Melsisi
Encyclopedia
Melsisi is a large settlement and Catholic mission on the west coast of Pentecost Island
, Vanuatu
.
The mission includes a large church, convent, clinic, Francophone primary and secondary schools, and a small guesthouse. Melsisi also has a bank and post office, numerous small stores, restaurants, a sports field, and a shed by the beach where cargo ships come ashore. Although Melsisi has virtually no permanent population, many residents from surrounding communities have houses there, which they stay in when visiting Melsisi for church, school, work, medical treatment or transport. Each of these communities has its own nakamal
in Melsisi, and many of these nakamals have commercial kava
bars alongside.
In the local Apma language
the village's name is should strictly be Melsisii, with a long and stressed final vowel, though visitors often stress the middle syllable. Apma siisii means to scrabble at or disturb, and locals claim that the site got this name because inhabitants from upland villages were historically harassed when they came down to the sea.
Unlike most of Pentecost's roads, the road through Melsisi is surfaced with concrete, a measure necessary to prevent erosion since this section of road is extremely steep. The surfacing of the road has been carried out in stages, with the last section (from the junction below the clinic to the junction behind the church) completed in 2010.
Below the village is a river, which flows out of a deep gorge, and divides inland into two main branches. The northern branch of the river is usually dry, although local legend tells that it used to flow, before being diverted using traditional magic by a man who wanted the water for his own land. On the southern branch there are cascades. The river floods dangerously after heavy rain, although a concrete footbridge 5 minutes' walk upstream from the main river crossing allows it to be crossed in these conditions.
missionaries, who originally came ashore in 1898 at Vanrabibi, 3 km to the south-east, at a spot marked today by a concrete memorial. Melsisi was chosen as the site of a permanent mission due to the presence of a reliable fresh water supply. The original mission buildings were located on the field by the river mouth, although the mission was later moved uphill after suffering floods and tsunamis. The ruins of one of the original mission buildings still stand at the corner of the sports field, and it is said that the outlines of other buildings can be seen when looking down on the field under appropriate lighting conditions.
In the 1930s the Melsisi mission found itself engaged in 'wars' with un-Christianised islanders living inland. The conversion of most of the remaining villages to Christianity, and the distraction of World War II, brought this conflict to an end.
The church house, one of the largest buildings on Pentecost, was originally built in the late 1950s. It was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1999, but subsequently repaired.
, although today Apma is spoken on both sides of the river. A dialect named Asuk or Asa was originally spoken along the coast north of Melsisi but is now extinct.
Many of the overseas missionaries who came to work at Melsisi acquired fluency in Apma, and until the work of Cindy Schneider and Andrew Gray in the late 2000s, the linguistic notes and religious translations made by these missionaries constituted the main source of written information on Apma language.
The use of Apma by the Melsisi mission is blamed by some for the decline and subsequent extinction of Sowa language
, originally spoken south of the river.
Pentecost Island
Pentecost Island is one of the 83 islands that make up the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. It lies due north of capital Port Vila. Pentecost Island is known as Pentecôte in French and Pentikos in Bislama. The island was known in its native languages by names such as Vanu Aroaroa, although these...
, Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
.
The mission includes a large church, convent, clinic, Francophone primary and secondary schools, and a small guesthouse. Melsisi also has a bank and post office, numerous small stores, restaurants, a sports field, and a shed by the beach where cargo ships come ashore. Although Melsisi has virtually no permanent population, many residents from surrounding communities have houses there, which they stay in when visiting Melsisi for church, school, work, medical treatment or transport. Each of these communities has its own nakamal
Nakamal
A nakamal is a traditional meeting place in Vanuatu. A nakamal is found in every significant rural Vanuatu community....
in Melsisi, and many of these nakamals have commercial kava
Kava
Kava or kava-kava is a crop of the western Pacific....
bars alongside.
In the local Apma language
Apma language
Apma is the language of central Pentecost island in Vanuatu. Apma belongs to the East Vanuatu languages, a branch of the Austronesian languages family....
the village's name is should strictly be Melsisii, with a long and stressed final vowel, though visitors often stress the middle syllable. Apma siisii means to scrabble at or disturb, and locals claim that the site got this name because inhabitants from upland villages were historically harassed when they came down to the sea.
Geography
Most of Melsisi is built on a steep, grassy mountainside. Although located on Pentecost's west coast, due to a kink in the coastline the main part of the village faces almost due south. The island's main north-south road passes through Melsisi, climbing steeply up from the coast through the village and passing over the hill to the north-east. On the hilltop above Melsisi, near the village of Ilamre, is a prominent concrete cross.Unlike most of Pentecost's roads, the road through Melsisi is surfaced with concrete, a measure necessary to prevent erosion since this section of road is extremely steep. The surfacing of the road has been carried out in stages, with the last section (from the junction below the clinic to the junction behind the church) completed in 2010.
Below the village is a river, which flows out of a deep gorge, and divides inland into two main branches. The northern branch of the river is usually dry, although local legend tells that it used to flow, before being diverted using traditional magic by a man who wanted the water for his own land. On the southern branch there are cascades. The river floods dangerously after heavy rain, although a concrete footbridge 5 minutes' walk upstream from the main river crossing allows it to be crossed in these conditions.
History
Melsisi was founded by MaristMarist
Marist is an adjectival noun, the word is derived from the name Mary - in particular Mary the Mother of Jesus Christ. The term Marist refers to organisations that are linked to the religious orders that began as the Society of Mary, The Marist Fathers and Brothers and the Marist Brothers of the...
missionaries, who originally came ashore in 1898 at Vanrabibi, 3 km to the south-east, at a spot marked today by a concrete memorial. Melsisi was chosen as the site of a permanent mission due to the presence of a reliable fresh water supply. The original mission buildings were located on the field by the river mouth, although the mission was later moved uphill after suffering floods and tsunamis. The ruins of one of the original mission buildings still stand at the corner of the sports field, and it is said that the outlines of other buildings can be seen when looking down on the field under appropriate lighting conditions.
In the 1930s the Melsisi mission found itself engaged in 'wars' with un-Christianised islanders living inland. The conversion of most of the remaining villages to Christianity, and the distraction of World War II, brought this conflict to an end.
The church house, one of the largest buildings on Pentecost, was originally built in the late 1950s. It was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1999, but subsequently repaired.
Language
The river at Melsisi originally formed the south-western boundary of Apma languageApma language
Apma is the language of central Pentecost island in Vanuatu. Apma belongs to the East Vanuatu languages, a branch of the Austronesian languages family....
, although today Apma is spoken on both sides of the river. A dialect named Asuk or Asa was originally spoken along the coast north of Melsisi but is now extinct.
Many of the overseas missionaries who came to work at Melsisi acquired fluency in Apma, and until the work of Cindy Schneider and Andrew Gray in the late 2000s, the linguistic notes and religious translations made by these missionaries constituted the main source of written information on Apma language.
The use of Apma by the Melsisi mission is blamed by some for the decline and subsequent extinction of Sowa language
Sowa language
Sowa was the original language of south-central Pentecost island in Vanuatu. In recent times it has been totally displaced by Apma, a neighbouring language. Sowa is very closely related to Ske, another south Pentecost language....
, originally spoken south of the river.