Vanuatu: Loh Island – Singsing
The singsing on the Loh Island was very unique and unusual. The island populated by Loh people with their language and tradition large remote and unspoiled by contact with the western civilization. The dance, led by the chief (who is also the priest in the island’s only Christian church), involved a circular procession, repeated over and over. The chief with a large stick led the way, followed by boys covered with burned coconut ash and wearing elaborate colorful human hair wigs, followed by women with very colorful hair and palm-leaf skirts. Everybody was making tiny steps and constantly moving in circles, almost floating. Approaching the performance and touching the performers was strictly and absolutely prohibited, since the ceremony was deeply spiritual.
