Legend of Tamalie |
Legend tells that once there was an ill tempered man named Tamalie who lived on the island of Pentecost. He often became angry with his wife for failing to do her work to his satisfaction. One day she fled from him, but he chased her. She climbed a tall tree to evade him, but still he followed her, right up to the top. She tied some vines called lianas to her ankles and to the tree, to break her fall, and then leaped to the ground. Tamalie didn't see what she had done and jumped after her falling to his death.
Following this the men of Pentecost built a tower every year and leaped from it with vines tied to their ankles, to prove that they will never again be outsmarted in this fashion by their women folk. The jump takes place all over Pentecost in May and June each year and is believed to ensure a bountiful yam harvest. The man who is chosen to have the privilege of jumping from the top of the tower also has the responsibility for the construction of the tower.