An update film report on Land Developments in Vanuatu.
Land has always had the highest value in the lives of the people of Melanesia and will always be for generations to come. Researches on land tenures in the region have indicated that land is regarded as a non-alienable resource and can not be part with in all Melanesian traditions. In some cultures land is considered to be the mother and the source of life for the people. Land secures life, fosters and strengthens relationships and other important factors that sustain life in a Melanesian society. In traditional terms most land, beach seas and reefs are owned by the members of clan, tribe and families and their usage are governed by unwritten customary laws and are administered by different leaders of the tribes, it is also a widely held believe that whatever that is on the land or below the surface of the land belongs to the traditional users of the land.(Lamour)
Land to ni-Vanuatu is everything they have, it embodies their link to their past, present and their future. It contains everything they do in life that is their daily interactions and their beliefs. It is normally the clan or the tribe that are the custodians of the land and within these clan and tribal areas families are allocated individual holdings that they work on to sustain themselves. Thus, it is for these reasons that ni-Vanuatu see land as sacred and part of themselves, it is not seen as a mere commodity that can be used and then dispensed with when it is no longer needed. Not only is it sacred but it totally contradicts the imported notion of ‘ownership’ of land. Land belongs to the people and is in custody for future generations.