Land Diving

Coming of Age Ceremonyy

land Diving

What is land diving?

Nanggol, or Land Diving, is the unique cultural tradition of the Vanatu in Pentecost Island. The extreme ritual which inspired bungee jumping is very significant to the people of Vanatu. It includes teenage and adult men jumping off of up to a 100 foot wooden tower aiming to land as close to the ground as possible without being fatally injured- with only two vines tied around their ankles to provide whem with any safety.

Origins

Cultural Significance

Land diving is a ritual for the harvest among the Vanatuans. The Islanders believe the productivity of the year's yam harvest depends on how high the men jump off during the months of April, May, or June - the months of the harvest. Yams are the most important crop to the pentecost islanders, and they believe that the more courage the divers have, the higher their crops will grow. Additionally, land diving has importance as it is a ritual representing one's enterance into manhood. Bawahri warriors exercise their masculinity with the ritual, as younger jumpers jump from lower heights.

Land diving originates back to a legend of a woman who ran away from her abusive husband who's name is thought to be "Tamalie". The woman climbed up a tree to escape and jumped off with only two vines tired around her ankles. The woman miraculously survived, however, Tamalie followed after and fell to his death. Pentecost islanders now believe that the tower they jump off of is a deity named after Tamalie, and that only men can participate in the ritual, lest Tamalie would be angered.

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Video

The ritual requires very careful calculations, with the tower and vines accomedated to the diver's weight and made with only fresh-cut wood and sap-filled vines. As seen in the video, tribes chant and sing cultural chants as each diver jumps.

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