The Republic of Vanuatu is a Pacific island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The Vanuatu culture values a freemasonry of secret knowledge and carefully delineated ranks. The Initiation figures are part of the Nimangki ceremony in which men pass through several ritual grades or levels within their society. Within these societies, a man’s life may be described as a continual striving to attain the highest grade he can, an effort that persists even after death since his grade is carried with him into the afterlife. These Vanuatu fern tree figures directly reflect a man’s status and power in society.