You left your stomach behind as the ground rushes toward you, wind rushing by your ears and the mix of terror and excitement rushing through your body. Time means nothing, as the surreal atmosphere surrounding your fall stops the clock, and your awareness is completely in the moment. Finally the rope tightens and your body jerks upward, away from the ground that was quickly approaching. Part of you breathes a sigh of relief as the adrenaline continues to flow. This high will last for days; the memory will last a lifetime.
Dubbed as an “extreme sport”, bungee jumping is one of the most well known and sought after of the adrenaline-boosting adventures. You can find specials covering jumps on ESPN, organizations of jumpers on the Internet, and inexperienced first-timers jumping off a crane at a local carnival. Most people consider bungee jumping to be an invention of the thrill-seekers of the Mountain Dew commercials – an intense activity not meant for the weak of heart. Yet the act of bungee jumping has much deeper roots and meaning than most people realize. It is said that everything has its roots in Africa – bungee jumping is no exception (the original forms of “bungee jumping” are found in Africa and African islands and continues to be practiced in many areas, including Uganda). And, like most misunderstood traditions, it has been trivialized and turned into mere entertainment. Modern youth embrace this sport as an adventurous thrill and nothing more; traditionally, however, the rite has important cultural and spiritual meaning that is not to be overlooked.
Legend has it that there was once a woman on the Pentecost Island in the Vanuatu jungles who ran away from her husband, Tamale. Trying to escape, the wife hid in a very tall tree, but Tamale saw her and climbed the tree after her. The woman jumped out of the tree and her husband followed. The woman had tied vines to her feet to break her fall; Tamale had not. While she survived, Tamale did not. From that year on, the men in the village began the tradition of the land dives as a proof of strength and as a reminder to women that they will never be tricked again.
The tradition has continued until today. A tower is built out of natural, indigenous materials by the men of the village. Platforms are included into the tower at different elevations, providing “diving boards” for the jumpers. The ground below is sowed and made soft and spongy, and vines are gathered. The vines, which are full of water as the ceremony is performed after the rainy season, are very elastic and will stretch, helping break the diver’s fall. As the man jumps, the vines stretch and his fall is broken. He is pulled upwards as his head grazes the ground below.
This rite, commonly known as “Land Diving,” Naghol, or N’gol, is known by outsiders to be a fertility rite. As the divers head grazes the soil below, the land is made fertile and assures a good yam harvest. The rite, however, has much deeper and important meaning that is largely kept from the tourists who pay to see the ceremony. It is a tradition crucial to the cultural and spiritual life of those who participate.
Tourists come from all around the globe to witness this spectacular ceremony. They bring cameras and video cameras and watch with awe as boys and men age seven or eight and older dive off the platform to the chanting of the female villagers below. For the tourists, the rite is entertainment – they feel like they are seeing something exotic and special. The villagers, however, are careful to preserve their cultural and spiritual integrity, and the true and significant reasons and meanings of the ceremony are not revealed.
Villagers gather at the bottom of the tower to witness each jump. Women chant and sing, and dance. Only males perform the jumps, and a boy must be seven or eight and circumcised in order to participate. A mother holds a cloth “baby” in her arms as her son makes his first dive, tossing it into the air as he jumps, representing the passing of his childhood.
Although the tourists are amazed at this event, it is a normal tradition for the villagers of Vanuatu, and it can be seen in other parts of the world as well. It is not seen as a “thrilling sport” – it is valued for its spiritual and cultural functions. The N’gol ceremony is a part of the secret initiation process for boys (which is why they must be a certain age and circumcised in order to dive) and has much deeper significance than most outsiders will ever know.
Sadly, this important cultural ritual has been commercialized, and schedules of “tours” can be found on the Internet. As eager tourists watch and comment on the success of each dive, the meaning of the event continues to be misunderstood and under-valued. Because of the spiritual and cultural importance of the rite, the esoteric knowledge of the N’gol ceremony may never be known to the outside world. The sacred initiation ceremony has become not only a tourist attraction, but has “evolved” into one of the most popular “extreme sports” of modern times. The villagers of Vanuatu dive for many cultural and spiritual reasons; today’s youth jump solely for the adrenaline rush.
