A nakamal is a traditional meeting place in Vanuatu. It is used for gatherings, ceremonies and the drinking of kava.
A nakamal is found in every significant Vanuatu community, but the design of the nakamal and the traditions surrounding it vary between areas.
Etymology[edit]
The term nakamal is a Bislama word, borrowed from certain Oceanic languages spoken in Vanuatu, such as North Efate. In those languages, such a form can be parsed as na kamal(i), combining the common article na and a noun kamal or kamali. Ultimately, it descends from a Proto-Oceanic and Proto-Malayo-Polynesian etymon *kamaliR, meaning "men's house".[1][2] Cognates in non-Oceanic languages include Cebuano and Tagalog kamalig “granary”.
Traditional nakamals[edit]
In north and central Vanuatu, the nakamal generally takes the form of a large building, assembled from traditional materials with the help of the entire community, under the direction of a particular chief. Entry to the nakamal is often restricted to men, and the building may be used as a sleeping and living area for unmarried men and boys and for male visitors to the village. Significantly, most nakamals lack a lockable door, indicating that all friendly visitors are welcome, although there may be a low barrier across the entrance to keep out animals.
In front of a nakamal there is often a flattened clearing, or nasara, used for dances and outdoor gatherings.
In southern Vanuatu, a nakamal may be a large, sheltered outdoor space, such as under a banyan tree.
In Vanuatu's capital Port Vila, the assembly building of the national council of chiefs (Malvatumauri) is designed in the form of a traditional nakamal.
Nakamal as kava bars[edit]
The nakamal’s most prominent function nowadays is as a place for the preparation and drinking of kava. In urban Vanuatu, and in neighbouring New Caledonia, the term nakamal may be used for a kava bar where the drink is sold, although in rural Vanuatu a traditional nakamal (where kava preparation is a communal activity and money does not usually change hands) is distinct from a kava bar.
An urban nakamal or kava bar at which kava is available for sale is advertised by a coloured light displayed at the entrance.
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ François, Alexandre (2013), "Shadows of bygone lives: The histories of spiritual words in northern Vanuatu" (PDF), in Mailhammer, Robert (ed.), Lexical and structural etymology: Beyond word histories, Studies in Language Change, vol. 11, Berlin: DeGruyter Mouton, pp. 185–244, doi:10.1515/9781614510581.185
- ^ Blust, Robert (2018). "The challenge of semantic reconstruction 2: Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kamaliR 'men's house'". Oceanic Linguistics. 57 (2): 335–358. doi:10.1353/ol.2018.0015. JSTOR 26779837.
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