I was with several of my friends, rocking my “Body by Chocolate” T-shirt, when I found out that my weight was just outside the acceptable range to be taking a bungee jump. I have never been so relieved. I don’t have a problem with heights, but I do properly respect them. I have always loved jumping from high spaces into water; however, I find nothing appealing about diving headfirst toward pavement with nothing but the equivalent of large rubber bands attached to my feet.
I was glad to be able to walk away that day without jumping, but it left me with some lingering concerns. So, when I first saw this 5,000 vatu of Vanuatu, it really resonated with me. The note is not really rare, and I paid around $100 for my example.
Memorable Vignette
First things first, this beautiful bank note is predominately brown, purple, and green. It is a decent-size note, measuring 160 x 80mm, and includes security features like threads and a watermark of a Melanasian man. The front is pretty basic, but that doesn’t mean it’s unattractive. Shown is a Melanasian chief holding a spear above a banner that bears the legend of the nation: “Long God yumi stanup,” literally translated as “Long God, you me stand up.” This can mean “In God we stand” or “God with us.” I enjoy how easy it can sometimes be for English speakers to get the gist of foreign words and phrases.
(Photos: Heritage Auctions)
The back of this issue is what makes it one of my top 10 bank notes. The denomination appears in three corners, with the phrase Reserve Bank Blong Vanuatu occupying the fourth, leaving room in the center for a memorable vignette. As impressive as the cruise ship and the cattle to the left and right are, it is the central design that captured my interest the most. The middle of this note shows a unique scene of naghol, or land diving.
Death-defying Act
Naghol is the inspiration for bungee jumping. It is one example of the extreme sports that can be found on bank notes. Some other risky athletic activities appear on Winter Olympic commemoratives, but this note represents the mother of all extreme sports.
The naghol ritual is performed by the men of Pentecost Island. They leap off platforms about 70 to 100 feet high with vines tied around their ankles. The only safety equipment provided is the expert who eyeballs the platform and a person’s body before deciding how long the vines need to be. In short, the vines could snap, and you would fall to your death, or they could be too long, and you would hit the ground.
As you might imagine, seeing locals perform this ceremony has become quite the tourist attraction. I still remember a National Geographic issue (December 1970) that featured this event. The article and accompanying images have never left me.
As I researched this note, I discovered that the g-forces these land divers feel is the greatest experienced by people in the nonindustrialized world. I also found out that, strangely enough, this ceremony was initially a women’s ritual that was taken over by the men. It is performed to ensure a bountiful yam harvest. A good dive in April, May, or June will guarantee plentiful crops. The timing of this rite is key—if the vines do not have just the right amount of elasticity, the consequences could be life-altering (or ending).
A close look at the tower reveals two platforms, a lower and a higher one. The lower one is for less-experienced divers, and the higher platform hosts the leaps of those with more experience. This ceremony has become a rite of passage for boys, and they are allowed to dive after their circumcision rites. Those who have a successful dive become men!
The ceremony was temporarily stopped after missionaries arrived in the mid-19th century. The religious outsiders believed the ceremony was sexual in nature, and they persuaded the villagers to halt the practice. In the 1970s, a decade that coincided with growing pride in cultural identity and a rise in anti-colonialism, land diving was reinstated as an important part of the local culture.
I would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to contact me to cuss or discuss this note. You can also check out a video I made about this note on my YouTube channel, Numismatic Notes with Benjamin. I hope you have a jewel of a day!
As a side note, I will be teaching a couple classes at the ANA’s 2024 Summer Seminar in Colorado Springs: “A Survey of African Bank Notes, 1950 to Date” and “A Survey of 20th- & 21st-Century World Coins.” You can view the course catalog and sign up at money.org/summer-seminar. It would be a treat to meet you!
A version of this article appears in the February 2024 issue of The Numismatist (money.org)