The Coconut Tribe

by Nicole Chufi (Australia)

I didn't expect to find Vanuatu

The heat was intense, and I was wearing more fabric on my body than I normally would due to the island’s religious customs. Little did I know what a fleshy history I was about to step into. “Today you get to see my home.” said Fiona, an elderly villager who was my guide for the day. I saw her making use of all the shade there was, stopping under a tree to tell her story “You’ll experience how our tribes - including mine, the Coconut tribe - live here today on Vanuatu and the tribal traditions that most of us continue to follow”. Triggered by curiosity I naively asked “What does that mean, to be from the Coconut tribe?” “Oh dear, if only you knew...you wouldn’t come here with me otherwise,” she exclaims to my surprise. .... I was on the boat, feeling the breeze ease the heat as we were heading from Efate, the main island to Lelepa island, the home of Fiona and approximate 400 Ni-vanuatu. It was a short trip, the minutes flew by, I got distracted by the clear waters, the beautiful shades of blue and the tall coconut trees. As I was making my way into the island, Fiona mentioned “Be careful of the coconut trees, make sure you follow the walking path”. I followed her advice, mindful that falling coconuts can be quite lethal. As we started walking into the village, I got to observe the simplistic lifestyle of their people, the community spaces, the houses scattered along the path, made out of metal with curtains covering the open windows. There were no cars on the island. All I could see was three kids on their bikes, they seemed shy but smiled curiously at me, the new visitor on the island. My intent was also to get to know the cultural aspects and customs of the island, which Fiona made sure to cover. For every shady spot we found, a new subject would arise, we talked about education, food, resources, waste management and tribal marriage. “Marriage can only happen between two people from different tribes, as I am from Coconut my husband couldn’t be from the same, the kids will always follow their mother’s tribe.” I could see the heat was bothering her but she was excited to continue her story. “You know my dear, once, I travelled to a neighbouring island here in Vanuatu. The first thing I was asked was which tribe I am from, I told them “I am from the Coconut tribe.”, then they went to find someone that was also from the Coconut, she welcomed me and treated me like a sister, as a family would.” she smiled in remembrance. As the day went on, I could feel the heat’s strength even more through the extra fabric I had on. Little did I know that I’d turn that intensity up a notch by asking a seemingly innocent question: where did the tribe’s name come from? “You know my dear, not too long ago, on this island our tribes were supportive of Cannibalism, our people would hunt and eat each other,...” She patiently continued explaining,“...until a great chief came into this island, and preached to our people and all the other islands in Vanuatu that we should stop the ritual of Cannibalism. He told everyone on the island to collect and bring anything they found useful. My ancestors brought coconut and that’s why I am from the Coconut Tribe.” An awkward silence followed, I was trying to paint the picture of this small island and the people living on fight or flight survival mode. I had so many questions but all I could say was.... “I can’t even imagine something like Cannibalism or how it was to live here back then.” “Yes, my dear, I’ll probably not bring you to this island if it was like this until today” she says with a hearty laugh. Luckily for me, the coconut tribe aren’t the most dangerous inhabitants on the island anymore. That would now be the coconuts.