A single finger, a line... and much more than a drawing

A finger runs through the ground and makes a geometric pattern appear. In several islands of Vanuatu, this drawing transmits more than its form. Its author also knows the stories, songs or knowledge to which the plot relates.

The technique described by UNESCO uses a continuous line organized around an imagined grid. The support can be sand, but also volcanic ash or clay. In this region where many languages coexist, drawings have played a role of communication and memory. Their uses vary according to the situation and their holders.

A photograph can preserve curves while losing what they explain. This is precisely the risk signalled when the practice becomes only a setting for visitors. The design looks fragile because the floor can be erased. Its true fragility lies elsewhere: if no one can tell it anymore, the best preserved lines are not enough.