Who are the ni-Vanuatu people?

The ni-Vanuatu are the indigenous people of the Republic of Vanuatu, an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. They are overwhelmingly of Melanesian descent, though some outlying islands are home to populations of Polynesian origin.12

Culturally, the majority of ni-Vanuatu are subsistence agriculturalists living in rural villages. A fundamental concept in their culture is the deep connection to land, which is viewed as more than an economic resource; it is a physical embodiment of their link to the past. This identification with specific tracts of land is expressed by the Bislama phrase man ples.3

Daily life for many is guided by a blend of Christianity and kastom (custom). In rural areas, men often gather in a nakamal (men’s house) to drink kava and connect with ancestral spirits. While more than 100 local Melanesian languages are spoken, the national language is Bislama, an English-based Melanesian pidgin.31