Malakula dance costume

This costume was worn in June 2005 for naluan mekam - a dance performed right through the night as part of a grade-taking ceremony in Lamap on Malakula Island, Vanuatu. The costume comprises lingesges (mask), nubang (penis sheath), vivang (ankle rattles), and bugho (belt), and was made by Erna Meleun. Elaborate costumes, body adornments, and body paint are a key part of ceremonies in the west Pacific. In Vanuatu, dance celebrates important life events such as the attaining of rank.

Grade-taking ceremonies

Grade-taking ceremonies mark the steps taken by influential men as they move up through a formal system of grades, gaining power and rank. Each step is marked by feasting, the ritual killing of pigs (the more pigs a man can give away, the more respect he earns), and by particular body adornments. The ceremonies become more complex and demanding as the men attain a higher place in the hierarchy.

Acquisition history

The Vanuatu Cultural Centre in Port Vila on Efate acquired the costume and footage of the ceremony on behalf of Te Papa. Both the costume and footage of naluan mekam are part of a significant collection of dance costumes and dance footage that were collected for the exhibition Culture Moves! Dance costumes of the Pacific, held at Te Papa from September 2005 to August 2006.