Vanuatu

Vanuatu is a Pacific island country formerly known to Europeans as the New Hebrides. Its communities have different languages and traditions of ceremony, adornment and social standing.

In some places, people gained prestige through a series of ceremonial grades. Moving upwards required resources and achievement rather than simply inheriting a title.

Body markings could make those differences visible. Certain tattoos were associated with a person's grade, and some accounts describe women receiving designs connected with family standing or marriage. Practices varied between islands.

Clothing, ornaments and ceremonial displays added other ways to show achievement. Older publications sometimes combined Vanuatu with nearby New Caledonia, but they are separate island groups. The distinction matters when identifying the people and designs in a picture.