Chief Roi Mata's Domain

Chief Roi Mata's Domain is a set of three sites on the islands of Efate, Lelepa and Eretoka in Vanuatu. They are linked to Roi Mata, a great chief believed to have lived around the year 1600. In 2008 they became Vanuatu's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The sites include Roi Mata's home, the place where he died and his grave, where more than 25 members of his retinue were buried with him. The name Roi Mata was a title, not one man's name, so the story can be a little confusing, as the next section explains.

Who was Roi Mata?

Roi Mata was a chiefly title held by a long line of leaders in the central islands of Vanuatu from the 11th to the 17th century. The best known is the last one, who is often just called Roi Mata, with no clear difference from the earlier chiefs. Legend says that when he conquered the land, his first goal was to unite the tribes into an army, yet his reign is remembered as peaceful. He is said to have been poisoned by his brother. His body was not buried in his homeland, and his name was not used again because people feared his spirit.

The grave on Eretoka

French archaeologist Jose Garanger found the grave in 1967 by studying local folklore. It lay on Eretoka, an island known as Hat Island because of its shape. The grave held the bodies of over 25 members of Roi Mata's retinue, which shows how elaborate the burial was.

Three places, one story

The World Heritage listing covers three places on three islands: Roi Mata's residence, the site of his death, and the mass burial site. Together they connect an oral tradition passed down by the people of the central islands with evidence found by archaeologists, which is why folklore could lead Garanger to the grave in the first place.

On the globe

The model shows the sites of Roi Mata's domain, including the painted cave and hat-shaped island.