The ni-Vanuatu people follow traditional custom, or 'kastom'. Much of the tradition is secret, and passed down through the generations.
Traditional life is an ongoing cycle of ritual from birth, initiation, marriage and death.
Vanuatu was first settled over 5000 years ago from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Since that time, each island has developed its own traditions, which make for great diversity today. In 1606, the first western contact was made by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand de Quiros. The islands were later explored, mapped and named 'New Hebrides' by Captain James Cook in 1792. Whalers, blackbirders, missionaries and planters followed.