Pitfalls and Pipelines - Philippine Indigenous Peoples Links

160 Pitfalls and Pipelines: Indigenous Peoples and Extractive Industries
History of New Caledonia and Kanak Struggles
It was James Cook who created the name New Caledonia when he
landed on the main island in 1774. There was limited contact between
Europeans and Kanaks until the 1840s when whalers, sandalwood
traders and missionaries settled. In 1853, New Caledonia was annexed by
France, and a decade later, France began sending convicts to the colony.
From 1864 until 1897, more than 22,000 French prisoners were deported
to New Caledonia. On release, many convicts were forbidden to return
to France, or were encouraged to remain in exchange for a plot of land.
The colonial administration seized large portions of Kanak lands. With the
introduction of cattle and deer, more and more of the local population were
relegated to reserves, and many were forced into indentured labor.
The Kanaks responded with uprisings against the colonial administration.
In an unsuccessful 1878 revolt, led by Chief Ataï, 200 European and 2,000
Kanaks died, including Ataï himself, who was beheaded. The native code
created a segregated pass system limiting Kanak mobility and denying
citizenship rights until 1945. Protected to a great degree, however, by
missionary intervention and inspired by support for the Allies in the
Second World War, Kanaks began a period of gradual renewal.
Following the war, these sacrifices helped justify demands for greater
rights. In 1946, New Caledonia became a French Overseas Territory and
A Colonial Heritage: Kanak reserves today