Instalment 17; Invoking spirit

I went to watch some custom dancing. A tribe from south Santo had come into town and built a fire up next to the education office. They were painted head to toe in white stripes and reminded me very much of zebras. The chief wore a large head dress of orange flowers. Everybody wore only tuffs of ferns around their waist, and for the first time I saw scores of women, unclothed, bare breasted and looking extremely beautiful. The men built up the bonfire, they then danced around it stamping their feet and chanting, the women chanted a different song near by, and as the two songs meet they created an invigorating sound. The men built up speed then all at once they jumped on the fire, the flames lapping around their bodies and a thousand sparks would fly off and into the air, this (one teacher told me) was the fire talking back to the men. As the chanting went on the air got thicker with energy, I could feel that a spirit had indeed been invoked, I found the chanting and dancing became intoxicating. I felt truly moved by the ceremony, and surprised at my own feelings. I can not explain it, but there is some very powerful truth in what they believe in, in earth spirit worship, something which we like to pretend is ‘primitive’ but only because we do not understand.

 

The teacher I was with, who was from this area, told me that this was a very sacred dance, and usually to watch it costs one pig. I wanted to ask her more about the purpose of the dance, what was happening, but I felt strangely frightened to find out. The men would rush at the fire chanting at it, challenging it, and all by it self the fire would flame up back at them, letting off sparks, it was communicating with them. Or perhaps the soul of the universe had found a way to express itself, using the fire as a tool.