Pawa blong Lanwis mo Kastom Identity

By Martha Fancy Brown

Ngugi wa Thiong’o, a famous Kenyan author, academic, and storyteller, once said in his book, ‘Decolonising of the Mind’ – “Language carries culture, and culture carries the entire body of values by which we come to perceive ourselves and our place in the world.”

I want to reflect on the power of language as a tool that connects both worlds: the spiritual and the physical. The spiritual realm includes our ancestors who came before us and the unknown future that lies ahead. It involves the transformation of a soul as it journeys into the soil, which is prepared with love and kindness from nature. The fertility of the soil enriches as it welcomes one’s body into its embrace, and the rebirth of that same soul—manifested in our grandchildren in the future—is what makes culture unique and special.

2024. The exchange of traditional knowledge and skills is usually passed from elders to younger generations through the use of oral language, which carries more weight when knowledge is exchanged. This picture is from a group of women and girls in North Pentecost participating in an exchange of knowledge in traditional weaving. PC: Aru.S.

I remember my mother using our local language to tell ‘kastom stori’ (folk tale) or, in my local dialect, ‘Veveve,’ when I was a child.

Language forms the essential links between the past, present, and future. It is the glue that holds us together. I remember my mother using our local language to tell ‘kastom stori’ (folk tale) or, in my local dialect, ‘Veveve,’ when I was a child. My favorite stories were of ‘Bwagi mai Atmate’ – Bwagi and the Devil and ‘Gatou mai Bwatigo’ – The Hermit Crab and the Kingfisher. She would explain each detail and sing songs that created a lasting memory in my mind, which I can now share with my son. Such stories are folk tales about events believed to have occurred in the past, and some carry hidden meanings that influence how we behave and carry ourselves today. These are not ordinary stories but ones that can shape and mold a person's character to become a leader in the community. However, these hidden meanings are buried within the oral language spoken, and one must understand their language to gain insight into their past, present, and future.

Such stories are folk tales about events believed to have occurred in the past, and some carry hidden meanings that influence how we behave and carry ourselves today.

2025. Sand drawing is an ancient oral practice used in Pentecost and some parts of Vanuatu to convey messages to people. PC: Fevie at Lycee High School, Port Vila.

Words that create sentences and are spoken as language are a powerful tool to reconnect you and bring you to a place where you felt loved and accepted, and understood positively and powerfully.

I returned to my home island, Pentecost, over the holidays, and it was one of the most enjoyable holidays of all the other holidays. The difference between this holiday and the past holidays is that, this time around, I have decided to speak my language, the Hano/Raga language from the northern part of Pentecost Island in Vanuatu. I understood the language; however, I never use it outside the comfort of my own space, out of fear that I would make a mistake and get laughed at. Last year, I challenged myself to start speaking it, no matter the mistakes I would make, because I believe that taking the first step is better than never taking a step forward to make a change.

I understood the language; however, I never use it outside the comfort of my own space, out of fear that I would make a mistake and get laughed at. Last year, I challenged myself to start speaking it, no matter the mistakes I would make, because I believe that taking the first step is better than never taking a step forward to make a change.

2023. Traditional food systems are also shaped by language. Knowing when to plant and harvest is essential for a good crop. My late uncle used to sing and show respect while working on his yams and taro gardens to produce enough for his family and for cultural ceremonies. Sovereignty means being able to grow your own food and knowing who you are by speaking your language. Taking my son to visit my mother’s yam garden is one way he can reconnect with the land, while also understanding true independence and self-reliance.

So, I started to speak my language, and surprisingly, words crawled and rolled into my mind, and eventually came out of my mouth. I WAS SPEAKING IT! The feeling of being connected, being there, not only physically but spiritually, crept into my once lonely, deserted spirit and instilled in me a sense of peace and love. Language is powerful, and knowing your mother tongue brings you closer to becoming a better guardian of the nature that surrounds you. You can call insects, trees, and animals by their local names and feel understood by them, just because you are speaking a language that they also identify with. And that was a feeling I missed all these years. I am now rebuilding that space, adding the block that was once missing, to a complete house filled with all its necessities.

You can call insects, trees, and animals by their local names and feel understood by them, just because you are speaking a language that they also identify with.

Sand drawing is an ancient oral practice used in Pentecost and some parts of Vanuatu to convey messages to people. PC: Amynio David at the Cultural Museum, Port Vila.

Therefore, it is not a mistake that reconnecting to your true cultural identity requires learning and speaking your language. Our colonizers use their language to colonize us. They aim to control our land and our seas by tearing our language apart. They understood the importance of language as a connection between us and our socio-cultural physical world; the only way to overpower us is to redefine our minds to their language. I believe going back, reconnecting, reinvesting, and revitalizing ourselves with our mother tongue is the key to decolonizing and empowering ourselves from foreign ideologies.  There is power in our language to bring unity and create alternative pathways to a peaceful society. As the famous saying of the Great Father of Vanuatu’s Independence, the late Father Walter Hayde Lini, once said in the Hano language of North Pentecost, “Tamata nu muramuraga,” – Peace is Powerful and “Binihimarahi nu ghoghona”- Respect is Honourable. Peace and Respect can only be achieved when words are spoken in our mother tongues. Therefore, learn your language. Speak your language. Empower yourself with it to become truly independent.

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About the collaborator

Martha Vancy Brown is currently pursuing a Master's in Climate change and Global Development at the University of East Anglia in the UK. Previously worked with Nia Tero Foundation and Vanuatu Indigenous Land Defence Desk. Origination from Raga, Pentecost Island in Vanuatu.