December 13, 2006
In Vanuatu, traditional music and dances are still practiced in villages on special occasions. In Ambae, there is a custom dance where women are wrapped in traditional mats decorated in pink symbols and move to a rhythmic sound. Dancers place large seeds around their ankles to produce a natural sound similar to a maraca. In their hands, they hold carved pieces of wood that they rhythmically tap with a stick. They sing in the local languages and dance at the rhythm produced by the seeds they wear and the wood instruments they play.
