Page 33 - Islands Business February 2023

Music

their economical sustainability within their families. So what
they do is tell their story and also bring in a bit of an income
and sustain their life in their community. They help others to
see the great things that they can do.”
“Leweton is named after the villages from the two islands
that we come from,” she clarifies. “It’s made out of six
villages. We formed to perform cultural activities and it’s
related to the tribe and connected to what we are perform-
ing.”
She says it is a way of preserving cultural practices and
pass them on to future generations.
“As we do explain to the visitors and the world, we honour
the land and the ocean through our performances,” says Sur.
“The land gives us our daily food so we honour that through
our dance. The water drumming tells us a story and is hon-
ouring the creatures under the water – fish and shells and
things like that. The shell money also comes from the ocean
and in return we honour them through our dance.
“The water music is also about the privacy of women,
when the ladies go for a bath or a swim after having their pe-
riod, then they stay away from their families. So they go for
a wash in the pure water and perform their water drumming.
Men are not allowed to go near the women around this time.
“When they come to the end of their period and everything
is going back to normal, then they go to the sea water for a
big wash and that’s when they return home. It’s a cycle of
life.”
And their music has travelled well beyond Vanuatu.
“We have come to Australia a few times and to the world
music expo as musicians and artists. We travelled to Or-
lando, Disneyland (USA) to open the Volcanic Bay Destination
there.”
At home the performances are carried out in a concrete
pool in Leweton, in the ocean when it’s high tide, or at the
river, depending on conditions and visitor preference. The
ceremonies can be performed in honour of weddings, birth-
day parties and funerals, as well as in welcome.
“We weave our story into the water,” Sur says.
The economic impact of the activity is also important.
“After all this international travelling, the ladies are now
building their homes,” says Sur. “They also have their own
little businesses that they can sustain. Leweton helps them
to support the houses that they have built and the small busi-
nesses that they have.
“They also invest in the islands where we come from. The
family has moved on and the younger ones are coming up.”
Their stories are also reflecting more recent concerns, such
as climate change.
“We do respect the water, we do respect the land where
the water is,” says Sur. “Water is powerful and it connects
everybody in this world. We should honour the water.”

editor@islandsbusiness.com

Islands Business, February 2023 33