Roi Mata

Chief Roi Mata (or Roymata ) was a supreme chief (English: paramount chief ) who ruled the island of Efate in what is now the Pacific island state of Vanuatu towards the end of the 16th century . Chief Roi Mata is also the title that the members of the ruling family wore. Usually the historical figure is understood to mean the last bearer of this title.

His domain stretched along the northwest coast of Efate from Cape Tukutuku to the offshore islands of Eretoka (Artok) and Lelepa , which he also ruled both. It is believed that around 700 to 1000 people lived in this area in its time, similar to today. Residence ( natkon ) of the chief was the now abandoned place Mangaas . He was buried on Eretoka with about fifty of his subjects.

In Vanuatu's history, Chief Roi Mata is associated with the end of the "Great Efate Wars" and the introduction of the matrilineal clan system naflak .

Historical context

Local stories tell that the ancestors of today's residents settled Efate and the Shepherd Islands to the north, coming from the south and introduced the system of chief titles that still exists today. The analysis of traditional genealogies suggests that this happened between around 800 and 1000 AD. The eruption of the Kuwae volcano in 1452 forced the temporary abandonment of the northern islands and increased settlement on Efate.

Archaeological evidence shows human habitation on Efate for about 3100 years ( Lapita culture ). Mangaas, the residence of Roi Mata, has been inhabited for around 2900 years. Around the year 900, however, the settlement seems to have been abandoned. Only after the Kuwae erupted are human traces detectable again. The stone walls made of coral, which still demarcate the property today, date from this time. Mangaas was finally given up in the 17th century at the latest, probably as a direct result of the death of the last chief Roi Mata.

At the end of the 19th century, according to reports from European settlers, most of the descendants of the Mangaas lived on Lelepa.

Legends

There are a multitude of stories told about Chief Roi Mata in central Vanuatu. How much of it should be seen more as an oral tradition of historical events or more as a legend is difficult to assess. There are numerous orally handed down genealogies of bearers of a certain chief title in the region, which with up to 50 generations go back possibly up to 1000 years, and whose extensive correctness is not questioned by recent research. However, there is nothing comparable about Chief Roi Mata, as his title has not been used for 400 years. The stories known about him are rather episodic, and it is not clear to what extent different bearers of the title were drawn together into one person. From a comparison with other stories, however, it can be deduced that the last Roi Mata lived towards the end of the 16th or early 17th century.

A group of legends tell of the first Roi Mata who came to Efate from the south as the captain of a canoe. He landed in Maniora, the easternmost place on the island, and with his companions settled most of Efate and the offshore islands. He subjugated the people living there and established a chief system with his shipmates at the head.

An opposing set of narratives shifts the birthplace of Roi Mata to northwestern Efate. They are more educational stories for children, which also deal with the relationship with his younger brothers, Roi Muru and Roi Mantae.

Three important episodes are connected to the final Roi Mata. The first is about the ending of the many battles between the villages of the region, which are referred to in many stories as the "Great Efate Wars". Chief Roi Mata called all parties together and presented each community with a totem- like symbol of their identity (crab, coconut, etc.). Thereupon he obliged them not to wage wars against those who belong to the same naflak (clan, see below).

The second episode is an adventure that Chief Roi Mata experienced when he was drifted off course in his canoe. He was captured as a slave on Emae and was only able to free himself when he used his special powers as chief ( natkar ) to bring disease to his enemies.

The third story is about the death of Chief Roi Mata. In the Shepherd Islands it is said that he was shot with a poisoned arrow by his brother Roi Muru. On Lelepa, however, the version is more common that he took part in a ritual feast in the village of Lou Patrou on Lelepa. These naleoana are competitions in which different chiefs try to outdo each other in the amount of food consumed. Roi Mata had been abandoned by his natkar and died from the excess of the meal.

The Fels Cave , a cave on the west coast of Lelepa, is consistently given as the place of his death . For fear of the chief's overwhelming strength even in death, his family and court decided not to bury him at his court in Mangaas. Instead, they acquired the uninhabited island of Eretoka, which is visible from the entire territory but is at a sufficient distance from any settlement. After a procession through the various villages, his magician divided the sea, and the body was brought from Efate to the cemetery on Eretoka with dry feet. He was buried there with many relatives and members of the court, the latter being buried alive in many cases. Then the island of Eretoka and Roi Mata's place of residence Mangaas were declared a tapu . They remained unpopulated and unused for the next four hundred years.

Chief title and naflak system

Chief titles on Efate and the Shepherd Islands are organized hierarchically and represent a system of superordinate domains, dependent responsibilities for land and family land ownership, as well as tribute payments and duties. The domain of Chief Roi Mata stands out in particular, as there has not been a holder of this title for centuries. Nevertheless, the subordinate rulership and land ownership structures that he installed are still largely intact. Current chiefs, the majority of whom now live on the Shepherd Islands, trace their authority back to their earlier role at the court of Roi Mata.

Chiefs have no personal ownership of their domains, rather they are considered trustees for future use by the community. However, individual plots of land are transferred to families for cultivation.

The inheritance of these rights takes place according to the "naflak" matrilinear, ie they are derived from the mother. On the one hand, this shifts the focus of loyalties from village communities to clans. On the other hand, it creates a clear and easily verifiable mechanism for resolving land disputes. Naflak is an established legal principle to this day and its suitability as a conflict resolution strategy is widely recognized. The introduction of this system is attributed to Roi Mata.

Material certificates

The figure on the right of this cave painting in the Fels Cave is often identified with Chief Roi Mata

→ Main article: Chief Roi Mata's Domain

Western historiography began to deal with Roi Mata in the 1950s. The French anthropologist Jean Guiart traveled to Efate in 1957 and recorded the chief genealogies and historical narratives passed down orally. His comparative investigations into the mutual relationships of the chiefs and the convergence of the various narrative traditions provide the basis for these being held to be essentially credible today.

His work also included listing the titles of chiefs at the court of Roi Mata and assigning them to specific properties. Guiart himself was not in mangaas, but only based on reports. In 1967 the French archaeologist José Garanger began excavations in Mangaas, in the Fels Cave on Lelepa and on Eretoka. The descriptions from Guiart could be fully confirmed on site.

The funeral

Burial ground on Eretoka

The most spectacular part of Garanger's investigation was the excavation of Chief Roi Mata's funeral. Although he initially dated it to around 1265 AD, this information has since had to be revised. The investigation of shell jewelery roughly indicates a period around the year 1600. This means that oral reports and archaeological findings in all three investigated sites can be interpreted in such a way that the last chief Roi Mata died around this time.

The funeral on Eretoka includes around fifty people. The investigations showed the following picture: A plot of land was selected for the burial site that was already surrounded by stone walls. Contrary to other customs, Roi Mata was not buried in his own garden, but rather on an uninhabited island far away for fear of his power.

The burial probably took place in two stages. First a deep pit was dug. Chief Roi Mata was placed in it, with a box between his legs containing the bones of another person, possibly a wife who died earlier. The remains of four other people can also be found in the pit. They are probably his magician or vice-chief who holds a whole pig on a rope as a gift for the lords of the underworld, the chief's warrior together with his wife, and the youngest chief's wife, still of childbearing age. It must be assumed that they were all still alive at the time of the burial. Only the young woman shows traces of a bondage, her slightly erect upper body can possibly be interpreted as a last attempt to avoid suffocation when filling the pit. At the head of the pit, two basalt blocks were erected as gravestones and the sapling of a Pisonia tree was planted.

After a period of time, probably a hundred days, a large group of mourners returned to the burial site for a ritual feast. Afterwards, at least 39 people lay down on the ground to be buried alive by covering them with earth. Many were richly adorned, most of them are married couples. Individual burial places were also marked with stones. A bundle of bones with the remains of at least six individuals could indicate ritual cannibalism. Another three previously deceased were reburied on the burial site.

What is astonishing about this funeral is not only the number of people who followed Chief Roi Mata to their death, but also the fact that almost no one can find traces of the use of force. This is explained by the fact that they were first made unconscious with kava .

Present role

Alleged representation of Chief Roi Mata on the coat of arms of Vanuatu

Chief Roi Mata has become a figure of identification for the island nation of Vanuatu. At the 1980 independence celebrations, a presentation of his life and death was the only indigenous contribution to an exhibition on the country's history. The depiction of a warrior in the Vanuatu coat of arms is often incorrectly identified with the chief. (In fact, it's a drawing after a real person from the 19th century.)

Important parts of the Vanuatu social system are traced back to Chief Roi Mata. In traditional law, naflak is still a central term for clarifying property relations and for settling disputes. According to tradition, many of the chief titles used today on Efate and the Shepherd Islands are said to have been donated by Chief Roi Mata. Roi Mata is also a figure of religious worship. Spiritually, one submits to the guidance of Roi Mata by saying that one is "following in the footsteps of Roi Mata" ( nalfan Roi Mata ).

2008 Chief Roi Mata's Domain for the first World Heritage Site of UNESCO appointed in an independent Pacific nation.

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: Roy Mata . Exhibition catalog, CNRS, Paris 1979 (French)
• David Luders: Retoka revisited and Roimata revised , In: The Journal of the Polynesian Society , 2001, Vol. 110, No. 3, pp. 247–287, (English)
• 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)