The ritual of land diving, or Naghol, consists of leaping from platforms of various heights on a tower engineered specifically for this purpose. From each platform there is a set of vines that are to be tied to the ankles of the jumper. Once tied, the divers leap headfirst towards the ground, until the vines tighten and they land on the ground, hopefully uninjured. They are untied by male friends or family and walk away triumphant to celebrate and cheer on other divers. 

Showing the islands of Vanatu, including the Pentecost Island where this ritual is performed.

"Is it safe?" This is one of the first questions that sprung to my mind upon seeing this ritual. The desired outcome is a successful jump with the man or boy walking away unhurt, or at least not fatally injured. I wondered how a tower that seemed so unstable could support the weight of a body plummeting towards earth. Luckily Attenbourough documented a little bit about the structure of the tower. The male villagers construct a scaffolding around a tree that has been lopped, tying the poles together with vines. Starting at around 30 feet high there begins a series of platforms at varying heights, each platform has a set of vines, that are tied to supports designed to snap and absorb some of the shock from the fall. (Attenbourough 1966, p.2) I think this part is alarming to viewers who are unaware of the purpose, as it simply looks like the tower is breaking apart under the stress of the jump. The ground under the tower is also of concern and designed by the villagers to reduce risk of catastrophic injury. The tower is built on a hill, with the ground on the jumping side slanting away from the tower at a sharp angle, and is softened by men who use long sticks to poke and break apart the soil. (Jolly 2016, p.26) Correctly estimating the combination of the height of the diver, and the length of the vines in comparison to the height of the dive is crucial. Death, while not common, has occurred due to broken necks, splenetic rupture, and internal bleeding from the impact. One particularly famous death occurred in the presence of Queen Elizabeth during her visit, and unfortunately was only the first accident suspected to be influenced by the presence of tourists. More on that later. 

This photo shows the angle of the land away from the tower, and the soil that has been turned to attempt and soften the blow to any body parts that impact it. 

Men start the morning dancing and singing with the others, and then break away to ascend the tower and dive. Men climb to their platform of choice, with boys and inexperienced men usually electing the lower platforms and the elders and very experienced divers leaping from the higher or topmost platform. Usually two other men go up the tower with him and help tie the lianas around his ankles. When leaping from higher platforms these accompanying men can also help ensure his dive is successful by making sure the vines stay clear of getting caught on any surrounding parts of the platform. Then the diver walks to the end of the platform and sometimes here they pause to whisper special sayings or wishes and sometimes engage with the audience. Many experienced divers will use this opportunity to get the crowd very excited.  They are aiming for a smooth, 'graceful swallow dive' as Jolly noted in her research. (Jolly 2016, p.18) This helps avoid injury as it keeps the divers on a rounded and arcing trajectory resulting in less forceful jerking of the vines and not as much risk of dislocated joints and body parts slamming into the ground. After watching footage of the dives it becomes clear that there is skill involved and explains the presence of a sort of local diving celebrity for men who are particularly good at it. Young boys often simply cross their arms and fall forward off the end of the platform, and older men may clap above their heads and actively dive from the platform, leaping with arms overhead. Men wear minimal clothing, which often includes penis sheaths as seen in the photograph below. This ritual is also about showing off the athleticism of the divers and the beauty of their bodies, and the garments serve to showcase and enhance. While on the subject of dress I would like to point out that what they wear is as important as what they don't. Most villages believe that the men should not wear any sort of lucky charm, as it could ensure a failed dive by injury or death. (Istvan 2002)