Kastom

NI-VANUATUAN BIN TAKEN AS SLAVE BY WHITE MAN; THE PASIFIK SLAVE TRADERS WHO THEMSELVES ARE SLAVES TO THE GDP; CHASING MONEY. AFTER ALL THE EXPLOITATION, THE DEATHS, THE LOSS & LONGING AND HEART BREAK, STILL VANUATU IS THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH. THERE IS NO SECRET TO THIS POWER & FORCE, IT'S THE SIMPLE PRACTICE OF KASTOM; THE BELIEF IN BEING HAPPY, HEALTHY AND LIVING IN HARMONY. Kastom is the indigenous traditional belief system of Vanuatu and other Melanesian countries. Kastom is ritual, it is the wholistic, communal and hierarchal way of doing and making. Kastom is practiced both daily in the ritual of mundane and repetitive activities and hierarchal in special ceremony. The belief system encompasses law, culture, economics, spirituality, Historically and presently both Indigenous and western perspectives present evidence which has supported Kastom to be attributed to feeling happy, being healthy and living in harmony in ones community and with the environment. Living the Kastom way results in a peaceful and strong community who have developed mutual understanding, respect and conflict prevention. Kastom is a Bislama word derived from the English word custom. Bislama is broken English originated out of the Pacific Slave trade from 1863 in Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia as a common dialekt for the south sea islanders.