Sepik wood carver Mr. Jack Kauwi will stamp his mark in the form of a totem that will be mounted on the façade of the Melanesian Spearhead Secretariat Head Office in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Mr. Kauwi is from Tambunum village in the Angoram District in East Sepik Province. “I am humbled to be leaving my legacy in Vanuatu and I thank the National Cultural Commission for selecting and supporting my travel to Port Vila to participate in the 7th Melanesian Arts & Culture Festival.” Mr. Kauwi was part of a host of other wood carvers from other Melanesian States including Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia, who worked on their totems as part of the exhibition at the recently held 7th Melanesian Arts and Culture Festival in Port Vila. According to the Director General of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Secretariat, the previous totems were removed as posing a risk to public safety, as the wooden totems had deteriorated over the years. “We had to take them down otherwise they might fall on somebody, and people will be claiming compensation from us and the Secretariat.” Lomai explained that the old totems were removed after a ritual ceremony and that a similar ceremony will be staged before the new totems are mounted. “For the Vanuatuans, and just like all our MSG countries, we regard these totems and artefacts not just simple artefacts, but they represent spirits that protect the Secretariat. “So, it is for that reason a lot of effort has been made to respectfully conduct events that would signify our respect to mount those artefacts on and call on our spirits to come back and look over and cast their protective wings over the Secretariat.”