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The western world presents the view of a dichotomy world, while in Melanesia, the two are
inseparable (Nongkas and Tivinarlik, 2004).
Melanesian traditional religion is not as formal as Christian, Islam, or other official
religions. There is a connection between customary knowledge, spirituality, religion, and
daily life. Traditional religion plays an important role in the society’s spirituality, meaning
that the same religion will always connect to any matters and the society’s life. General
things in society are seen as a total expression from the society related to the spirits, earth,
forests, rivers, birds, and animals. When common people perform their activities every
day, there is always a connection between the sacred and the secular; both of which are an
integral entity that is difficult to separate.
Many times, the importance and needs of individuals are neglected because the
imagery of the society life is more important. Balance and dimension are the key words to
build togetherness in the intercommunication in the society. All kinds of experiences of the
Melanesian society show that there is ‘no dichotomy in life.’ Everything connects to each
other to make a complete circle.
As an example, when someone is hurt, he also has to find out his relation with society,
the cosmos, and with the dead. If the wound is caused by an enemy, then it is not his right
to avenge. The society believes that this calls for reconciliation, which is an effort to renew
a social relationship that is broken or chaos in one’s relation with the cosmos. The same
thing can happen because there is no contact with dead people and others. Something
that is visibly seen is a foundation of understanding the experience of the traditional
society about spiritual life. The traditional faith influences the way where people as a
community and individuals try to understand themselves and articulate the understanding
in the frame of togetherness (Nongkas and Tivinarlik, 2004).
Melanesian spirituality is similar to a relational network, which can be reviewed in
myths, stories, symbols, rituals, taboos, beliefs, art, and dances. Traditional religion that
grows in the people’s heart is always appreciated in a number of rules (different rules for
people from different genders), procedures (how to act and behave correctly), life pattern
(everyone’s basic strategies in a particular surrounding), thinking pattern (people have
original mindset that is fixed to their understanding of nature), relation dynamic (they
have a great strategy to appreciate others including their enemies), the way to review
facts (there are always basic ideas in the society to refer to a group identity).
A bad relation in the cosmos is immediately experienced by people as something
hurtful. Non-Melanesian people, especially those in the medical field, keep asking why

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