Malekula Island

Malekula is the second largest island in Vanuatu and holds nearly thirty distinct languages among some twenty-three thousand people, one of the densest concentrations of linguistic diversity anywhere. The interior is home to the Small Nambas and Big Nambas groups, whose customary practice survived contact more completely than most, and walking tracks cross the island between villages that still hold ceremonial grounds.

Highlights

• The language density - around thirty languages among a small population.
• The custom villages - communities holding ceremonial ground and practice.
• The cross-island tracks - the walking routes between the coasts.
• The interior forest - the hill country the tracks pass through.

When to go

April to October is the dry season and tracks are passable. November to March is wet and cyclone season. Ceremonial events follow custom timing rather than a calendar.

Practical notes

Visiting custom villages requires arrangement and payment of customary fees, and photography rules must be followed. Roads are rough and internal transport is unreliable. Accommodation outside the main towns is very basic.

Nearby

The Maskelynes are south, and Ambrym is east.

Key facts