Chief Roi Mata's Domain

Chief Roi Mata's Domain is a cultural landscape in central Vanuatu spread across parts of Efate island, Lelepa island and the small island of Artok (Retoka). It preserves places associated with Roi Mata, a paramount chief of the early seventeenth century whose life and death are central to the region's oral history: his residence, the cave on Lelepa where he is said to have died, and his mass burial site on Artok, where excavation confirmed a communal grave consistent with the traditional accounts. In 2008 it became the first site in Vanuatu inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The domain is shaped by tabu (prohibition): for more than four centuries custom has restricted use of Roi Mata's residence and burial ground, and the burial island is widely regarded as a place to be approached only with proper respect. Stories of enduring spiritual presence surround these sites; they are living cultural beliefs, related here as heritage rather than as assertions of the supernatural.

The landscape's significance lies in the rare convergence of oral tradition and archaeology and in the continuity of Pacific chiefly systems. It is managed by the local Lelema community, for whom Roi Mata remains a moral and unifying figure.

Chief Roi Mata's Domain is owned and managed by the Lelema community, who present it to visitors chiefly through locally run cultural tours from villages such as Mangaliliu and Lelepa, a short journey from Port Vila. Guided visits typically include the mainland residence area, Fels (Fele's) Cave on Lelepa and views associated with the burial island, with fees supporting the community and conservation.

Because tabu restrictions and customary protocols govern the sites, particularly the burial ground on Artok, access is only appropriate with local guides and permission. Visitors are asked to follow their guides' instructions closely, refrain from removing anything, and treat the domain as a sacred and living heritage place.