Vauatu and dispute settled through child swap

Updated August 23, 2011 09:32:38

In Vanuatu, a twenty-year long land dispute has been settled between two villages on Tanna island.

A truce was struck with a child given from Laketam village to another family as part of a reconciliation ceremony.

Presenter: Cameron Wilson
Speaker: Seth Kaurua, Vanuatu Council of Chiefs

KAURUA: As you know in Tanna in particular there's a lot of land dispute issues that have been outstanding for many years and till now the people have been trying to solve the land disputes in many ways. And so far that land dispute, the island council is aware of, but as far as we're concerned this dispute is still down at the area council level, it hasn't been up to the island council to deal with the land issue.

WILSON: Ok, well can you tell me about this agreement or this attempt at reconciliation that's been struck? How does it work when a child is given from one village to another family?

KAURUA: Ok in some cases it might be something new to them, like for example if we talk about the other islands in Vanuatu from Santo and other parts of the modern part of the group, it's something new. But for us here on Tanna it's something that has been practiced down the ages, for many years, and to us it's not something new, but it's a custom, it's a traditional way of bridging the two tribes when there is a dispute, especially to do with land, that is how people in the olden days solved the disputes. And giving away their child to other tribes, it's like a last custom ceremony that people perform in order for the two tribes that they will not have the dispute again. And always when there's a dispute they will always recall back that custom ceremony that's been performed, so there will be no more disputes after all.

WILSON: What in the sense does the child represent a joint interest between the two villages?

KAURUA: It's like bridging the two tribes, one tribe can come across to see the other one, and the other one can go across to see another one, because it's something that's been practiced for many years. It's one of the last high respected ceremonies.

WILSON: So does the child typically maintain contact with both families?

KAURUA: Yes, the child will always stay wherever he wants, he or she can go to the other family as well as the other family, so that's how, I'm saying it's like building a bridge across the two different families.

WILSON: So although it's something that as you mentioned has been practiced as a custom for a long time, is it something that you've seen less of in recent times?

KAURUA: There was no violence or really strong fights against the different tribes ever since during the colonial days after independence. We don't have that sort of fighting against other tribes, and we don't perform that because there was no strong fighting against different tribes.

WILSON: So there's been no need up until now.

KAURUA: Yeah, yes.

WILSON: Ok is there wide support for this custom to continue, or are there people that are critical of it?

KAURUA: In regards to our traditional, we say if that has to happen then it has to happen to make sure we bring peace and harmony amongst the community.

WILSON: How is the child or the family involved, how are they selected?

KAURUA: The child is normally selected from the family that is the ringleader to that particular violence.

WILSON: So people directly involved. Does the family have a say in it or is it something that is dictated by chiefs?

KAURUA: No, it's …, before the violence starts they already had in mind that at the end of the day there has to be something like that performed. It's not something that someone asks them to do it, they already know that at the end of the day there will be a custom ceremony, and if needed to give away child to other tribe, then that will happen.

WILSON: But why has it taken 27 years of dispute for this to happen if it's something that as you mentioned there is almost worked out in advance, that this is a way of resolving a problem?

KAURUA: I think why it came up to give away a child is because it announced to be fighting. All along it has been just the arguing between the different people, different tribes, and until it leads up to fighting, and that's where the chiefs decided to perform that particular ceremony to ensure that it will not happen again.

WILSON: So would you expect this to be the end of the dispute now?

KAURUA: Well I would say that it depends very much on the two tribes, they have to respect that ceremony that they performed, and if they can respect it then it has to be done in other ways. But that's the final as far as the Tanna island is concerned, and I would say that will be the last point.