Music and grade-taking on East Aoba

Abstract

Aobans are noted throughout the New Hebrides group for the success with which they are coping with cash economy. One therefore finds a thoroughly accultured society on many levels. At the same time there is, especially on East Aoba, where the Anglican church has the greatest number of adherents, a highly self-conscious revival of traditions. This manifests itself most importantly in the grade-taking rituals known as na hunggwe.

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Notes on contributors

Peter Crowe

During the latter part of 1971 and the early part of 1972, the Society mounted an ethnomusicological expedition to Lolowai in the New Hebrides. Peter Crowe was joint leader. This paper, the first of the expedition's reports to appear in print, is a shortened version of the one originally given in Sydney to the 44 th ANZAAS Congress (1972). Transcriptions of the recorded examples used on that occasion are to form part of a future publication.