Vanuatu

In Vanuatu, lines in sand can say more than a picture.

With one finger, an unbroken line is drawn through an invisible grid. The pattern can carry stories, kinship, songs, rituals and knowledge passed between generations.

Some sand drawings also belong to a specific place. If they are drawn somewhere else, a ceremony may be needed to acknowledge where they truly belong.

Vanuatu sand drawings are inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.