The Melanesian people settled in New Caledonia about 4000 years ago and perhaps even 6000 years ago. It is likely that they came from the Borneo - Philippines region through the Solomon archipelago. Later on some mixing occurred with groups coming from central Pacific islands : Tonga, Fiji, Wallis and Futuna.
When Europeans discovered New Caledonia, the Melanesian population had a long history in this territory and a well achieved culture. This civilization which still was using stone and wood tools can be qualified as Neolithic, yet it was nevertheless complex and had shown a proven capacity to sustain its people harmoniously with their natural environment.
Colonisation changed the native's territory and partly destroyed its cultural organization. The European way of life is superseding tradition. However the Kanak community endeavors to face the challenge of adaptation to the modern world without giving up its culture and some of its traditions.
The clan
The clan is the foundation of the traditional organization. Its name is after the name of the high hut "Grande Case" symbol of the clan with its long sculpture ("flèche faîtière") at the top, stylistically representing the initial ancestor. Family lines are associated with a clan name as well as a territory, ancestors and an history. The name has a strong meaning. Even today clan names and associated line names enable the mixed blood children of the clans to be recognized as full members of it and Kanak.
The clan basically consists in parents over 5 generations, grand fathers, fathers, brothers, sons, grand sons. It is mythically generated from one ancestor from whom it divides in as many lines that they were brothers at its origin.
Lines and functions
Lines have a hierarchic organisation. Following the brothers order of births; elder, cadet, youngest. Each line has its role in the society. The eldest line provides the chiefs, the second line the masters or warden of the gate, of war, of water, of yams, etc. A man from this cadet line cannot pretend to become chief unless he migrates to the elder line of another clan. Each line has a different name. The clan is thus organized in knowledges and powers all united to ensure the continuity of the society represented by the clan.
The functions of the chief were not in conformity with our western model. He was a living calendar and warranted the good relationship of his clan with the universe forces (A. Bensa). He was responsible and could even become a scapegoat when there were bad crops and hunger. In the Loyalty Islands a dignitary could even give a manual correction to the chief!
The land
The clan territory is scattered and divided according to the lines, history and the various land functions (water, crops, plants, game, shrimps, etc.). It cannot fit the European cadastral concepts of land with limits. It has a mythical dimension, the clan originates from the ground, the ground is female and mother.
The countries and their languages
Clans are grouped into countries. Each country had ten or several tens of clans, living together without federal organization and centralized power. However a country had some hierarchic organization and powerful links resulting from the women, goods and gifts exchanges. Mainly clans were held together through matrimonial alliances and the solemn commitment to exchange women.
As a result the parental relationship networks is extremely complex. Despite this the Kanak know very well how to locate themselves between the male line theoretically fixed and the women who are the mobile elements from one clan to another. The forced relocation of populations during the colonial period has stretched even further the clans networks from one end to the other end of the archipelago.
To each country corresponds a dominant language which acts as a strong link of communications between clans. The number of countries shows how divided was the Melanesian society. In this archipelago the mainland, by far the biggest, had no name, indicating further the lack of a vision of a unique society. In all there are 28 languages and many more dialects. On the "Grande Terre" many of these tongues are talked only by a few hundred people and sometimes even less.
The village organization
The high hut ("Grande Case") indeed often very tall, was the clan symbol and its focal point. It was a conic shaped building, laid onto a round earth mound which was another symbol of the clan. It was held by a big central pole cut in a large tree. The top sculpture usually symbolized the clan initial ancestor.
On each side were the low round huts of the women. The high hut back was opening on the mysterious and invisible world of ancestors with all their powers.
In front of the "Grande Case" was a large aisle lined with the tall pines (araucaria columanris) and coconut trees. It is said that pines were symbolic of men and coconut trees of women. This main aisle had also, along each side, another aisle lined with erythrins. The latter aisles were areas of strolling and chats. They were also areas for exchanges and sharing of yams and moneys. They were also the place of the great ceremonial "Pilous".
In the mountains, villages were set on the ridges. Their crops were generally in the the bottoms of adjacent valleys for the yam fields and on the slopes for the taro.
Along the long ridges of the Grande Terre mountains (but not in the infertile ultrabasic rocks areas) numerous long lines of hut mounds are still visible when one pays attention to the shapes of the ground. They are so numerous sometimes that they seem to indicate large populations. Their large number is more likely the result of villages migrations adjusted to the crop long rotations.
Women
They were submitted to men in the Kanak society. Women had to bend and look down in front of their husbands. However they were the fundamental link keeping together the clan's country and the base of relationship between clans. Marriages were systematically arranged, with women coming from one clan to marry in the other. As a result they had the privilege to move freely from one village to another even during times of strained relationship between clans.
Women lived with their children in small round huts set on each side of the clan high hut. These were the places of procreation although men usually gathered in the "grande case".
Today
The colonization has moved and reduced the clans territories. The tribes, a colonial administration creation, have overlapped the traditional clan organization. By naming chiefs of tribes with functions and powers in accordance with the European concepts, the colonial administration has altered the nature of the chief's traditional functions.
Since the installation of the churches missions and with the colonization, the village organization has no relationship with the one of the past.
Christianism and the school have profoundly changed individuals behavior and thinking. Modern life has invaded the Melanesian environment (dependence from money, employment, modern type of housing, electricity, TV, telephones, cars, consumer needs, purchase of foods replacing traditional production).
Now the traditional functions of the clans are no longer active but its history remains alive with the family lines well known and the remembrance of its territory. However even this clan territory understanding is now altered as claims for lands return ignore its original boundaries to target some non traditional but economically attractive areas
Modern organization with communes and provinces overlap traditional organization and has a stronger influence. Political power supersedes traditional power with the advantage of being reachable through democratic process.
Traditional rules and the French Law rule together. This can lead to contradictions and conflicting situations particularly when inheritance is concerned.
There is a growing attraction for economical power and even political power.
Traditional marriage arrangements are no longer accepted. The women feel free to choose their husbands outside the clan country or from other communities (European, Polynesian, etc.). Married couples free themselves from the clan influences and rules. Their house becomes their own property and makes wife and husband to live closer to each other while they were separated in the traditional way of life. Wife submission towards her husband is also vanishing and equality is claimed. The elder authority still exists but is also weakening.
Conventional "coutume" ceremonies are still held in many cases but they seldom have their past function which was to strengthen the clans solidarity links. They also are becoming symbolic acts towards the Europeans and other outsiders to remind them of the claimed territorial rights of the Melanesians as the initial settlers.
The clan, lines and agricultural organization are however still strong ongoing features of the Kanak society.
Most of the languages of the Melanesians are still alive today despite the influence of the French school and official language. It indicates the Melanesian dedication for their culture and their resistance in the past to the colonial situation. However their language survival relates a lot to the past forced isolation of some groups within the reserves system. With freedom and the urban attraction, it is likely that languages having only some hundreds of speakers will soon disappear.
Atlas of New Caledonia, Ortsom 1981 with particularly A. Bensa, (CNRS, Université ParisV) "Clans autochtones : situation précoloniale" and J.C. Rivierre ( CNRS) " linguistique".