Women, place and practice in Vanuatu: a view from Ambae

This paper discusses the relationship between people and place in Vanuatu, focusing on the relationship between women and place. The paper draws on et hnographic data from the island of Ambae, arguing that practice mediates th e relationship between people and place, and, in the new context of the nat ion, has become a way of demonstrating a person's affiliation to place. In contemporary Vanuatu, kastom mediates and expresses place-based identity. L andholding and land-use are aspects of the practice of a place. The fact th at a person's identity is tied to their place raises issues for the identit y and status of women, who move at marriage to their husband's place. It re mains the case, however that at marriage a woman becomes identified as a pe rson of her husband's place, no matter whether she lives there or not. Ni-V anuatu women see their capacity to move and resettle in this way as a stren gth, a capacity of which they can be proud, and for which men respect them. The growth of urban centres since Independence is bringing new presssures to bear on the relationship between people, practice and place.