The Yakel are an indigenous group living on the island of Tanna, in the Vanuatu archipelago (South Pacific). they are world-renowned for strictly adhering to Kastom (traditional law), consciously rejecting most modern technology and Western influence.
The Yakel live according to the ancestral laws of Vanuatu. This includes:
Traditional Dress: Men wear the nambas (a penis sheath made of plant fibers), and women wear grass skirts.
Housing: They build homes from wood and thatch that are fully integrated into the rainforest.
No Modernity: They have made a collective decision not to use electricity, phones, or money within their daily community life, relying instead on bartering and subsistence farming.
The village gained international fame in 2015 with the Oscar-nominated film "Tanna." The actors were the actual Yakel villagers, and the movie tells a true story (a version of Romeo and Juliet) that took place within the tribe and led to a change in their laws regarding arranged marriages.
They live near Mount Yasur, one of the world's most accessible active volcanoes. For the Yakel, the volcano is a sacred and spiritual site that deeply influences their cosmology and rituals.
Photo Gallery: © Emili Bayona / Vanuatu - 2018