New Hebrides Film Project: Pentecost Island

Location:Vanuatu
Subject:Documentary
Length:1,464 feet
Format:Archival Film, 1/2-inch VHS
Hue:Color
Year Released:1971
Series:
Director:Kalmun Muller
Producer:
Distributor:Smithsonian HSFA
Library Code:Smithsonian HSFA 75.1.3
Description:Footage shot by Kalmun Muller among the Bunlap. Documents an annual ceremony during which men dive from hundred-foot towers. Scenes include men selecting and cutting the vines used to arrest the fall of the divers; the technique by which the vines are fastened to the ankles; the workings of diving platforms; men climbing and diving from towers; and ceremonial dancing by women beneath the tower. The edited film The Land Divers of Melanesia was produced from this footage. Supplementary materials
Record No:1424
Resources: Distributors's List

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