Land divers of New Hebrides
The New Hebrides in the Pacific are well-known to students of tribal customs and folklore as the home of the remarkable “land divers.” These divers hurl themselves from the top of a tall and rickety tower to what seems certain death below. But their fall is in fact broken, just a few feet from the ground, by vines tied to their ankles. This unique ceremony, enacted by the men of Pentecost Island, has become so famous that it has been chosen for the subject of a set of three special stamps.
How did this curious custom originate? The legend tells how, many years ago, a wife was unfaithful to her husband. With the husband in hot pursuit, she sought refuge by climbing a tree. He climbed up after her, and in the ensuing argument she dared him to show his strength by jumping from the tfee saying this was something she could do her-, self.
Eventually, the couple jumped together. But the wife had tricked her husband
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CX, Issue 32460, 21 November 1970, Page 11
Word Count
172Land divers of New Hebrides Press, Volume CX, Issue 32460, 21 November 1970, Page 11
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