Chief Roi Mata’s Domain World Heritage Site

Official name

Chief Roi Mata’s Domain | UNESCO

Country

Vanuatu | Map

Continent

Australia

Location

-17.6280° Lat, 168.1777° Lon | Map

Code

1280

Time Zone

Pacific/Efate (+11, +1100)

Current Time

Category

Cultural

Description

Inscribed 2008. Chief Roi Mata’s Domain is the first site to be inscribed in Vanuatu. It consists of three early 17th century AD sites on the islands of Efate, Lelepa and Artok associated with the life and death of the last paramount chief, or Roi Mata, of what is now Central Vanuatu. The property includes Roi Mata’s residence, the site of his death and Roi Mata’s mass burial site. It is closely associated with the oral traditions surrounding the chief and the moral values he espoused. The site reflects the convergence between oral tradition and archaeology and bears witness to the persistence of Roi Mata’s social reforms and conflict resolution, still relevant to the people of the region.