed beyond this ancient practice. However, until today no woman is permitted to make physical contact with the dancers.
“When the dancers first entered the room it was rather difficult to know where to look” one of the woman guests explained to me after the opening. “I haven’t seen that much bare bottom since my four children were babies,” she laughed.
In a land of over 153 distinct cultures and languages, remote distances and few modern communication devices, life moves at a very different pace in the tropical islands of Vanuatu.
Activities in the night are conducted in the flickering glow of a fire, the only light available, apart from the glow in the sky from the active volcano.
Water seldom comes from a tap and the grocery store is the local garden, faithfully tended by the villagers. A specially chosen tree provides the dugout canoe that is used to traverse the deep ocean waters to catch fish.
Pigs are the wealth of the village, the top teeth being knocked out in order to get the bottom teeth to grow into the highly valued curled pig tusks.
Education is the oral tradition handed down from father to son over the generations. Dance and songs, carvings and sand drawings tell the tales of their ancient traditions and culture. In many places the villagers still live as their ancestors have done for generations.
The Chiefs are beginning to recognize the educational needs of these remote islands. Many of the younger generations have lost the ability to understand the mystic language of the carved gongs. In a decision to share their sacred art with the rest of the world, the chiefs recognize that education is the way of the future if their ancient culture is to be preserved.
The art world has been set on its ear with the release of this secret and sacred art. The general public were not aware that, the tiny archipelago neighbor of Australia, had such wonderful secrets tucked away in the ‘Must See’ Adventure Travel Destination of the South Pacific. Just three hours flight from Australia.
Vanuatu was voted the Happiest Country on Earth in 2006. Yet, as this ancient society reaches out for the benefits of modern civilization, children dream of becoming pilots, teachers, engineers. Many of the villagers live on under $1 per day.
The inability to meet the demands of paying school fees has led to horrendous statistics which have changed little in this tropical island paradise.
· 26% of children never go to school
· Only 55.8% of kids will get to year 6
· Only 18.2 % will go to high school.
In 2007 the Vanuatu government admitted that it did not have the resources to provide the educational needs of the nation. So many issues appear to get priority in front of the education beyond the main islands.
YouMe Support Foundation and its Child Trust Fund is one of the few foundations assisting these children. Children who will never see the inside of a high school classroom without outside assistance.
YouMe Support Foundation is offering an innovative world first Blue Moon Opportunity that will make a real difference in the lives of the children. This is an opportunity that anyone who wants to make a difference in their own life, cannot afford to miss. An opportunity to truly change your life as well as the lives of some really great kids.
The release of rare and secret art brought about the unforgettable clash of two cultures. 
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