Mangaas

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Location of Mangaas on the north coast of Efate

Mangaas is an abandoned settlement and archaeological site on the northwest coast of Efate in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu . It was the seat of the supreme chief Roi Mata until the 16th century . After the death of the last bearer of this title at the end of the 16th century, the place was abandoned and has been known as Tapu ever since . Since 2008 Mangaas as part of Chief Roi Mata's Domain is a world heritage of UNESCO .

Excavations

The first scientific description of mangaas was published by the French anthropologist Jean Guiart , who toured the region in 1957. According to the stories told by local people, he listed the titles of chiefs who were associated with Roi Mata as subjects, and the location of the associated residential and garden properties in the settlement.

On this basis, the French archaeologist José Garanger carried out extensive surveys and excavations in 1967, with which the settlement of the place at the time of Roi Mata was confirmed and which gave indications of a much longer settlement history. Between 1996 and 2003, the National Museum of Vanuatu ( Vanuatu Cultural Center ) and the Australian National University jointly undertook further excavations which could further clarify the history of the settlement. The last time a survey campaign took place was in 2005 in connection with the application for the World Heritage title.

history

Mangaas was first settled about 2900 years ago, about 200 years after the oldest most famous town on Efate. From ceramic finds, the inhabitants can be connected to the Lapita culture of Melanesia . Mangaas remained inhabited until around the year 1000 AD. For a longer period of time, it is concluded from a typical and unique ceramic shape that an independent culture developed there.

The dating of finds is possible because various volcanic eruptions on neighboring islands have left ash deposits in the subsurface. From this it can also be deduced that Mangaas was probably abandoned between the years 1000 and at least 1452 for unknown reasons. In the oral tradition, this period is associated with wars and social upheavals. The second date is the year of the eruption of Kuwae , a volcano on the northern Shepherd Islands . The destruction caused there resulted in many people fleeing to Efate. It is reasonable to assume that Mangaas were also repopulated back then.

All traces still superficially visible today are connected to this second period. It is also the time when chiefs resided in mangaas under the title Roi Mata. Dry stone walls are visible to this day, and several trees that still exist were planted and sacred stones were placed.

After the death of the last Roi Mata and his burial on the island of Eretoka at the end of the 16th century, Mangaas was finally abandoned. The reason for this was fear of the overwhelming power ( naflak ) of the chief even in his death. Therefore, contrary to other customs, he was not buried on his own property, and no successor was appointed.

The former settlement was declared a tapu , a holy and forbidden place. Fixed houses and agriculture were forbidden. Loud talking, touching sacred trees and stones and visiting at sunrise and sunset were forbidden on the former dance floor.

The inhabitants settled mainly on the island of Lelepa , which is opposite the coast . It was not until the 1980s that the village of Mangaliliu on Efate, about 2 kilometers southwest of Mangaas, was founded there due to population pressure. Since the late 19th century, plots of land in the wider area were leased to European settlers.

The ban on using mangaas was observed until 1927. The chief Masia Kalotiti had converted to Christianity and attended a Presbyterian Bible school. When he returned to Efate, he worked as a preacher and also tried to break the spell on mangaas. He burned a Bible, scattered its ashes in the area of ​​the former settlement and began to clear the forest, which had been overgrown for three hundred years. Instead, he planted coconut palms for copra production . However, the chief's sense of mission found little echo on the whole. Since then, however, the rest of the area has been used for agriculture again. Today Kassawa , bananas and taro are mainly grown.

The immediate area of ​​Roi Mata's property, the public dance area and the chief's landing area on the beach remained untouched, except for a few vegetable patches laid out by Kalotiti. Therefore, a coastal forest has been preserved in this area, which is much more pristine than on most of the other coastlines of Efate, and in which some rare plants thrive. At least ten endemic plants were identified.

description

Two of the three Tamanu trees on Mangaas Beach

Mangaas lies on a narrow but fertile coastal strip, which is bordered to the south by cliffs of tuff and reef limestone that rise steeply to a height of 200 meters . The coral subsoil was raised more and more above the water surface over the course of time and thereby became wider and wider, and the settlement was able to expand to the northwest. Several streams flow from the cliffs, the largest of which forms the western boundary of Roi Matas property.

Beach

The stretch of beach known as Mwalakot next to the aforementioned stream was reserved as a landing site for the chief's canoe. To enter the lake, a reef edge has to be passed, the narrow opening of which is flanked by massive coral sticks that protrude above the water surface. They are called likanas ("shark breasts "). Several large and old trees rise above the beach, including three Tamanu trees ( Calophyllum inophyllum ), which Roi Mata is said to have planted herself.

Dance floor

The public dance area Mwalasayen is located directly inland . It is dominated by a huge banyan tree ( Ficus subcordata , in Bislama : Nambanga ) that was planted directly over an old stone wall. Today this wall disappears completely under the network of aerial roots, which reach a diameter of 20 meters. Since it cannot be assumed that the tree was planted after leaving the settlement, it must be over four hundred years old.

On one side of the square, upright slit drums ( napwea or in Bislama called tamtam ) were set up, with which the community could be called together and dances accompanied. In recent years new drums have been set up there again.

Roi Matas residential plot

Roi Mata's residential property is located behind the dance floor. Its front area ( Mwala tree ) was dominated by another banyan until 1976, which however fell victim to a fire. (Presumably, during the clean-up work after a cyclone, flotsam caught on a thrown away cigarette.) In the rear area was the house ( Sumwantuk ), the property line was marked by two large canarium trees ( Canarium indicum , Bislama: Nangae )

Garden plots

The entire settlement area is divided into individual residential and garden plots by dry stone walls made of coral fragments. In the center they have irregular shapes, further out the plots - presumably laid out later - are more rectangular. Even today, the properties have individual names that correspond to the titles of chiefs at the court of Roi Mata. However, many of the walls have fallen into disrepair and can only be recognized by their foundations. Another form of marking are ground pieces of coral, which were traditionally distributed as gravel over the entire property. Where agriculture was not practiced again in the 20th century, however, it has disappeared under a layer of humus.

Holy stones and tombs

Spread over the range of Mangaas there are stones that are said to have special magical powers. They are mostly round stones that are small enough to be able to transport, mostly made of conspicuous and unusual material. Eight of these stones were identified in the narrower area between the dance floor and Roi Mata's residential property. They are still treated with respect by the local people. One lying next to the banyan on the dance floor is considered Roi Mata's personal holy stone.

In the western Pacific region, it is common to bury the dead on their residential properties. Such graves have also been identified in Mangaas; five of them were excavated in 1967. Other graves are marked by large stones. These are probably the resting places of chiefs. Even if no local tradition has been preserved, it can be assumed that there are earlier holders of the title Roi Mata among them.

tourism

With the Roi Mata Cultural Tour, the residents of Mangaliliu and Natapau have created an opportunity for a guided tour of Mangaas. On the beach, the story of the chief is presented in a small play, after which the dance floor can be visited. However, care is taken to ensure that no one approaches the banyan more than 15 meters.

In 2006, an episode of the French television show Koh-lanta was filmed in mangaas (an offshoot of the American reality show Survivor ). In return, the television team built an easy driveway to Mangaliliu for the community.

literature

  • Jean Guiart: Système des titres electifs ou héréditaires dans les Nouvelles-Hébrides centrales d'Efate aux îles Shepherd . Paris: Institut d'ethnologie, Musée de l'Homme, 1973 (French)
  • José Garanger: Archeology of the Nouvelles-Hébrides: contribution à la connaissance des îles du center. Publications de la Société des Océanistes, No. 30. Paris: ORSTOM, 1972 (French)
  • Nomination documents (PDF, 43 MB!) Of the Republic of Vanuatu for the entry of Chief Roi Mata's Domain in the World Heritage List, 2006/07 (English)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ José Garanger: Incised and applied-relief pottery, its chronology and development in southeastern Melanesia, and extra-areal comparisons. In RC Green and M. Kelly (eds) Studies in Oceanic Culture History, Volume 2. Pacific Anthropological Records No.12. Honolulu: Department of Anthropology, Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, 1971, pp. 53-66.
  2. ↑ David Luders: Retoka revisited and Roimata revised , In: The Journal of the Polynesian Society , 2001, Vol. 110, No. 3, pp. 247–287, (English)

Coordinates: 17 ° 37 ′ 53 ″  S , 168 ° 12 ′ 51 ″  E