Local traditions and culture in Vanuatu

Ni-Vanuatu - as the majority of pacific people -respect a dress code, especially for what concerns women dressing.
When in Port Vila or Santo, or if staying in some resort, ladies don't have to bother about wearing a bikini on the beach.
In outer islands, or when living in more strict contact with locals (for instance, walking through villages, going to remote beaches where you can meet local people) too much bare skin is not appreciated. A woman in bikini is considered to be naked. So are men with sppedo swimming pants.
It is strange for a people who actually used to live naked, but this is what they have been taught by christian missionaries, and they are quite keen on that now.
Women usually cover their legs (under the knee), their shoulders and do not show body shapes. They wear an 'island dress': floreal and light, but certainly not sexy.
When going for a swim or a boat trip, beach shorts are ok for women as well as for men. A tshirt is ok also over the swimming suit.

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The Ni Vanuatu people are a very conservative people and therefor one must be mindful of this went travelling to thier country. Brief clothing of any kind is to be avoided outside the confines of your motel presinct. Loose cotton clothing is a definate must in the warmer summer months. The land is custom owned and only leased to investors on a 75yr basis, there for it is unwise to venture off the beaten path without first asking a local or asking the first person you meet on the track, locals are hospitable and will often take you to thier village to experience life in Vanuatu. Females travelling alone need to be aware of personal safety and take precautions it is unwise to travel to isolated places alone. Taking fruit from trees growing on seemingly uncared for land is also frowned upon all land is custom owned and therefor belongs to someone. The rule is when in doubt ask! Common sence approach to not leaving personal items unattended as with anywhere in the world opportunistic theft is common.

Much has been made of the whole "women must cover up" thing. It's true, the local girls in Port Vila don't wear anything showy, will generally wear a t-shirt and maybe a skirt that falls below the knee. Some dress a bit skimpier but it's generally quite normal by western standards.

I don't think they generally hold tourists to the same standards, though. And as a tourist, you can't help but stick out. In Port Vila, no-one cares whether you wear something skimpy or not. I saw girls walk around in their bikinis and a sarong, and no-one seemed to bat an eyelid.

Having said that, there is such a thing a classy. Walking around in a bikini is not, unless you're at a beach.

The people of Vanuatu are very friendly, and the last thing they want to do is offend or upset you. However, sometimes this can hinder communication a bit. If you need help finding something or getting information, ask an open-ended question. For example, let's say that I wanted to find the Nambawan Markets, but I wasn't sure if I was going the right way. Instead of asking a "yes" or "no" question like, "Is this the way to the Nambawan Markets?" I would say, "How do I get to the Nambawan Markets?" If you ask a "yes" or "no" question, you will get a "yes" answer nine times out of ten, even if that's not the real answer. This is because the Vanuatu people are afraid to disagree with you because they feel that they might offend you.

Ni-Vanuatu people are very polite. They are forever thanking each other and greeting each other, even when they drive down the road the wave at each other and beep to say hello! i realised how rude Australians are and how we never really say thanks and please unless we feel we have to, so make an effort to be polite to them because they really are lovely and its considered rude if you don't.
Tankyu Tumas means thanks very much and they're forever saying it...
just adds to the wonderful local vibe of the people and the place! you'll be surprised how polite you are to everyone when you get back :)

There are 113 distinct languages and many more dialects are found throughout Vanuatu - many of the Ni-Vanuatu speak more than one of these local languages becasue of inter- and intra-island trading. When Europeans arrived, a lingua franca evolved. It's name, Bislama, derived from the Bech-der-mer (sea cucumber) traders who developed a form of pidgin English throughout the Pacific. It began as a simplified form of phonetic English, with Spanish, French, and other languages thrown in for good measure.It soon took on a life of its own, incorporating new words and evolving.

Bislama, though phonetically English with a broad acccent, is grammatically simpler. Everything, including women, are spoke of in the masculan (political correctness has not yet come into play!) Being a simpler language means that complex ideas or new concepts are described functionally. The results are descriptions and stories can be a great deal longer than if told in English.

Blong: literally - belong. It is used in reference to any noun which has a possesive relationship with any other noun. Example:
Long: literally meaning from, to, in, on; in association with something, but not in possesive sense.. Example:

* Pikikini blong mi = literally: child belong to me (my child)
* pikinini blong kanu = literally: the child (the outrigger) belonging to the canoe
* Laet blong trak = literally: light belong to the truck, a light on a truck
* Pikinini i go long skul = literally: the child goes to school

Most object groupings are simplified: all motorised vehicles are truks, all birds are pidjins, all creatures in the sea are fis. To distinguish the differences in these groupings, their relationship to size or the enviroment is used, or a description is given, rather than a distinctive name:
* trak blong doti = truck belong dirty (garbage truck)
* pidgin blong solwota = bird belonging to the saltwater, eg tern, pelican, duck etc.
* kaofis = cow fish (dugong)

Carvings are everywhere, so keep looking for them. Carvings are made out of hardwoods, tree ferns, and sometimes stones. Wood is used for more utilitarian types of things like bowls, platters, and decorative items like turtles and birds.

More interesting, though, are the humanoid figures carved from tree ferns, a ver soft substance. (You can also find these figures from hardwoods, but they are less common than tree-ferns aroudn town).

The stone carvings are much smaller, and are often made out of volcanic pumice stone or coral.

Even in the best resorts there seems to be a million cats everywhere. I was told that they believe cats to be spirits of those lost. Apparently they catch them and put flea collars on them, and feed them etc. So yes, they are very well taken care of, and highly respected...