Liana Jumper from Pentecost
The land diving belong to the people of Sa and are considered indirect inventor of the modern bungee jumping . Every year between April and June they plunge from high diving platforms on the Vanuatu island Pentecost , only secured by lianas . The Sa belong culturally and phenotypically to the Melanesians .
Designations
Jumping is now commonly known as "Naghol" . Naghol is a Bislama word and therefore actually a misnomer. In the language of the Sa itself, the event is called gol and is probably derived from kolan ("game").
The diving tower is called tarbe (or tarbegol ), which literally translates as “the body ( tarbe ) of the game ( gol )” or “the body of the toy”.
The individual parts of the tower are named like human body parts . If you look at the tower from the front, you can see several levels of springboards, which are stacked on top of each other, to which corresponding body areas are assigned: foot, knees, abdomen, chest, nipple, upper chest, under the arms, throat, shoulder, head. The sides of the tower are called si gol ("the sides of the game"), the four corners sin teban (" tied corners"), the back side alu gol ("the back of the game"), the inside of the tower lon te gol ( “Inside the game”). The springboard is called ba gol (“fruit of the game”). The middle, largest of the three struts supporting the springboard in the gol abri is called wichin ("penis"), the two outer ones are called sinbwel anknen ("labia").
history
A myth has it that a young woman from Pentecost was persecuted by her jealous husband. Desperate, she climbed a tall tree, but he followed her until she reached the top, and since he was close on her heels, she jumped into the depths - into what was supposed to be certain death. When her husband saw this, he jumped after her, because he no longer wanted to live without her. The woman, however, had deceived him and quickly tied lianas around her ankles. While her husband was dying, they saved these lianas.
procedure
Several weeks before the day of the actual jumping, a 15 to 30 meter high wooden tower is erected. The backbone of the tower is a tree, usually a coconut palm , from which all branches or fronds are freed. The branches of the tower are connected to one another by lianas and softly pounded strips of bark. To improve the stability of the structure, lianas are also stretched to the surrounding trees. No women are allowed to watch or participate in the construction of the tower . The day before the jump, the jumpers fix their platforms in the tower. It is by no means the case that the younger men only jump from below and the older men only from above. There is no fixed order here.
On the days shortly before the jump , the jumpers prepare their two lianas, the thickness of which is measured according to the weight of the jumpers. Only the bottom forty centimeters are frayed just before the jump so that the fibers can be better tied around the ankles.
The women are also present on the day of the jump. The participants are cheered on by chants and rhythmic stamping. The jumpers then climb their platforms and tie the lianas to them and to their ankles. Participants start with the lowest jump height, and at the end the participant jumps from the highest platform from a maximum height of 30 meters.
The claim that the jumpers should hit the ground with their heads at the end of the jump is made repeatedly, but is not substantiated and is also rejected by the Sa themselves.
sense
Based on a contribution by Irving and Electa Johnson in an article for National Geographic (1955), there are indications that the jumps are supposed to guarantee a rich yam harvest and also form an initiation ritual for young men. Thorolf Lipp (see literature), among others, clearly and well-founded contradict these statements.
Several aspects speak against an initiation ritual: Not only do young men of the typical initiation age jump, but also older men, then participation in the jump is not mandatory, and no social disadvantages are observed for those who did not jump.
In the closing remarks of his study, Lipp states that jumping is a "risky spectacle" that portrays masculinity and offers the participants opportunities for social advancement. Recently, the economic aspect of Gol tourism has also been added. For further interpretations, reference must be made to the literature.
tourism
Gol tourism has existed since the 1950s at the latest, today especially between May and June on the more easily accessible west side of the island of Pentecost. Today the Gol is no longer authentic, but largely folklorized and economized. Entrance fees of 100 euros for ordinary viewers and up to 10,000 euros for professional film teams are required.
literature
- Chuck de Burlo: Cultural resistance and ethnic tourism on South Pentecost, Vanuatu. In: Richard Butler, Tom Hinch: Tourism and Indigenous Peoples. International Thomson Business Press, London / Boston 1996.
- Margaret Jolly: Women of the Place. Kastom, colonialism and gender in Vanuatu Chur, Harwood. 1994.
- Margaret Jolly: Kastom as Commodity: The Land Dive as Indigenous Rite and Tourist Spectacle in Vanuatu. In: Lindstrom, White (ed.): Culture - kastom - tradition. Developing Cultural Policy in Melanesia. Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific, Suva 1994.
- Thorolf Lipp: Gol - diving on the island of Pentecost in Vanuatu. Description and analysis of a risky spectacle. LIT, Münster / Vienna 2008.
- Thorolf Lipp: Sa tower diving in Vanuatu: ritual, game or spectacle? A dramatological perspective. In: Herbert Willems (ed.): Theatricalizations and de-theatricalizations in contemporary society. VS Verlag, 2008.
- Thorolf Lipp: From the origin. Arcadia film production on behalf of Bavarian TV. Film, 45 minutes. 2005.
- Kal Muller: Land Diving With the Pentecost Islanders. In: National Geographic. Volume 138, No. 6, December 1970, pp. 796-817
- Kal Muller: Le saut du Gol dans le sud de l'ile Pentecôte aux Nouvelles-Hébrides. In: Journal de la Société des Océanistes. Volume XXVII, 1971, pp. 219-233.
Web links
- GOL - high diving in Pentecost / Vanuatu
- Pictures of jumping
- vanuatu 2011 , video of the 2011 jumping on YouTube.com
- Pentecoste Land Diving , jumping video on YouTube.com
- Land Diving , video of jumping on YouTube.com