Nakamal
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Anakamalis a traditional meeting place inVanuatu.It is used for gatherings, ceremonies and the drinking ofkava.
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 termnakamalis aBislamaword, borrowed from certainOceanic languagesspoken in Vanuatu, such asNorth Efate.In those languages, such a form can be parsed asna kamal(i),combining the commonarticlenaand a nounkamalorkamali.Ultimately, it descends from aProto-OceanicandProto-Malayo-Polynesianetymon*kamaliR,meaning "men's house".[1][2]Cognates in non-Oceanic languages includeCebuanoandTagalogkamalig“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, ornasara,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 capitalPort Vila,the assembly building of the national council of chiefs (Malvatumauri) is designed in the form of a traditional nakamal.
Nakamalaskavabars
[edit]Thenakamal’s most prominent function nowadays is as a place for the preparation and drinking ofkava.In urban Vanuatu, and in neighbouringNew Caledonia,the termnakamalmay be used for a kava bar where the drink is sold, although in rural Vanuatu a traditional nakamal (wherekavapreparation is a communal activity and money does not usually change hands) is distinct from a kava bar.
An urbannakamalorkavabar at whichkavais 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.JSTOR26779837.