Vanuatu

Yalo, Apialo and the sacred geography of Northwest

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Yalo, Apialo, and the sacred geography of Northwest Malakula is a cultural landscape demonstrating the spiritual traditions of the Nambas people who live on the second largest island of Vanuatu. Yalo and Apialo are “spirit caves” decorated with rock art and paintings up to 3000 years old, and the Nambas people conduct pilgrimages to these caves to find the handprints and footprints of their ancestors. According to Nambas tradition, the spirits of the dead pass through the landscape of northwest Malakula before coming to rest in either Yalo or Apialo caves; because of the sacred importance of the caves, specific customs must be observed when conducting a visit.
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Full Name
Yalo, Apialo and the sacred geography of Northwest Malakula (ID: 1971)
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Vanuatu
Status
On tentative list 2004 Site history
History of Yalo, Apialo and the sacred geography of Northwest
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UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
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UNESCO.org

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