Kastom
The Pidgin word for custom in Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea: the inherited ways of a place, including its ritual knowledge.
Also: kastom, custom, kastom doctor
Kastom, from English custom, is a Pidgin word used in Bislama in Vanuatu, Pijin in the Solomon Islands and Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea. It means the inherited ways of a place, including land rights, exchange, dress, dance and ritual knowledge. Sacred knowledge and protective or healing magic are often held as kastom, controlled by specific families or men's societies, and a person who reveals it may be penalised. Kastom is also a political idea: after independence it became a banner of identity against colonial rule and missionary Christianity, and communities today argue about what counts as true kastom, and what has changed. Some island groups, such as the people of Tanna in Vanuatu, have built movements on it. Visitors are asked to seek permission before photographing or entering sacred places.