![[Na-Griamel League (Vanuatu)]](../images/v/vu}ngl.gif)
image by Ralf Stelter, 13 December 2000
Last modified: 2021-05-15 by ian macdonald
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image by Ralf Stelter, 13 December 2000
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On 27th December 1975 the Northern islands (Aoba, Maewo, Banks, Torres and Espiritu Santo) proclaimed the independence of the Federation Na Griamel (taken from the name of two plants: the nangaria and the namele). The Federation adopted a national flag, blue with an emblem in the center and the name above the emblem, ratio 1:2. The status quo ante was re-established in 1977, and the Movement went back to the struggle on 28th May 1980 with the help of French colonists and I assume that also of the French secret service (because the
Anglophone movement won the elections of the last month of 1979).
Jaume Ollé, 10 June 1998
In the Flags of Aspirant Peoples chart appears "172. Na-Griamel League (Separatist Movement, 1963-1980) - Vanuatu." Blue field with NA-GRIAMEL in white letters along the upper side and a white star nearly touching the lower side. In the middle, a black-white shake-hands topped with four green leaves and a white fruit (?).
Ivan Sache, 17 September 1999
The correct design of the Na-Griamel banner, was 2:3 or 3:5 in medium blue. The plant is the Namele, a kind of fern. Four green leaves and the inflorescence in white, all with black lines. The image on the Flags of Aspirant Peoples chart is correct.
Ralf Stelter, 10-13 December 2000
Source: From the New Hebrides to Vanuatu: A
Vexillological Excursion], by Michel Lupant – 14th International Congress of
Vexilology, Barcelona - 30 June-5 July 1991
http://internationalcongressesofvexillology-proceedingsandreports.yolasite.com/resources/14th_Barcelona/02%20Lupant.pdf
[Lup91]
![[Tanna]](../images/v/vu}ngrm0.gif)
image
by Olivier Touzeau, 2 April 2021
Image after Michel Lupant's drawing
and description.
In 1974 Paris and London decided to enact measures allowing
residents of the condominium to "progress on the way of democracy and
economic progress and social and respond to legitimate aspirations of the
inhabitants to take a greater responsibility in business management". The
exchange of letters between the two capitals, dated August 29, 1975 will
create an Assembly of the New Hebrides. Two parties will emerge in local
politics, the Nagriamel Movement and the National Party.
The Nagriamel
movement, led by Jimmy Stevens, was born in 1963 to oppose the French
planters; it was in part a political party, a movement for agrarian reform,
and cult of cargo movement. At the same time, Chief Buluk and bush
inhabitants migrated to Santo and settled in Vanafo, 24 km north of the city
of Santo, on land belonging to a French company: "La Société Française des
Nouvelles-Hébrides". Nagriamel was born officially in 1966, Chief Buluk was
joined by Jimmy Stevens and in August the flag was raised. Stevens says the
movement was born because during World War II the lowland inhabitants in the
east of Espiritu Santo had to cede their land to the Americans, for military
reasons. They should have recovered these land at the end of the war but
planters settled there more and more. The name Nagriamel comes from two
plants, Nangaria, whose meaning is to stand in honor, and represents a male
symbol and a beautiful women; and Namele, plant still used for delimiting
property, also a sexual feminine symbol; it also symbolizes the return to
peace and order after World War II. The two plants together
symbolize Unity.
In 1974, a vexillologist reportedly saw a flag of this party, during a
broadcast in color television. This flag is blue, in dovetail. Along the
hoist a vertical row of yellow stars and chevrons in red. In the fly, the
name of the party, at the top, and the name of the country at the bottom
(probably in white. (source: Flag Bulletin XV, pages 155/156. Reconstruction by
Lucien Philippe.) The stars and chevrons are a reminiscent of badges worn by
soldiers Americans of World War II.
Olivier Touzeau, 2 April 2021
![[Tanna]](../images/v/vu}ngrm1.gif)
image
by Olivier Touzeau, 2 April 2021
Image after Michel Lupant's drawing
and description
Another flag dating
probably from this period has been reported: medium blue, the emblem
consisting of a red boomerang surmounted by a white flower surrounded by four
light blue leaves, above a white star and chevrons, respectively from top to
bottom, white, red, light blue, white. The flag has the same reference to
military badges. The inscriptions are white, they probably mean: "Nagriamel /
News Hebrides "(N.G.N.H.);" Union of the Communities of the New
Hebrides"(U.C.);" Self-sufficiency and Independence "(S. & I.).
Source:
Communication, undated and without reference, from Whitney Smith, Flag
Research Center.’
Olivier Touzeau, 2 April 2021
image by Ralf Stelter, 13 December 2000
Source: From the New Hebrides to
Vanuatu: A Vexillological Excursion], by Michel Lupant – 14th International
Congress of Vexilology, Barcelona - 30 June-5 July 1991
http://internationalcongressesofvexillology-proceedingsandreports.yolasite.com/resources/14th_Barcelona/02%20Lupant.pdf
[Lup91]
The Vanuuaku Pati ("Our Land Party") (VAP) was created in
1972 at the initiative of the British residence, under the name of National
Party. It brought together the elite formed by the Presbyterian and Anglican
missions and was characterized by Francophobia long encouraged by the
conservative reflexes of the French residency. Its aimed to lead the country
to independence. It would become the VAP in 1976. The condominium authorities
set the elections for the Assembly on November 10, 1975, and the National
Party, present everywhere, was in the majority in all constituencies, except
in Port-Vila, Tanna and Aoba. But frauds having been noted in Luganville, the
ballot was canceled. A second ballot resulted in an assembly composed of
equal parts of elected nationalists and moderates, the VAP considered itself
deprived of its victory, and preferred to put itself outside the political
and institutional game, boycotting the work of the Assembly. In reaction, the
superior council of Islands of the North proclaimed on December 27, 1975, the
independence of the Na-Griamel Federation. The islands which were part of it
are Espiritu Santo, Aoba, Maewo, Banks and Torres. The Na-Griamel party
having won the municipal elections in August 1975, accused the National Party
of fraud when it won the elections of November 1975. The leaders of the Na-Griamel
movement were also opposed to the introduction of a style of too modern life
that would disrupt Melanesian customs. They were helped in their business by a
group of Americans, related with the Phoenix Foundation, who wanted the
disappearance of government influence on social aspects and economic to leave
complete freedom to the private sector.
The flag of the Federation was blue,
the party emblem in the center (source: "The Fiji Times" Friday, January 16,
1976, (second century N° 1969), cover page. It could be that the emblem
under both hands is a star, unfortunately the drawing published in the
newspaper is cut at this level.
Communication from W. Smith, Flag Research
Center. Drawing by Ralf Stelter, Archiv fur Flaggenkunde). Hands shaking
symbolize harmony between races and Market economy. The leaves of two local
plant "nangaria" and "namele" refer to the name of the state. The blue color
represents the Pacific Ocean. The lateral leaves are green, the central
peduncle is white. The name "Nagriamel" is in white.’
Olivier Touzeau, 2 April 2021
However, another source
gives us more details about the flag of Nagriamel, and even a picture of the
representation of the flag on a panel. As stated by Michel Lupant, the view
of the flag published in the Fiji Times and reported by Whitney Smith was not
complete.
Source: In The powers of custom in Vanuatu - traditionalism and
nation-building, by Marc Kurt TABANI, L’Harmattan, Paris, 2002
Nagriamel
headquarters is one of the only solid buildings in the village. This sort of
town hall in Vanafo faces the traditional center of the village, at the foot
of the banyan tree where public meetings are held. A few steps away is the
memorial of the movement: surrounded by a hedge of nangaria and namele, the
central pole lets fly the flag of Nagriamel, accompanied by fifteen other
poles with blue flags covered with a white star symbolizing the fifteen
islands of Nagriamel.
The most active aid to Nagriamel since the course
of 1975 came from the American billionaire Michael Oliver and his Phoenix
Foundation (1). Oliver's influence on Stevens and logistical support from the
Phoenix Foundation enabled the formation of a Federation of Self-Governed
Communities of Nagriamel on December 27, 1975, and the programming of the
independence of the Northern Islands. This federation was supposed to include
Santo and its islets, except the urban center of Luganville; all the
neighboring islands, Aore, Lalo, Aoba, and Maewo; all the islands belonging
to the Banks and Torres group; as well as all the other groupings of the New
Hebrides which wished to join the federation, as a free and independent
people. Stevens had prepared a constitution, with the help of lawyers from
the Phoenix Foundation, and also received from that organization all the
material symbols of a sovereign state. A currency was minted, passports and
constitutions printed, a flag was chosen. Radio Vanafo received technical
means and assistance to extend its broadcasting. Finally, the transfers of
funds to develop the administrative structure of Nagriamel and create a
federal bank became more substantial. Some former members of Jimmy Stevens'
close guard piously preserve some relics of Nagriamel's glorious past.
Passports are of the same invoice as any other such document. They simply
bear the Nagriamel Federation mention and are stamped with the movement's
logo: a bouquet of stylized nangaria and namele leaves, placed on a
five-pointed star, below which is a black hand and a white hand clasped (on
the flag of the movement, this logo is surrounded by the fifteen stars of the
fifteen Nagriamel Islands). The symbolism of this emblem is presented in the
Nagriamel proclamation of independence as embodying the philosophy of the
movement. (2)
(1) Moses Olitsky of his real name, Oliver was a Lithuanian
Jew, survivor of the Nazi camps, who made his fortune in the United States,
and put it to contribution for his unwavering cause: the creation of a state
associating libertarian ideological principles and the ultra-liberalism of
the market economy. For him, the United States of the 1970s had definitely
become a "fascist socialist state" (Oliver, quoted by Van Trease, 1987).
Before he became interested in the case of Santo in Nagriamel, he tried twice
to seize an island to found a new state there where the legal provisions
contained in his work published in 1966 under the title “New Constitution for
a New Country”. His first attempt took the form of creating a "Republic of
Minerva" on a coral reef belonging to the Kingdom of Tonga. The second was to
expedite a secession from Abaco Island to the Bahamas. But for Oliver in
Santo the odds of success became serious: "In comparison to Abaco, we found
the people of Nagriamel to be exceptionally well organized" (Oliver, cited by
Plant, 1977: 54).
(2) This proclamation of independence dated September
27, 1975 and signed by Stevens "under the authority of the Upper Council of
Federation of Nagriamel ”, declares : « We, the people of the various New
Hebrides islands, do hereby declare, by accordance with the United Nations
Resolution Number 1514, of 14 December 1975, our independence from any
foreign country. Our islands were never under sovereignty of any other
nation, and we were never a colony of any nation. The authority for our
action comes not only from United Nations Resolution Number 1514 but, also,
from the demand by our people for independence. We can provide authentic
results of a poll taken recently, which we offer any neutral nation for
inspection and verification. Our new nation is a federation of settlements
and the government is elected in accordance with fair democratic principles.
We are dedicated to the rights and dignity of all individuals, regardless of
race, creed or religion. All rights and individual belongings shall be fully
protected and defended. Our boundaries are as follow : 1/ All the Islands of
Santo, excepting Luganville, until it wish to join us. 2/ All of the islands
surrounding Santo, including Aore, Malo, Aoba, Maewo and Sako. 3/ All of the
islands in the Banks and Torres Groups of the New Hebrides. 4/ Any other
settlements in the New Hebrides wishing to join us and to enjoy the rights as
free and independent people. We are firm in our belief that the races of the
world should cooperate and that all people should live in peace and harmony.
And, for this reason, our emblem includes not only our traditional Na-Griamel
sign but, also, a handshake between people of all races. This emblem is now
on our flag and shall be placed on all of our official documents. Our new
nation shall be known as the NA-GRIAMEL FEDERATION, and our independence is
effective immediately. We extend greetings to all countries of the world».
Olivier Touzeau, 2 April 2021
![[Tanna]](../images/v/vu-ngrm1.gif)
image
by Olivier Touzeau, 2 April 2021
Reconstructed flag after the
gathering of these elements.
The 15 stars surrounding the NaGriamel emblem (with the hands under the main
white star) can be seen painted on a panel in:
https://journals.openedition.org/jso/1584?file=1, Histoire politique du
Nagriamel à Santo (Vanuatu) by Marc Kurt TABANI, in Journal de la Société des
Océanistes, 113, année 2001-2.
p. 164
If this is an accurate
representation of the flag, its ratio is about 10:12.
Nota Bene - The
flag of Ngriamel was still in use in the 1990s:
Franky Stevens, son of
Jimmy Stevens, claims both the legitimacy of a modern politician, a successor
to his father at the head of Nagriamel and of a customary chief from Vanafo.
The village has also been raised to the rank of symbol (…) While it remains
fairly populated and its inhabitants appear to be active, part of the site
has nevertheless been spectacularly museum-oriented, its new purpose being
that of a tourist attraction. From Luganville, we go to Vanafo by taxi or
mini-van (…) Franky has a habit of welcoming warmly the tourists who, every
day, can attend a raising of the Nagriamel flags in an enclosure planted with
namele and nangaria, maintained by women dressed in leaf skirts, although the
rest of the population is dressed in the West. As the tourists arrive, Franky
and Jimmy Stevens' former bodyguard hasten to put on their Nagriamel crest,
then guide visitors to the ruins intentionally left as the former Office
Board of the Nagriamel, where Radio Vemarana was installed, then sacked by
Papuan troops. The highlight of the visit to Vanafo is formed by the grave of
Jimmy Stevens, dug in his hut, where the body, remained in the open air after
undergoing a process of desiccation, rests under a flower bed. Stevens'
personal effects are on display in the hut: his modern costumes are
impeccably suspended from the partitions, girdled with scarves in the colors
of the Nagriamel-Confederation indicating the position of Chief Minister of
Stevens.
Source: The powers of custom in Vanuatu - traditionalism and
nation-building, by Marc Kurt TABANI, L’Harmattan, Paris, 2002
Olivier Touzeau, 2 April 2021
![[Tanna]](../images/v/vu_ngmr.gif)
image
by Olivier Touzeau, 2 April 2021
Source:
https://1year1family1world.files.wordpress.com
from https://1year1family1world.com/2015/01/17/trek-to-marakai/
Caption of
the picture: "NaKriamel Muvman Roiel Flak. An interesting vestige from the
Jimmy Stevens days. Apparently the 15 stars represent his 15 wives."
The
15 stars are of course known as representing, in fact, the 15 islands of the
Na-Griazmel federation.
Olivier Touzeau, 2 April 2021
