Roi Mata (or Roy Mata, Roymata) was a powerful

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Va ...

n chief in what is now

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

. He is believed to have lived at the end of the 16th century, or the beginning of the 17th. ''Chief Roi Mata's domain'' (UNESCO report). In 2008, three sites associated with Roi Mata, on the islands of

Efate Efate (french: Éfaté) is an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in Vanuatu. It is also known as Île Vate. Geography It is the most populous (approx. 66,000) island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanu ...

, Lelepa and

Eretoka Eretoka (also Hat Island, Érétoka, Retoka, Artok) is a small uninhabited island in Shefa Province of Vanuatu in the Pacific Ocean. The island lies off the western coast of Efate Island. There is a lighthouse built in the 1960s. Geography Eret ...

, were made

UNESCO World Heritage Sites A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

."Chief Roi Mata’s Domain"

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

Roi Mata's grave

Roi Mata's elaborate grave, containing the bodies of over 25 members of his retinue, was discovered by French archaeologist in 1967 and inscribed on the

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in 2008. Garanger was able to locate the grave on

island by analyzing local folklore. According to legend, when Roi Mata conquered the land, his first goal was to unite the tribes to form an army. His reign is reputed to have been a peaceful one. Roi Mata was fatally poisoned by his brother. His body was not buried in his homeland and his name was not used in

future generations Future generations are cohorts of hypothetical people not yet born. Future generations are contrasted with current and past generations, and evoked in order to encourage thinking about intergenerational equity. The moral patienthood of future g ...

because the locals feared his spirit. Map of Chief Roi Mata's Domain EN

Gallery

Chief_Roimata's_grave_(08_Jan_2017).jpg, Chief Roi mata's grave (Eratoka Island, 8 January 2017) Roimata's_wives_graves.jpg, Grave markers of Chief Roi mata's wives (Eratoka Island, 8 January 2017)

Notes and references

Notes

References

* {{cite book , language=en, author1=Chris Ballard, author2=Meredith Wilson, title=Chief Roi Mata's Domain, type=Nomination by the Republic of Vanuatu for Inscription on the World Heritage List, date=2008, url=http://whc.unesco.org/uploads/nominations/1280.pdf , ref=unescopdf

External links

Vanuatu A to Z
Retrieved August 25, 2006.
"Roy Mata"

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History of Vanuatu Vanuatuan chiefs Deaths by poisoning People murdered in Vanuatu Vanuatuan murder victims World Heritage Sites in Vanuatu Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 13th-century monarchs