Mniam-mniam!

Some local culinary fantasies…

Fruit, fresh from the garden

Mwa-Ta – specialty made of coconut and manioc

Bogna-marmite – the best-known Caledonian dish (marmite referring to the pot in which the meal is cooked)
Here – my birthday treat (!) prepared by Josiane, containing bananas, yam, taro, Kanak cabbage (chou Kanak), and fish
(can also alternatively contain chicken, manioc, sweet potatoes, and other)

À la table!

“Joyeux anniversaire Magda” and 25 candles :-)

Canala

Here are some photos taken on the trip to Canala. Located on the east coast (2.5-hour drive from Nouméa), Canala in the 19th century was the island’s mining zone and then during the period of the “événements” - one of pro-independence centers. Nowadays it is famous for its magnificent nature and the beautiful site of the Cascade de Ciu.

La coutume

Avant d’arriver en Nouvelle Calédonie je n’avais jamais entendu parler de la coutume locale. C’est dommage parce que la connaissance de cette tradition locale m’aurait été utile déjà du début de mon séjour à St. Louis, au moment de l’entrée dans la maison de Josiane et Narcisse. Selon la tradition, chaque fois quand on entre sur le territoire d’une tribu, il faut faire la coutume, c'est-à-dire – se présenter au chef ou à celui qui représente la tribu afin de demander la permission d’entrer ou de séjourner dans la propriété. Tant les touristes que les personnes d’haute rang qui viennent en visite officielle normalement doivent faire la coutume pour montrer leur respect vers les hôtes. Le manque de respect peut avoir des graves conséquences. La coutume se fait dans une façon très particulière, laquelle je présente ci-dessous.
Before my coming to New Caledonia I had never heard of “la coutume.” I regret not having inquired earlier, as familiarity with this tradition would have been of great benefit upon my arrival at Josiane and Narcisse’s. According to the local tradition, when entering another tribe’s territory, one is expected to perform “la coutume.” This means presenting oneself before the chief of the clan or a selected representative in order to ask for permission to enter the territory. The ceremony is to be delivered by tourists, as well as by politicians coming with an official visit. It is expected as a standard form of politeness and disrespecting this local custom might have serious consequences. “La coutume” is performed according to a traditional sequence, which I briefly discuss below.

A l’ouverture de la fête de 20 ans de son entreprise BRETEA, Narcisse - autant qu’organisateur de l’événement, a officiellement accueilli ses invités. Dans son discours il les a remercié d’être venus et invité à passer un bon week-end ensemble.
In his discourse opening the weekend celebrating 20 years of the enterprise BRETEA, Narcisse, the event organizer, officially welcomed all those invited to participate in the festival. Narcisse expressed his gratitude and wished all participants a good weekend.

Les invités, parmi lesquels les « mamies » qui sont venues pour lancer les ateliers de la vannerie, ont ensuite remercié Narcisse de les avoir invités et ont exprimé la joie d’être à St. Louis. Le discours a été particulièrement humble.
Following Narcisse’s welcome speech, a representative of each visiting group, among which the “mamies” who came to launch weaving workshops, humbly expressed their gratitude and excitement to be participating in the event.

Pareil aux invités de Narcisse, ceux venus à la journée de commémoration de Jean-Marie Tjibaou au Centre Tjibaou ont remercié les organisateurs pour l’invitation. Même si venus de loin, ils étaient tout de même contents d’avoir fait le chemin pour joindre tous ceux qui se sont réunis au Centre pour la cause si importante.
Similar to Narcisse’s guests, those who came to participate in the commemoration at the Centre Tjibaou thanked the organizers for the invitation. Although many came from far away, they all seemed honored and content to be able to join the organizers during such an important ceremony.

Ensuite les invités ont présenté les hôtes avec les dons de la coutume. Ceux-ci comprennent toujours un roulon de tissu (appelé ‘le manou’), traditionnellement de la monnaie Kanak (pas du tout de la monnaie dans le sens européen, comme je l’avais imaginé ! – la monnaie Kanak c’est un artéfact symbolique fait de la fourrure de roussette, des coquillages, etc.) – normalement remplacée par la monnaie contemporaine (souvent un billet de 1000 CFP, environ 8€), les boites d’allumettes, les cigarettes, ainsi que les produits de la terre (par exemple, en cette période ce sont souvent les ignames) et de l’artisanat.
Then the invited guests presented the hosts with some customary gifts. These always include a roll of cloth/material (called ‘le manou’), traditional Kanak money (how great was my surprise when I ultimately discovered that the Kanak money does not have much to do with what we call money! It is symbolic crafts, made of bat fur, shells, etc. ) - nowadays usually replaced with contemporary money (e.g. a note of 1,000 CPF, approximately $11), matchboxes, cigarettes, as well as some fresh produce (usually yam at this time of the year) and crafts.

Le représentant des venants place tous les dons devant le hôte, qui ensuite doit les accepter en touchant ou en renversant chaque objet. La coutume n’est pas acceptée si l’hôte refuse de toucher les dons. Dans le cas de la coutume chez Narcisse, les organisateurs ont accepté la coutume des femmes en attachant le manou autour du poteau marquant la célébration, fabriqué spécialement pour la fête.
The group’s representative then places all gifts before the host. The later one, in the gesture of acceptance, is expected to touch or turn around each item. “La coutume” is not accepted if the host refuses to touch the gifts. Narcisse and his fellow-organizers accepted women’s “coutume” by wrapping the manou around the poteau (pillar), which was sculpted specially for the occasion.

Au Centre Tjibaou tous les invités d’honneur ont été salués par chacun des organisateurs.
At the Centre Tjibaou each guest of honor was personally welcomed by the organizers.

Suite à la coutume de la bienvenue, les invités peuvent séjourner sur le territoire de l’hôte. La coutume de la clôture est faite à la fin de leur visite et elle aussi doit être délivrée selon les règles traditionnelles.
Following the ritual of “la coutume” the guests are free to stay on the host’s territory. Upon leaving they are once again expected to perform a similar ritual.

Jean-Marie Tjibaou

Jean-Marie Tjibaou, a charismatic leader of the pro-independence movement assassinated twenty years ago by a fanatic, has gradually become a legendary hero of Caledonia. Born in 1936 in Tiendanite, near Hineghène, Jean-Marie early experienced the wrongdoing originating from the indigénat code, at the same time growing to cherish the importance of his own Kanak culture. He studied sociology in Paris and became a Catholic priest, yet he abandoned the vocation upon his return to Caledonia. Jean-Marie was involved in politics (he was the mayor of Hineghène and in 1977 became a member of the party Union Calédonienne, calling for independence from France) and in culture promotion (in 1975 he organized the festival Melanesia 2000 assembling various Melanesian artists). He was the first president of FLNKS (Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste), the most radical independence movement. In 1988, in a historic act Tjibaou signed the Matignon Accords that were to bring long awaited peace to the territory in social and political turmoil. However, on May 4, 1989, together with yet another political figure, Yeiwene Yeiwene, Jean-Marie Tjibaou was assassinated by a fellow Kanak. Nine years later the representative Centre Culturel Tjibaou was inaugurated in Nouméa, under the presidency of the widow after J.-M. Tjibaou, Mrs. Marie Claude Tjibaou. On May 8, 2009 many people gathered at the Centre Tjibaou to commemorate the leader twenty years after his assassination. Below I am posting some photos from the event.

Centre Culturel Tjibaou,
design by Renzo Piano (the author of the Centre Pompidou in Paris)

The wife of Yeiwene Yeiwene and his clan from Tadin, Maré

Marie Claude Tjibaou

Performance by the group Big Nambas from Vanuatu

Performance by the group Wakone from Maré

With a Wakone dancer

La robe-mission

La robe mission est un vêtement traditionnel féminin en Calédonie. Connue aussi sous le nom robe popinée (popinée étant le surnom donné auparavant aux femmes mélanésiennes), cette longue robe date de l’époque des premières missions sur l’île. Les missionnaires, afin d’empêcher la quasi-nudité des Kanak, ont impose aux femmes mélanésiennes de porter cet habit, significativement plus couvert. Aujourd’hui la robe mission – en coton et à couleurs vives – est toujours portée par les femmes (et pas seulement Kanak :-), à toutes les occasions. Sa promotion se fait par les défilés de mode organisés à l’occasion des fêtes régionales, ainsi que par les couturières qui popularisent la robe popinée tant dans la région qu’à l’étranger. J’ai eu une opportunité d’assister à un cours de couture à la Maison de la Femme à Nouméa. Mme Juliette de Lifou, dont les créations sont connues au grand public, apprend aux débutantes les techniques de coudre, parmi autres habilles, justement la robe mission.
La robe mission is a traditional women’s dress in Caledonia. It is also called robe popinée, from the name popinée addressing in the past a Melanesian woman. This clothing was introduced at the time of the first Missions on the territory, when the missionaries imposed on local women this long, “cover-all” dress in order to limit the Kanak nudity. Today local women (and not only! :-) continue to put on the colorful robe mission, on all sorts of occasions. The dress is promoted during regional fashion shows, as well as by local tailors whose works are recognized as much in the region as abroad. Myself I had an opportunity to participate in a sewing lesson at the Maison de la Femme in Nouméa. Mme Juliette from Lifou – famous local tailor whose garments are widely known – teaches adepts of all ages how to make, among other outfits, a traditional robe mission.

BRETEA - 20 years

On May 1-2 the enterprise of Narcisse celebrated its 20th anniversary. BRETEA, which in the language Drubéa means “hold up your head, look up to the Sun,” came into existence not long after the famous “événements” and the Accords de Matignon. Since then it has played an important role in reinforcing the Kanak heritage. Narcisse, as well as many inhabitants of the village of St. Louis, construct traditional cases. They are the builders of cases exposed at many museums and cultural centers.

By organizing the weekend Narcisse wanted to give the youth an opportunity to play sports, learn local crafts, and perform on stage – all planned keeping in mind that these were to be (and were!) two days without alcohol (the alcohol abuse being a huge problem in Caledonia). The main goal of the event was to introduce the young St. Louis to the concept of entrepreneurship and to encourage them to become active citizens. The inscription (in tayo!) above the podium read: “Toi! Péti de San-Louis, si ta capabl, ta débout! (“You! The young of St. Louis, if you are able [to act], stand up!”)

The celebrations begun and ended with la coutume, a gift-exchange and a symbolic speech which are traditionally performed upon entering another tribe’s territory and, in return, as a welcome and greeting. I will talk more about la coutume in a future post. Then there was a fashion show, football and volleyball games, crafts workshop for the youngest, and local groups performances in the evenings. Me too, I had the privilege to perform on stage. Together with Narcisse (photo) and three other musicians, we improvised our “local” version of “Hotel California” (The Eagles). Wearing a traditional dress and a hat borrowed from one of the “crafts ladies,” I was particularly happy to be introduced to the inhabitants of St. Louis this way.