Ur-Bungee Jumping

Video Finds of the Day

The original bungee jumping was the annual naghol (or "land-diving") ceremony of the Melanesian natives of Pentecost Island of Vanuatu. The ceremony is meant to insure a good yam harvest. You may think that makes no sense, but I think it makes more sense than jumping off a bridge with a bungee cord tied to your ankles for the jollies.

I first learned of the naghol ceremony from a documentary I saw on TV in the 60s long before bungee jumping was a sport. The documentary only showed the jumping. There was no sound, except for a narrator and symphonic background music. The ceremony is now, naturally, done more often than annually (for the tourists), but the old forms are still followed and we can hear what actually goes on in these videos. The music and the dance tells me another reason for the ceremony apart from the health of crops. It's a community event. It's not individuals showing off.

The first one shows dancing prior to the land-diving.

Ni-Vanuatu Dancing for Naghol on Pentecost Island



Then, one of the dives. Those aren't bungee cords, they're vines. In one respect it's trickier than bungee jumping. The vines not only have to be short enough to keep the diver from hitting the ground, but they must also be long enough that the diver isn't yanked back against the tower on the rebound.

Dive to Earth - The Original Bungy Jump!