[8] The cultural aspects of ni-Vanuatu society have been instilled on the indigenous community and are expressed through clothing, rituals, ceremonies, music, performing and fine arts, and cuisine.

[9] The spiritual ties ni-Vanuatu have with their land and ancestors are conveyed through these traditions and some of these remaining artefacts have been preserved and displayed in the galleries of Vanuatu.

At the end of the 19th century, ni-Vanuatu were regularly kidnapped and forced to work in plantations in Fiji and Australia, a practice now known as "blackbirding".

After World War II, American soldiers introduced Western items such as camp supplies, construction aviation, electricity, and running water.

Introducing overseas workers combined with the introduction of modern facilities led to Vanuatu's economic momentum, which helped form the backbone of the island's copra production.

Copra production was the main economic focus as other areas such as forestry, fishing, and native crafts were underdeveloped at the time.

[17] Food crops, including yams, taro, and cassava, are used for local consumption; copra production such as coconuts and cocoa make up the majority of Vanuatu's exports.

[20] Competition from overseas in combination with natural disasters led to a solution of sourcing different agricultural mediums such as cattle.

[17][18] The competition between the two ruling governments caused a division in the education system, as ni-Vanuatu based their decisions on financial and political reasons.

[21] Recognition of ni-Vanuatu women in the political, business and social bubble has been growing recently; however, there are barriers that impede this growth.

[22] Women who went overseas for their tertiary studies and returned have expressed the contrasting differences of Western and Vanuatu lifestyles.

Hilda Lini of the Vanuatu's parliament promotes women participating in politics; however, she predicts that it would take time to convince to public to do so.

The municipal council reserves seats for women to represent the community and are encouraged to participate with government training programs readily available.

During the period of the New Hebrides, French and English competed for the status of main language; the population instead turned to Bislama as used as a tool of unity.

Ni-Vanuatu of different ethnic backgrounds, such as Chinese and Vietnamese often use Bislama as greetings and opening introductions as a form of communication.

[18] Indigenous ni-Vanuatu communities describe their traditional values and beliefs using the modern (Bislama) term kastom.

[9][21] Parliament faced ongoing pressure from the community to preserve the traditions of ni-Vanuatu, particularly in the post-colonial era, leading to the teaching of indigenous culture being implemented in schools as well as the development of art centres.

Island dresses represent a national connection to Vanuatu; however, many ni-Vanuatu women consciously choose to adopt modern clothing as attitudes towards convenience, aesthetics, and gender equality are considered.

[33] Although modern clothing is preferred on most occasions, the respect for kastom in island dresses are incorporated into special events such as festivals, ceremonies, and church gatherings.

[35] These barkcloths were made from young tree bark, as it didn't break so easily, and would generally take three to four days to make.

Hollowed cylinders were also hung from tree branches and the audible sounds created by the wind would be interpreted as ancestral voices.

[37] Folk tales, myths, legends, songs, and poetry were passed across generations by word of mouth before written literature was introduced.

Material forms of art are passed down for generations as they represent customary practices such as fishing, rituals, clothing, and food preparation.

[35] The Vanuatu Cultural Centre and National Museum display artefacts collected and donated by anthropologists from 150 years ago.

[35] Contemporary arts have been criticised due to the non-indigenous forms of using western media such as watercolour and acrylic paint to portray the kastoms of the ni-Vanuatu.

[40] The spiritual, social, and physical connection expressed by contemporary artists have indicated different communities, regions, and islands of Vanuatu with the ongoing Western influence on Melanesian culture.

[41] Hunting and fishing were designated as a role for men due to a cultural belief that a woman being on a boat would make her infertile.