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Kanaky, Lapita, and Moana Connections

  • Kanaky (New Caledonia) is the home of Lapita pottery; Lapita shards date back to nearly 2000\text{ BC} and are some of the region’s oldest material culture, serving as a physical reminder of ancestral presence in Te Moananui a Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean).
  • Lapita is a crucial part of the whakapapa of Aotearoa’s visual arts, evolving as our voyaging tīpuna moved out across Te Moananui a Kiwa.
  • Kanaky is part of the Moana region, and much of renewed ocean voyaging science and skill derives there.
  • Through this history, the speaker understands Indigenous collectives of Moana peoples: Indigenous not only to land but to waters, and the concept of “here” can exist in multiple spaces at once (land you stand on, the island you’re on, and the surrounding waters connecting you to distant Moana relations).
  • Previous framing of Kanaky: political unrest in the 1980s and a perception of a tourist resort named after a sea on the other side of the planet; a mismatch between what was taught and the ongoing colonial realities.
  • Two contexts bind Indigenous struggles: ancient Moana ties and a common colonial experience; this fosters solidarity between Māori and Kanak movements.
  • Since the Kanaky conflict began in May, Aotearoa hosts have received first-hand accounts from inside Kanaky about events on the ground, even as the French government tried to control the narrative. Reports are grim: killings by settler militia, unarmed Kanaks shot while fleeing, police brutality, and Kanak bodies thrown into the ocean.

Colonialism, History, and Demographics

  • To understand the background, we start with colonial underpinnings: Kanaky was illegally annexed in 1853 under Napoleon and used by France as a penal colony; convicts were persuaded to remain to support colonisation.
  • From that point, French settlers dispossessed Kanak peoples of lands and political authority; Kanaks are now about 41\% of the population.
  • Like many colonial histories, European colonialism has oppressed Indigenous peoples across social, economic, and political contexts.
  • The 1984 Place des Cocotiers graffiti in Noumea—"Colonial assassins"—captures anti-colonial sentiment (photo: David Robie/PMC).

International Law and Self-Determination

  • France signed the 1960 United Nations Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples; a brief, singularly focused document with a few core articles:
    • Colonialism denies fundamental human rights and is contrary to the UN Charter.
    • All peoples have the right to self-determination.
    • Inadequacy of political, economic, social, or educational preparedness should never delay independence.
    • All armed action against colonised peoples should cease.
    • Immediate steps shall be taken to transfer powers to the peoples of colonised territories.
  • The preamble emphasizes the inalienable right to complete freedom, sovereignty, and integrity of national territory; the General Assembly proclaims the necessity of ending colonialism in all forms.
  • In addition to the 1960 declaration, later instruments like the Rights of Indigenous Peoples continue to inform debates; the UN’s language around sovereignty and self-determination remains deliberate and serious.
  • Despite these commitments, France has continued colonial domination in various forms.

Pan-Pacific Anti-Colonial Movements and Ngā Iwi E

  • Global movements for social justice in the 1960s–1980s included Kanak collaboration with broader pan-Pacific movements (e.g., Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific movement) against European colonialism and militarism.
  • A legacy of resistance is the anti-colonial anthem “Ngā Iwi E,” originally a Kanak song adapted by Hirini Melbourne, Mereana Pitman, the Topp Twins, and others for the 1984 Festival of Arts in Kanaky.

Activist Susanna Ounei and Coalition Across Borders

  • Kanak Liberationist Susanna Ounei united anti-colonial causes: Free Kanaky, Free West Papua, Free Palestine, and Mana Motuhake Māori (Māori self-determination movement).

French Militarism and the Rainbow Warrior

  • The French commitment to militarism is evidenced by the Rainbow Warrior bombing in 1985, targeting a Greenpeace ship supporting the nuclear-free Pacific movement and anti-militarism in the region.
  • The Rainbow Warrior was bombed by French agents in 1985; this event is tied to broader Pacific resistance against nuclear testing and militarism.
  • By 1986, Kanaks were disillusioned with French double-talk about decolonisation; the Kanak uprising of the 1980s occurred within a context where France claimed to decolonise while retaining Kanaky within the republic.
  • France’s actions included sustaining a settler population hostile to independence, deploying military forces, and financially incentivising French nationalists to move to Kanaky; this contributed to a violent, armed French nationalist settler militia responsible for much of the violence in Kanaky.
  • The right to self-determination remains an inalienable right across UN instruments and related human rights frameworks.

Noumea Accord and Decolonisation Trajectory

  • A key moment was the Noumea Accord signed in 1998 after a period of Kanak resistance; France promised to grant increased political power to Kanaky and the Kanak people over a 20\text{-year} transition.
  • The Accord represented a generous framework intended to peacefully advance decolonisation and political empowerment within a defined timeline.

French Double-Talk and Recent Unrest

  • French attempts to undermine the Noumea Accord have been repeatedly exposed and criticised.
  • Emmanuel Macron’s Indo-Pacific Strategy outlines ongoing French economic and military ambitions in the Pacific; Macron has signalled intentions to unilaterally ditch and replace the Noumea Accord.
  • There was a unilateral move to push forward a referendum during the Covid pandemic, conflicting with Kanak protocols for the dead.
  • There was a brazen move to "+unfreeze" immigration protections under the Noumea Accord, granting voting rights to about 25{,}000 new settlers—largely white French nationals, many of whom are far-right and unlikely to support Kanak independence.
  • After months of peaceful Kanak resistance and repeated warnings, these changes were met with resistance and fear of civil unrest; Kanak leaders argued that France was unfit to engage without independent oversight.
  • French statements to the Pacific embassy and other actors frequently ignored UN declarations and the Noumea Accord, and violence against Kanaks has been obscured or downplayed.
  • The situation echoes colonial patterns seen elsewhere (Israel, Standing Rock, Ihumātao): the state attempts to control the narrative and demonise the victims as a prelude to violence.
  • Even after lifting the state of emergency, footage surfaced of Kanak youth being shot from helicopters.
  • Macron’s visit lasted about 18\text{-hours}; he claimed that the voting change “won’t be pushed through with force today in the current context,” but upon returning to France he signalled that the issue could nonetheless proceed and could even trigger a referendum in France on Kanaky’s future.
  • New Zealand’s response has largely focused on evacuating tourists; there has been a call for NZ to press France to protect peace and to honour commitments under the UN Declaration and the Noumea Accord; the diplomacy expected from a Tiriti-centred government.

Leaders, Symbols, and Inspiration

  • Kanak Liberation Leader Eloi Machoro (assassinated by French police in 1985). His headstone reads: “On tue le révolutionnaire mais on ne tue pas ses idées.” — You can kill the revolutionary but you cannot kill his ideas.
  • The Kanak struggle is framed as a broader regional concern, tied to ongoing colonialism and resistance against violence and inequality.

New Zealand and Regional Diplomacy

  • New Zealand’s response to the Kanaky situation is framed as prioritising the evacuation of tourists rather than asserting a clear stance on decolonisation and regional peace; there is a call for a Tiriti-centered, Pacific-focused approach to diplomacy and governance.

Regional Geopolitics: China, United States, and Pacific Tensions

  • The Kanaky struggle highlights broader regional tensions arising from military and economic rivalry in the Pacific between China and the United States.
  • These tensions affect Kanaky and extend to other Pacific communities such as Guahan (Guam), Okinawa, Hawai‘i, Tahiti, and Aotearoa.
  • The strategic geopolitical importance of Kanaky to the global colonial project is framed as connected to Indigenous existence and planetary wellbeing.

Core Alliances and Militarism in the Pacific

  • AUKUS alliance (Australia, UK, and the US) is described as building on numerous military relationships in the region; Canada is sometimes included; the alliance is branded as part of the Core Anglosphere, used to preserve colonialism and to maintain military commitments.
  • Public figures in New Zealand (e.g., Christopher Luxon, Winston Peters) have referenced returning to traditional partners, a phrase interpreted as prioritising colonial relationships over Moana-based, Indigenous networks that have existed for over 3,000 years.
  • Militarism across the Pacific includes war games and weapons testing (e.g., RIMPAC), toxic weapons-waste dumping, nuclear waste dumping, increased sexual assaults and human trafficking, higher strategic risk, hyper-surveillance, and armed oppression.

Economic Exploitation and Resource Politics in Kanaky

  • Kanaky is a leading producer of nickel, a key metal for e-batteries, and has a growing maritime economy (seabed mining, maritime transport, industrial fishing).
  • Revenue flows largely to the larger French economy; much of the money that remains in Kanaky does not reach Kanak households.
  • Indigenous rights are framed as the crucial barrier to militarism and exploitation in the Pacific; Indigenous peoples are positioned between violent colonial greed and Papatūānuku (Earth).
  • The same colonial tactics recur: controlling the narrative, rendering the colonial state’s own crimes invisible, and leveraging privilege to evade accountability.

Final Reflections and Call for Action

  • The Kanak resistance is a powerful example of Indigenous resilience and solidarity in the face of militarism, dispossession, and political manipulation.
  • The regional struggle for justice in Kanaky is a broader call to challenge colonial narratives and pursue genuine sovereignty.
  • The closing message calls for steadfast solidarity with Kanaky, courage to confront colonial fictions, and a universal commitment to justice and decolonisation: a call for a Free Kanaky.

Key Terms and Concepts

  • Te Moananui a Kiwa: The Pacific Ocean region, the sea that connects Indigenous peoples across the Moana.
  • Ngā Iwi E: A resistance anthem originally Kanak, later adapted by New Zealand musicians for broader solidarity.
  • Noumea Accord (1998): An agreement that promised increased political power to Kanaky and the Kanak people over a 20-year transition.
  • Inalienable right: A fundamental UN concept signifying rights that cannot be denied, even by referendum.
  • Core Anglosphere: A term used to describe a bloc of Anglophone nations (e.g., Australia, the UK, the US, and sometimes Canada) in security and military arrangements.
  • AUKUS: A security pact among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States regarding nuclear submarines and broader defense cooperation.
  • RIMPAC: A major Pacific military exercise that embodies regional militarism and strategic competition.
  • Papatūānuku: The Earth or land in Māori and broader Indigenous stewardship language.
  • Mana Motuhake: Māori term referring to autonomy or self-determination; used here to describe alignment with Kanak and other Indigenous struggles.
  • Noumea Accord: Framework for decolonisation and political empowerment in Kanaky.
  • Nickel, seabed mining, maritime transport, industrial fishing: Key economic sectors in Kanaky tied to external (French) economic benefit.