Effigy Figure (rambaramp)

Rambaramp are memorial effigy figures created for men of the highest rank who participated in a hierarchical, grade-based society in south and central Malakula, one of the islands that comprise Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides). The body of these figures was created from cane, vegetable fibers, clay, resin, pigment and other materials. The head was made using a male human skull, the skull of the man being memorialized, which was modeled with clay and pigments to recreate living human features. Rambaramp effigies are understood as a direct representation of the body of the deceased man, with facial features as a form of idealized portraiture. As an effigy figure, the rambaramp commemorates the particular hierarchical level that the deceased man had achieved during his life. Each level, or grade, has its own specific associated ritual ornaments and insignia. As such, the markings and motifs present on each rambaramp figure indicate the highest grade the depicted individual attained. Within these graded hierarchies, men engaged in a form of economic and ritual competition through which they achieved higher status or rank. Ceremonies for grade advancement were a complex series of religious initiations, usually involving the accumulation and sacrificing of many pigs, a highly valued resource. Importantly, the ability of a man to purchase or secure the help of others in acquiring the necessary pigs for a ceremony increased his social prestige. In turn, his social skills and ability to be generous to others aided his advancement through the various grades. Only men that had achieved the highest rank in a grade system known as Nimangi were entitled to become a rambaramp following their death. This was the highest honor they could achieve. A man who entered high grades during his life is often considered a living supernatural being, having particularly close connections with the ancestors. Although still living, he is understood to have already joined the company of ancestors and gods. As such, he becomes highly tabooed and usually lives in solitude away from the main community, eating meals by himself. In essence, he is removed from the world of the living. Following death, his body was buried. After a period of time, the skull was removed from the grave, and the rambaramp effigy was created in order to have the spirit and deep cultural knowledge of the man continue to reside in the village. The effigies are stored in the men’s house, located within each village. Their continued presence, as an ancestral effigy figure, continues to guide living men. The transformation of men into rambaramp effigies has largely ceased over the last few decades as fewer men have participated in competing for the higher ranks in the grade system.