The Documented History Of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu
This months article will be about..
The western pacific island of Espiritu Santo! Espiritu Santo is an island that makes up the country of Vanuatu. It exists in the southwestern pacific ocean. It is incredibly far from land. Many marine animals from this isle migrated from Australia or other surrounding areas. The isle is approximately 3689.68 nautical/marine miles from mainland Vietnam. That is the closest to a continent that is considered “mainland”. It is a mere 998.36 nautical miles from the Australian province of Queensland. It is also approximately 3343.68 nautical miles from the
Antarctica. This island is not to be
confused with Isla del Espiritu santo which is off the coast of Baja California Sur. It is the largest island that belongs to Vanuatu. It is incredibly biodiverse & has a rich history due to its placement in Polynesia. It’s history spans over 3,500 years. Espiritu Santo is a part of the Sanma province of Vanuatu. It is also apart of the New Hebrides archipelago. It has many islets that jut out of the water around it, a few of which may have broken off from the main isle in the past. Its current largest settlement is known as Luganville. The isle has a current population of 40,000, 10,738 or 26.84500% of which are located in Luganville. Its later history was widely dictated by the British empire due to it being colonized by Britain for over 8 decades. It has had many tribes occupy its lands, a few of which have unfortunately been lost to time. The most namely of these being the Ni-Vanuatu people who still occupy the island. Thankfully, parts of the culture of many of these tribes can be found in the island’s culture in modern times. The isle has served many purposes for many different countries & cultures. The highest elevation on the island is Mount Tabwemasana standing at 6,165 feet in height. The island is best known for its many shipwrecks & plane wrecks off the coast, these areas are common places for snorkelling. In this article we will discuss the discovery & documented history of Espiritu Santo as a whole, The known aboriginals of Espiritu santo, the most destructive man caused & natural disasters of Espiritu Santo, & finally a segment on the Vanuatuan economy. With that being said, let us delve into the historical part of Santo.
The Documented History Of Espiritu Santo
Before Colonization
It is believed that people came over from the Solomon Islands or Papua New Guinea using canoes approximately 3,500-3,000 years ago. They most likely went to the island of Malakula first then arrived on Espiritu Santo. These people were most likely of the Lapita indigenous tribe. This culture were made up of austronesian people. Unfortunately we do not have exact records as to when exactly this was. These people will go on to make up majority of the indigenous tribes on the island. These tribes would make pottery & ceramics. There is also no clear evidence that suggests that there were multiple tribes. The Lapita have a clear ceramic style which if they were there would have been on these fragments. However we cannot confirm whether it was found on the ceramic or not. These ceramic fragments have been found throughout the hilly areas of the island. However majority of these pieces have been destroyed due to the climate of the island. These pieces date back to 1300 B.C. However at first the Lapita were not united. Roymata united them & became their chief. He instituted a peaceful culture & in the following years there were no conflicts or major battles on the isle. Roymata would have lived at the beginning of the 16th or 17th century. The stories of him have been passed down via Oral tradition. These stories have been corroborated by centuries old archeological sites. On these archeological sites paintings of these stories can be found. The majority of the Lapita came from the Solomon islands or Papua New Guinea however some of them may have came from the Philippines or Taiwan. Also, Geological records show a volcanic eruption on the nearby island of Ambrym in approximately 200 A.D. This would have caused the absolute devastation of villages as well as major famine.
After Colonization
17th Century
In the year of 1606 A.D the Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernández De Quirós discovered the island. He thought that this isle was a great southern continent. This is all that would go on for this century as Europeans would not be returning until 1768. The exact reason for this is unknown however other explorations may be the reason for this.
18th Century
In 1768, the Spanish arrived back on the island. This was during the Spanish conquest. Louis Antonie de Bougainville was the leader of the group that rediscovered the archipelago. Bougainville would name these Les Grandes Cyclades. His reasoning for this is somewhat unknown. In 1774, Captain Cook renamed the archipelago of modern Vanuatu “New Hebrides”. This name would last throughout its rule by the United Kingdom & up until it declared independence.
19th Century
During the year 1800 a mass exodus of slaves from Oceania to Europe happened. These people were mainly from Australia, Fiji, & New Spain. However a few were from Vanuatu. This labor trade caused a new form of debt bondage to be made. This form was a type of indentured labor known as blackbirding. This practice consisted of laborers being coerced to do usually backbreaking plantation work in extremely inhumane & violating conditions. During this labor trade more than half of Vanuatu’s population were kidnapped off of the island. This severely reduced the indigenous population to the point where modernly there are very few remaining Ni-Vanuatu peoples. After this the majority of the population were Christian European Immigrants. These missionaries would often attempt to convert the locals form their folk religions. Also In this century the Caledonian Company of New Hebrides was founded & incorporated. This influenced many french folk to move to the island.
20th Century
In 1906, France & the United Kingdom agreed to govern the islands together in a form of government called the British-French Condominium. This dual governance would be continued until the 1940s when WWII was brought to the islands by the Americans. It was this time when a sense of nationalism among locals grew large enough to challenge this joint form of government. They decided to band together & essentially petition to become independent. This nationalism campaign hit its peak on the 17th of august 1971. This was due to Father Walter Lini & co to found the New Hebrides National Party or the My Land Party. This party still exists at the time of publishing. The Uprising was known as the coconut war or the bow & arrow war. This war was extremely brief & only officially lasted from June 8th of 1980 This war only had a few casualties & was unconventional. This ended with the Declaration of Independence from Vanuatu.
The Aboriginals Of Espiritu Santo
The Ni-Vanuatu Indigenous Peoples
The Ni-Vanuatuan Indigenous Peoples are a restricted group of indigenous people only found throughout Vanuatu. There are approximately 300,000 of them remaining. They originate as some of the first inhabitants on Vanuatu. They are carriers of the long dead Lapita Culture. They have unique clothings, traditions, & music. One of their unique types of clothing is the penis sleeve. These sleeves are called yelau & they will hang down at various lengths depending on the man's status. In some particular cases, the chiefs would have penis sleeves that hung down to their ankles. They also have specialized musical instruments. One of those is a bamboo pipe that is akin to a modern day flute.
The Most Destructive Man-Caused & Natural Disasters That Have Affected Espiritu Santo
No. 1 Tropical Cyclone Pam
Cyclone pam is regarded as the worst natural disaster to ever effect Vanuatu.
It was a category 5 tropical cyclone that swept the southern pacific from march 6th to march 20th 2015. It is currently regarded as the 2nd most destructive & intense tropical storm to ever occur in the southern Pacific Ocean. As a result approximately 3,300 were left without homes. There were a total of 16 fatalities as a indirect & direct result of the hurricane. It cost a total of 692 Million dollars from all countries involved. Adjusted for inflation that would be approximately 870,082,331.65 USD, or 870 million USD. The highest wind speed was 175 miles per hour & it was 1 minute sustained.
No.2 Tropical Cyclone Harold
Cyclone Harold lasted from April 1st through April 11th of 2020. This was a category 5 hurricane that also swept Oceania. It caused 31 confirmed casualties & 22 missing reports. 2 of these casualties were on Vanuatu. The 22 have yet to be confirmed dead. It was a part of the 2019 hurricane season. At its peak the highest winds it produced was 175 miles per hour. In total it caused 123.5 million USD in 2020. Adjusted for inflation that is approximately 142,206,019.06 USD or 142 million USD.
No.3 Plane Crash Van Air YJ-RV4
On the 25th of July 1991, a plane crashed carrying 8 passengers & 1 crew member. This plane was run by VanAir. The type of aircraft was a Britten-Normand Islander. It was taking off from Olpoi, Vanuatu & it was headed towards Luganville, Vanuatu. While it was climbing into the air it crashed near the mountains. 7 minutes after takeoff from Olpoi the twin engine aircraft hit tree tops & crashed in a wooded & hilly terrain located few kilometers from the airstrip. The aircraft was utterly destroyed beyond recognition. All occupants were killed immediately upon impact. The reason for this crash was most likely the pilots inexperience flying this low over this type of terrain. The pilot type was a scheduled revenue flight.
The Economic State Of Espiritu Santo
The economy of Espiritu santo is relatively stable. However due to semi-frequent tropical cyclones, the economy will occasionally be disrupted. These disruptions are mostly temporary. Villages on espiritu santo are mostly self sufficient. As in they grow most of their own foods & raise most of their own animals. Their GDP for 2021 was 0.928 Billion USD. Their GDP per capita is 3,255 USD. Their inflation rate is not very much & is quite tame, staying at 2.863%. Their GDP by sector is 20.7% agriculture, 11.7% manufacturing, & 67.6% services. Their main industries are meat canning, meat & fish freezing, & wood processing. Commercial fishing is also common but it is not often done by the Vanuatuan government. Their property rates for Luganville are 2.644.29 USD for a 1 bedroom apartment in city center & 3,702.00 USD for a 3 bedroom apartment in city Center. As you can see, tourism has caused the housing prices to go up majorly. There was a large disruption in the economy during 2020 as with most other countries. Their current currency is the Vatu. The Vatu is a unique currency that is only accepted in Vanuatu. It is abbreviated as VUV. The exchange rate between VUV & USD is that 1 USD is the equivalent of 117.651 VUV. 1 VUV is equivalent of 0.0084996974 USD. Vanuatu does not have a public stock market at the time of publishing. Their main import partners are China, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, & Japan.
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