Land diving Pentecost
N’gol (or Land Dive) happens each year on the island of Pentecost where young men and boys plunge over 20 meters to the ground with nothing to break their fall but the slender vines attached to their ankles. At first a tree is stripped of its branches and a tower of sticks is built around it. The tower will be between 20 and 30 meters high and takes about 5 weeks to build. Platforms of woven leaves and branches are built into the structure. The liana vines, very elastic following the wet seasons, are shredded at one end and tied to the tower at the other. Men and boys, some as young as seven years, climb the tower and leap from the platforms with the vines attached to their ankles in a show of strength. It is also a fertility rite; as the vines stretch as the diver gets close to the ground, the land diver’s heads curl under and their shoulders touch the ground, making it fertile for the following year’s yam crop. Each diver must select his own vine. Its size is of utmost importance and if it is too long, the diver could hit the ground and possibly break his neck. Young boys learn diving by playing and practicing their jumps from rocks over the ocean, or from small towers. They are only allowed to take part in the N’gol after circumcision, at the age of seven or eight. However, the story of the N’gol does not portray the extraordinary feeling of power during this event. Historically, a diver's goal was to bless the soil by skimming the earth with the top of his head or shoulders; the blessing guarantees fertile soil for a bountiful yam harvest. But these days the ritual extends far beyond yams, it underlies the foundation of tribal society in Pentecost. When a boy is ready for manhood, he proves his courage by jumping off the tower in view of his elders. Watching from the ground, the boy's mother holds a favourite item from his childhood. After his first jump, the item is thrown away, signifying he is no longer a child. Vanuatu is one of the most traditional countries in the South Pacific, and superstitions remain a cornerstone of the culture. Even though most of the islanders are Christian, ancient Vanuatu beliefs still prevail.
The story of the N’gol does not portray the extraordinary feeling of power during this event