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Emily Hehmeyer
Peace Corps Vanuatu
P.M.B 9097
Port Vila, Efate
Republic of Vanuatu
South West Pacific

(don't forget to write religious material on the box so that people are not tempted to look inside and help themselves to goodies)

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

A Custom Wedding in the Village of Gwotewol

Maewo has similar traditions to the US when it comes to marriage, like a church service and cake. But there are also customs that make us unique, like the custom dances that follow the cutting of the cake.


This is the village of Naone doing a style of custom dance unique to their village. 



Here is the northern Maewo mother's union doing a women's custom dance. 


This is Peace Corps volunteer Steve, who lives on the east side of Maewo, joining in on his village's custom dance. Because he "made custom" which involves killing a pig, he is allowed to join the dance. There are still certain leaves that he is not allowed to wear though because he has only killed one pig. The more pigs you kill, and the longer teeth that they have, the more important you are in the community and thus, the more leaves you can wear in dances like these. 

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