Chief Roi Mata’s Domain: Nominating a World Heritage Site in Vanuatu
Tuesday 6pm at the National Museum with Meredith Wilson and Chris Ballard
Vanuatu has recently submitted a formal nomination for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage list of a cultural landscape – Chief Roi Mata’s Domain (CRMD). If the nomination is successful in 2008, this will be the first cultural site registered on the List from a Pacific Island state. The chiefly title of Roi Mata is an ancient one, with a long history of association with the area of northwest Efate. Archaeological excavations since the 1960s have identified three major sites – Mangaas, Fels Cave and Artok (Hat Island) – associated with the last holder of the Roi Mata title, all of them dating to about 1600 AD. These sites combine with the stories told about the last Roi Mata to form the cultural landscape of Chief Roi Mata’s Domain. Putting together the nomination file has posed many challenges, including defining the relevance of cultural heritage in a developing country, the decision-making role of the customary owners of CRMD, and the threat of land sales to expatriates. Meredith Wilson, as coordinator of the nomination team, and Chris Ballard, as principal researcher for the nomination, provide a frank overview of these and other challenges to the long-term success of a project that is vital in many ways for the future of Vanuatu’s cultural heritage.
