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Sand Drawings



Sand drawing, also known as sandroing on Bislama, is a tradition and practice of NiVanuatu that involves the use of sand to create art.

Located in the South Pacific, Vanuatu has preserved a rich and unique tradition of sand drawing. This multifunctional art form is more than just an artistic endeavor, as it occurs in many ritual, contemplative, and communicative contexts. By tracing a continuous meandering line with one finger on an imagined grid, the drawer creates a graceful, often symmetrical composition of geometric patterns on the ground in the sand, volcanic ash, or clay. A rational description of the patterns the drawings depict cannot convey the deep cultural meaning of these drawings.

There are some 80 different languages spoken on the central and northern islands of Vanuatu, and this graphic tradition developed as a method of communication between them. In addition to preserving rituals and mythological lore, the drawings are mnemonic devices that transmit oral information about local histories, cosmologies, kinship systems, song cycles, farming techniques, and architectural and craft design. Most sand drawings hold many meanings and functions: they can be "read" as artworks, repositories of information, illustrations for stories, signatures, or simply objects of contemplation. Sand drawings are more than just "pictures", but combine knowledge, songs, and stories with sacred or profane meanings. Therefore, a master sand drawer must possess not only a comprehensive knowledge of the graphic patterns but also a strong understanding of their significance. Additionally, sand drawers should be able to interpret the drawings for spectators.

Unfortunately, this form of art is endangered. Vanuatuan Sandroings exhibit an ancient perspective on art. Not art as something displayed in a museum but as a means of communicating their culture of beliefs. Currently, only a few practitioners use the unique techniques of sand drawing, and nowadays the drawings are mainly used for graphic layout for advertising and are often showcased for tourists and other commercial purposes as attractive symbols of Vanuatu identity. If this tendency is left unchecked, it may result in the loss of the deeper symbolic significance of the tradition as well as its original social function. As a result, together with the Save Sand Drawings Action Committee, the center initiated a National Action Plan for the Safeguarding of Sand Drawings, which has been supported by UNESCO. Among the objectives of this project was the organization of a National Sand Drawing Festival, which took place in 2004.

References

(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/vanuatu-sand-drawings-00073) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_drawing#Correlated_forms_of_art) (https://horizonofreason.com/culture/vanuatu-sand-drawings-sandroing/)


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