Message plants of Southern Vanuatu.

This article focuses on the use of "message plants" as a traditional form of symbolic communication among Indigenous peoples in the southern Vanuatu islands of Aneityum and Tanna. Message plants are specific species intentionally held, worn, placed, or exchanged to convey varied semantic content, often serving as a parallel or preferred channel alongside spoken language within local cultural contexts. The study documents 36 plant species used for such communication, detailing their meanings and social uses, and highlights how these practices embody the Ni-Vanuatu concept of kastom (traditional customs) amid pressures from modernization. The research underscores the intricate relationship between plant biodiversity, language, and cultural knowledge in Vanuatu, emphasizing the subtlety and respectfulness of message plants compared to modern communication methods.