Malekula, Vanuatu

Meat and Bone Cannibalism


Morning Glory Jungle
Morning glory forest of the village of Botko.
Malekula Black Beach
A calm sea invades one of the numerous semi-volcanic sands on the island of Malekula.
the bone test
Chief Gilbert shows a skull stored on the ceremonial-cannibal summit in the vicinity of the village of Botko.
welcome to botko
Huts from the ex-cannibal village of Botko. Located on top of Malekula Island
Taro & Coconut Milk
A native of the village of Botko prepares a snack made from taro and coconut milk.
cocoa break
Young man from the village of Botko cuts cocoa to give to visitors.
through a dense jungle
Guide George and an assistant about to disappear on a jungle trail that leads to the ex-cannibal village Botko.
Trio of Totems
Ceremonial and territorial totems at the entrance to Botko village.
A short rest
Chief Gilbert in his best clothes rests next to guide George after a steep walk from Botko to; to the place where the cannibal rituals of the village took place.
a winding river
Muddy river descends from Malekula's highest lands to the sea in repeated meanders and through Malekula's thick jungle.
Morning Glory Forest
Dense forest of morning glory;, prevalent in several areas of several islands of Vanuatu
The Nature of Chief Gilbert
Botko's boss, Gilbert, half-disappeared in the dense vegetation around the village.
tribal cattle
Cow from Botko village, at the base of a coconut tree.
South Pacific vs Jungle
Wild coastline of Malekula, one of more than 80 islands in the Melanesian archipelago of Vanuatu.
An Old Cannibal Practice
Chief Gilbert exemplifies the ancient technique of butchering bodies, in a place formerly used by his background for cannibal rituals.
On the way to Botko
Guide George and assistants walk along a beach in Malekula towards Botko.
Big Boss against Figueira
The great chief Gilbert, diminutive against the tentacular trunks of an enormous banyan tree projected from the place where the cannibal rituals of the village of Botko were performed.
Until the early XNUMXth century, man-eaters still feasted on the Vanuatu archipelago. In the village of Botko we find out why European settlers were so afraid of the island of Malekula.

There are still a few kilometers to go but George, the guide we had for those parts of Vanuatu has been trying to communicate with the village for some time.

From time to time, we hear diffuse responses to his guttural calls that are confused with a distant echo, but the native Ni-Vanuatu assures us that, in Botko, everyone is already waiting for us.

Another half-hour of walking and we come across three trunks with carved human heads. George pulls a stick and hits one of them, producing a sound that we perceive to function as a kind of tribal bell.

Totems, Botko Village, Malekula, Vanuatu

Ceremonial and territorial totems at the entrance to Botko village.

"We can't enter their territory without first announcing ourselves at the entrance, he explains." And it continues to lead us way up.

The Francophone Welcome in Botko Village

The village chief waits, curious, at the top of the last ramp, dressed in a flowered and fluorescent shirt that amazes us with its surreal nature. "Be welcome” utters in French with a Creole accent, as soon as we reach him, while other indigenous people examine us from head to toe.

George completes the presentations in Bislama, the strange English-speaking dialect of this Melanesian nation. When the initial protocol ends, Gilbert returns to the floor and reveals an enormous concern in explaining that his tribe evolved, was converted by the missionaries and that he maintains both his belief in Jesus and pride in his faith.

Chief Gilbert, Botko, Malekula, Vanuatu

Botko's boss, Gilbert, half-disappeared in the dense vegetation around the village.

“Where are you from? Portugal? Europe isn't it? I believe those around here too. So they must be a Christian people, right? With us, the French missionaries have done a good job, don't worry that you are in good hands.”

Even so, as this is your will, let us show you the terrible customs of our ancestors. Rest now. They've already walked a lot, but look, they still have a long way to go.”

On the way to Botko's Ceremonial and Cannibal Summit

We agree without reservation. For more than six hours and in excruciating damp heat, we climbed from Malekula's seafront to that high and big nambo, so considered to belong to tribes that use vegetable capsules to cover the penis larger than those of tribes from other parts, these are logically called small nambas.

Rail Natives, Malekula, Vanuatu

Guide George and an assistant about to disappear on a jungle trail that leads to the ex-cannibal village Botko.

It was an hour before we reached the place that most interested us. To prepare for the last few miles, we sat on a mat the hosts had placed facing a lush valley. We refresh ourselves and devour some tropical fruit.

Native cut cocoa, Botko village, Malekula, Vanuatu

Young man from the village of Botko cuts cocoa to give to visitors.

Some time later, Chief Gilbert reappears and we take a new trail. One young man leads the way while another protects the rear of the group. Both are equipped with machetes that they use all the time to cut through the invasive vegetation or simply to entertain themselves.

The repeated use of that weapon, in the historical context because we had ventured and in the surrounding wild environment, seemed to activate the morbid side of our imagination. In this way, primary fears that not even the purest rationality could dispel and intermittent nervous laughter that we shared to eliminate them were renewed.

We crossed streams infested with potentially malaria-carrying mosquitoes and climbed over massive logs that had fallen during the worst storms of the rainy season.

At a certain point, the trail reaches a prominent ridge where we start by having a distant view of the surrounding Pacific Ocean before returning to the usual gloomy atmosphere.

Jungle, Malekula, Vanuatu

Morning Glory Forest from the village of Botko.

Skulls, Bones, Arrangement Stones: a Kind of Cannibal Slaughterhouse

Gilbert takes us to the various places and artefacts that his ancestors used to perform the anthropophagous rituals. It starts by showing a stone with a larger hole filled with water and smaller ones, empty.

He explains that the natives there painted themselves for the final sacrifice of enemies, using the smaller orifices as a natural color palette and the water in the larger one, as a mirror and to correct imperfections.

He then moves to another large abrasive rock where he demonstrates how they made a fire and increased it, immediately igniting dry leaves. Afterwards, it takes us to a huge pile of stones used to wash, cut and cook the corpses of enemy tribes.

Chief Gilbert, Botko Village, Malekula, Vanuatu

Chief Gilbert exemplifies the ancient technique of butchering bodies, in a place formerly used by his background for cannibal rituals.

He adds that the traditional way of cooking meals was to cut the bodies into pieces, put them in a hole that functioned as a natural oven, together with yams and taro, all under a covering of banana leaves that trapped the steam.

We also learned that the normal cooking time was between three and five hours and "that the village chiefs had the privilege of eating the heads of the victims, something they did at that time if they believed that, in this way, they achieved more force".

Morbid Details of Botko, Malekula, and Vanuatu Cannibalism

Half joking, half serious, some elderly ni-vanuatus end up touching on the now taboo theme of the taste of human flesh and comparing it with that of other animals.

Botko's boss stresses that he cannot speak for himself but confesses: "my grandparents considered it sweeter than cow or pig."

Chief Gilbert holds skull, Botko village, Malekula, Vanuatu

Chief Gilbert shows a skull stored on the ceremonial-cannibal summit in the vicinity of the village of Botko.

Gilbert has just described the practical process. And for the avoidance of doubt, it shows us dozens of preserved skulls before proceeding to the base of a huge prickly pear tree used for the same anthropophagic purposes.

Chief Gilbert and fig tree, Botko, Malekula, Vanuatu

The great chief Gilbert, diminutive against the tentacular trunks of an enormous banyan tree projected from the place where the cannibal rituals of the village of Botko were performed.

There, he insists on reassuring us: “we used to kill and eat the enemies who came to steal our women but the tribes of Vanuatu stopped doing it for a long time”.

The Latest Cases of Cannibalism Not As Remote As This From Vanuatu

Previous readings and investigations seemed to prove that it hadn't been that long. Most anthropologists seem to agree that Vanuatu's last known case of cannibalism took place in 1969, more precisely in a bay southwest of Malekula.

Botko Village, Malekula, Vanuatu

Huts from the ex-cannibal village of Botko. Located on top of Malekula Island

However, the natives of this island speak of another more recent macabre event that has turned into a kind of wild myth, a case in which an elder killed and ate a child of his tribe.

It's something that the pioneering discoverers and adventurers of this archipelago of 83 lush islands would have no difficulty believing.

Until 1980, Vanuatu was colonized in a condominium regime – halfway through Great Britain and France. Despite or because of independence, it remains deeply traditional, with more than 80 percent of the population living in huts and small villages surrounded by dense jungle, lost between mountains and at the foot of imposing volcanoes.

River, Malekula, Vanuatu

Muddy river descends from Malekula's highest lands to the sea in repeated meanders and through Malekula's thick jungle.

Os ni-vanuatu they believe in various forms of black magic and almost spontaneous myths. Many still wear petticoats made of herbs and nambas, large or small, depending on the tribe in question.

The Dreaded History of Cannibalism from the Vanuatu Islands

But if things turn out that way in the present, know that they were far more primitive in the days when Western navigators scoured this part of the world.

Black Sand Beach, Malekula, Vanuatu

A calm sea invades one of the numerous semi-volcanic sands on the island of Malekula.

The first two British missionaries sent to the archipelago were immediately captured and eaten on what became known as the Isle of the Martyrs, now called the Isle of the Martyrs. error.

The name Malekula – the same island we continue to explore – has its origins in similar misfortunes. Louis Antoine de Bougainville and other French sailors sailed over and over along its jagged coastline and quickly resented the permanent threat of cannibalism.

In such a way, that they started to call her bad au cul (literally pain in the ass). Captain James Cook, a contemporary of Bouganville, reportedly recorded the expression in his diary. And time took charge of transforming and eternalizing it.

Wala, Vanuatu

Cruise ship in Sight, the Fair Settles In

In much of Vanuatu, the days of the population's “good savages” are behind us. In times misunderstood and neglected, money gained value. And when the big ships with tourists arrive off Malekuka, the natives focus on Wala and billing.
Efate, Vanuatu

The Island That Survived "Survivor"

Much of Vanuatu lives in a blessed post-savage state. Maybe for this, reality shows in which aspirants compete Robinson Crusoes they settled one after the other on their most accessible and notorious island. Already somewhat stunned by the phenomenon of conventional tourism, Efate also had to resist them.
Pentecost Island, Vanuatu

Naghol: Bungee Jumping without Modern Touches

At Pentecost, in their late teens, young people launch themselves from a tower with only lianas tied to their ankles. Bungee cords and harnesses are inappropriate fussiness from initiation to adulthood.
Honiara e Gizo, Solomon Islands

The Profaned Temple of the Solomon Islands

A Spanish navigator baptized them, eager for riches like those of the biblical king. Ravaged by World War II, conflicts and natural disasters, the Solomon Islands are far from prosperity.
Gizo, Solomon Islands

A Saeraghi Young Singers Gala

In Gizo, the damage caused by the tsunami that hit the Solomon Islands is still very visible. On the coast of Saeraghi, children's bathing happiness contrasts with their heritage of desolation.
Viti levu, Fiji

Cannibalism and Hair, Fiji Islands' Old Pastimes

For 2500 years, anthropophagy has been part of everyday life in Fiji. In more recent centuries, the practice has been adorned by a fascinating hair cult. Luckily, only vestiges of the latest fashion remain.
Tanna, Vanuatu

From where Vanuatu Conquered the Western World

The TV show “Meet the Native” took Tanna's tribal representatives to visit Britain and the USA Visiting their island, we realized why nothing excited them more than returning home.
Pentecost Island, Vanuatu

Pentecost Naghol: Bungee Jumping for Real Men

In 1995, the people of Pentecostes threatened to sue extreme sports companies for stealing the Naghol ritual. In terms of audacity, the elastic imitation falls far short of the original.
Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu

Divine Melanesia

Pedro Fernandes de Queirós thought he had discovered Terra Australis. The colony he proposed never materialized. Today, Espiritu Santo, the largest island in Vanuatu, is a kind of Eden.
Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu

The Mysterious Blue Holes of Espiritu Santo

Humanity recently rejoiced with the first photograph of a black hole. In response, we decided to celebrate the best we have here on Earth. This article is dedicated to blue holes from one of Vanuatu's blessed islands.
Residents walk along the trail that runs through plantations above the UP4
City
Gurué, Mozambique, Part 1

Through the Mozambican Lands of Tea

The Portuguese founded Gurué in the 1930th century and, from XNUMX onwards, flooded it with camellia sinensis the foothills of the Namuli Mountains. Later, they renamed it Vila Junqueiro, in honor of its main promoter. With the independence of Mozambique and the civil war, the town regressed. It continues to stand out for the lush green imposing mountains and teak landscapes.
Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beaches
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

During a tour from the bottom to the top of Lake Malawi, we find ourselves on the island of Likoma, an hour by boat from Nkwichi Lodge, the solitary base of this inland coast of Mozambique. On the Mozambican side, the lake is known as Niassa. Whatever its name, there we discover some of the most stunning and unspoilt scenery in south-east Africa.
The Zambezi River, PN Mana Pools
safari
Kanga Pan, Mana Pools NP, Zimbabwe

A Perennial Source of Wildlife

A depression located 15km southeast of the Zambezi River retains water and minerals throughout Zimbabwe's dry season. Kanga Pan, as it is known, nurtures one of the most prolific ecosystems in the immense and stunning Mana Pools National Park.
Faithful light candles, Milarepa Grotto temple, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 9th Manang to Milarepa Cave, Nepal

A Walk between Acclimatization and Pilgrimage

In full Annapurna Circuit, we finally arrived in Manang (3519m). we still need acclimatize to the higher stretches that followed, we inaugurated an equally spiritual journey to a Nepalese cave of Milarepa (4000m), the refuge of a siddha (sage) and Buddhist saint.
Itamaraty Palace Staircase, Brasilia, Utopia, Brazil
Architecture & Design
Brasilia, Brazil

Brasília: from Utopia to the Capital and Political Arena of Brazil

Since the days of the Marquis of Pombal, there has been talk of transferring the capital to the interior. Today, the chimera city continues to look surreal but dictates the rules of Brazilian development.
Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland
Aventura
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
Camel Racing, Desert Festival, Sam Sam Dunes, Rajasthan, India
Ceremonies and Festivities
Jaisalmer, India

There's a Feast in the Thar Desert

As soon as the short winter breaks, Jaisalmer indulges in parades, camel races, and turban and mustache competitions. Its walls, alleys and surrounding dunes take on more color than ever. During the three days of the event, natives and outsiders watch, dazzled, as the vast and inhospitable Thar finally shines through.
Casario de Ushuaia, last of the cities, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Cities
Ushuaia, Argentina

The Last of the Southern Cities

The capital of Tierra del Fuego marks the southern threshold of civilization. From Ushuaia depart numerous incursions to the frozen continent. None of these play and run adventures compares to life in the final city.
Singapore Asian Capital Food, Basmati Bismi
Lunch time
Singapore

The Asian Food Capital

There were 4 ethnic groups in Singapore, each with its own culinary tradition. Added to this was the influence of thousands of immigrants and expatriates on an island with half the area of ​​London. It was the nation with the greatest gastronomic diversity in the Orient.
Kente Festival Agotime, Ghana, gold
Culture
Kumasi to Kpetoe, Ghana

A Celebration-Trip of the Ghanian Fashion

After some time in the great Ghanaian capital ashanti we crossed the country to the border with Togo. The reasons for this long journey were the kente, a fabric so revered in Ghana that several tribal chiefs dedicate a sumptuous festival to it every year.
Sport
Competitions

Man: an Ever Tested Species

It's in our genes. For the pleasure of participating, for titles, honor or money, competitions give meaning to the world. Some are more eccentric than others.
Devils Marbles, Alice Springs to Darwin, Stuart hwy, Top End Path
Traveling
Alice Springs to Darwin, Australia

Stuart Road, on its way to Australia's Top End

Do Red Center to the tropical Top End, the Stuart Highway road travels more than 1.500km lonely through Australia. Along this route, the Northern Territory radically changes its look but remains faithful to its rugged soul.
Ethnic
Shows

The World on Stage

All over the world, each nation, region or town and even neighborhood has its own culture. When traveling, nothing is more rewarding than admiring, live and in loco, which makes them unique.
Sunset, Avenue of Baobabs, Madagascar
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio

days like so many others

Moa on a beach in Rapa Nui/Easter Island
History
Easter Island, Chile

The Take-off and Fall of the Bird-Man Cult

Until the XNUMXth century, the natives of Easter Island they carved and worshiped great stone gods. All of a sudden, they started to drop their moai. The veneration of tanatu manu, a half-human, half-sacred leader, decreed after a dramatic competition for an egg.
Cargo Cabo Santa Maria, Boa Vista Island, Cape Verde, Sal, Evoking the Sahara
Islands
Boa Vista Island, Cape Verde

Boa Vista Island: Atlantic waves, Dunas do Sara

Boa Vista is not only the Cape Verdean island closest to the African coast and its vast desert. After a few hours of discovery, it convinces us that it is a piece of the Sahara adrift in the North Atlantic.
Northern Lights, Laponia, Rovaniemi, Finland, Fire Fox
Winter White
Lapland, Finland

In Search of the Fire Fox

Unique to the heights of the Earth are the northern or southern auroras, light phenomena generated by solar explosions. You Sami natives from Lapland they believed it to be a fiery fox that spread sparkles in the sky. Whatever they are, not even the nearly 30 degrees below zero that were felt in the far north of Finland could deter us from admiring them.
silhouette and poem, Cora coralina, Goias Velho, Brazil
Literature
Goiás Velho, Brazil

The Life and Work of a Marginal Writer

Born in Goiás, Ana Lins Bretas spent most of her life far from her castrating family and the city. Returning to its origins, it continued to portray the prejudiced mentality of the Brazilian countryside
colorful boat, Gili Islands, Indonesia
Nature
Gili Islands, Indonesia

Gili: the Indonesia's Islands the World Calls “Islands”

They are so humble that they are known by the term bahasa which means only islands. Despite being discreet, the Gili have become the favorite haunt of travelers who pass through Lombok or Bali.
Girl plays with leaves on the shore of the Great Lake at Catherine Palace
Autumn
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Golden Days Before the Storm

Aside from the political and military events precipitated by Russia, from mid-September onwards, autumn takes over the country. In previous years, when visiting Saint Petersburg, we witnessed how the cultural and northern capital was covered in a resplendent yellow-orange. A dazzling light that hardly matches the political and military gloom that had spread in the meantime.
Hippopotamus in Anôr Lagoon, Orango Island, Bijagós, Guinea Bissau
Natural Parks
Kéré Island to Orango, Bijagos, Guinea Bissau

In Search of the Lacustrine-Marine and Sacred Bijagós Hippos

They are the most lethal mammals in Africa and, in the Bijagós archipelago, preserved and venerated. Due to our particular admiration, we joined an expedition in their quest. Departing from the island of Kéré and ending up inland from Orango.
Twyfelfontein, Ui Aes, Twyfelfontein, Adventure Camp
UNESCO World Heritage
Twyfelfontein - Ui Aes, Namíbia

The Rupestrian Namibia Uncovered

During the Stone Age, the now hay-covered valley of the Aba-Huab River was home to a diverse fauna that attracted hunters. In more recent times, colonial era fortunes and misfortunes coloured this part of Namibia. Not as many as the more than 5000 petroglyphs that remain at Ui Aes / Twyfelfontein.
Couple visiting Mikhaylovskoe, village where writer Alexander Pushkin had a home
Characters
Saint Petersburg e Mikhaylovkoe, Russia

The Writer Who Succumbed to His Own Plot

Alexander Pushkin is hailed by many as the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature. But Pushkin also dictated an almost tragicomic epilogue to his prolific life.
La Digue, Seychelles, Anse d'Argent
Beaches
La Digue, Seychelles

Monumental Tropical Granite

Beaches hidden by lush jungle, made of coral sand washed by a turquoise-emerald sea are anything but rare in the Indian Ocean. La Digue recreated itself. Around its coastline, massive boulders sprout that erosion has carved as an eccentric and solid tribute of time to the Nature.
Golden Rock of Kyaikhtiyo, Buddhism, Myanmar, Burma
Religion
Mount Kyaiktiyo, Myanmar

The Golden and Balancing Rock of Buddha

We are discovering Rangoon when we find out about the Golden Rock phenomenon. Dazzled by its golden and sacred balance, we join the now centuries-old Burmese pilgrimage to Mount Kyaiktyo.
End of the World Train, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
On Rails
Ushuaia, Argentina

Last Station: End of the World

Until 1947, the Tren del Fin del Mundo made countless trips for the inmates of the Ushuaia prison to cut firewood. Today, passengers are different, but no other train goes further south.
mini-snorkeling
Society
Phi Phi Islands, Thailand

Back to Danny Boyle's The Beach

It's been 15 years since the debut of the backpacker classic based on the novel by Alex Garland. The film popularized the places where it was shot. Shortly thereafter, the XNUMX tsunami literally washed some away off the map. Today, their controversial fame remains intact.
Visitors at Talisay Ruins, Negros Island, Philippines
Daily life
Talisay City, Philippines

Monument to a Luso-Philippine Love

At the end of the 11th century, Mariano Lacson, a Filipino farmer, and Maria Braga, a Portuguese woman from Macau, fell in love and got married. During the pregnancy of what would be her 2th child, Maria succumbed to a fall. Destroyed, Mariano built a mansion in his honor. In the midst of World War II, the mansion was set on fire, but the elegant ruins that endured perpetuate their tragic relationship.
Pisteiro San in action at Torra Conservancy, Namibia
Wildlife
Palmwag, Namíbia

In Search of Rhinos

We set off from the heart of the oasis generated by the Uniab River, home to the largest number of black rhinos in southwest Africa. In the footsteps of a bushman tracker, we follow a stealthy specimen, dazzled by a setting with a Martian feel.
Napali Coast and Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii Wrinkles
Scenic Flights
napali coast, Hawaii

Hawaii's Dazzling Wrinkles

Kauai is the greenest and rainiest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is also the oldest. As we explore its Napalo Coast by land, sea and air, we are amazed to see how the passage of millennia has only favored it.