Littérature scientifique sur le sujet « Histoire orale – Vanuatu »

Au milieu du XV e siècle, au centre du Vanuatu, survient l’éruption du volcan Kuwae. Ce cata-clysme aux conséquences globales donna lieu, à l'échelle locale, à la dislocation d’une île mythique en un archipel — les îles Shepherd. Depuis des dizaines de générations, les descendants du peuple pré-éruptif se transmettent et confrontent leurs versions du mythe de Kuwae, notamment dans le cadre de querelles foncières. Ces discours légitimateurs, pourvus d’une efficacité sociale au moment même de leur énonciation, convoquent une panoplie de preuves, en vertu d'une certaine logique de vérité historique. Dans les années 1960, ce sont ces discours historico-mythiques, issus des anciennes chefferies, qui permirent à l’archéologue José Garanger de découvrir des sépultures, corroborant ainsi la fiabilité historique de la tradition orale. À partir de trois genres de discours distincts sur le passé, recueillis sur le terrain en langues namakura et nakanamanga, nous proposons de documenter et d’étudier la portée socio-historique du mythe de Kuwae
In the middle of the 15th century, in central Vanuatu, the Kuwae volcano erupted. This cataclysm with global consequences gave rise, on a local scale, to the dislocation of a mythical island into an archipelago — the Shepherd Islands. For dozens of generations, the descendants of the pre-eruption people have been transmitting and confronting their versions of the Kuwae myth, particularly in the context of land disputes. These legitimizing discourses, endowed with a social efficacy at the very moment of their enunciation, summon a panoply of proofs, by virtue of a certain logic of historical truth. In the 1960s, it was these historico-mythical discourses from the old chiefdoms that enabled the archaeologist José Garanger to discover burials, thus corroborating the historical reliability of the oral tradition. Based on three distinct genres of discourse on the past, collected in the field in the Namakura and Nakanamanga languages, we propose to document and study the socio-historical scope of the Kuwae myth

This thesis is an exploration of the ways in which past and present Churches of Christ worshippers from northern Vanuatu reflect on politik (Bislama: politics, political action but also much more). To comprehend what this term means to local people in Vanuatu, we must be aware of the contexts in which it is used, the events and relationships that are its exemplars and the local political economies of historical knowledge that inflect its meanings. To this end, this thesis explores the origins of politik as described by my interlocutors through oral histories about the interplay between their church, state institutions and Nagriamel, a traditionalist movement which emerged on Santo in 1967 and spread quickly throughout the northern New Hebrides. Through an examination of the content of these spoken histories, this thesis suggests that politik is seen to have corroded the unity of pre-existing social groups, such as the church, which is considered by its adherents to be indigenous. As a contingent state of democracy, politik describes the unwanted aspects of modernity and nationhood based on the perceived emergence of hierarchies between indigenous people in the post-colonial state of Vanuatu. Given that the rise of Nagriamel is considered to have inspired the resurgence of kastom where previously it was proscribed, kastom is often seen by conventional worshippers to be something to endure rather than celebrate. Among Churches of Christ worshippers, the conflict between kastom and church doctrine is considered to constitute part of the conflict inherent in politik.¶ Given that much of the knowledge on which this thesis was based was collected during interpersonal and group interviews, this thesis also explores the creation of political economies of historical knowledge about politik. Through a review of oral historical methodologies and appropriate anthropological theory, it examines the nature of information collected during participant-observation. As this thesis compares different genres of historical information (local, oral histories, national public histories and colonial archival records) it is also concerned with historical methodology.

This thesis is an exploration of the ways in which past and present Churches of Christ worshippers from northern Vanuatu reflect on politik (Bislama: politics, political action but also much more). To comprehend what this term means to local people in Vanuatu, we must be aware of the contexts in which it is used, the events and relationships that are its exemplars and the local political economies of historical knowledge that inflect its meanings. To this end, this thesis explores the origins of politik as described by my interlocutors through oral histories about the interplay between their church, state institutions and Nagriamel, a traditionalist movement which emerged on Santo in 1967 and spread quickly throughout the northern New Hebrides. Through an examination of the content of these spoken histories, this thesis suggests that politik is seen to have corroded the unity of pre-existing social groups, such as the church, which is considered by its adherents to be indigenous. As a contingent state of democracy, politik describes the unwanted aspects of modernity and nationhood based on the perceived emergence of hierarchies between indigenous people in the post-colonial state of Vanuatu. Given that the rise of Nagriamel is considered to have inspired the resurgence of kastom where previously it was proscribed, kastom is often seen by conventional worshippers to be something to endure rather than celebrate. Among Churches of Christ worshippers, the conflict between kastom and church doctrine is considered to constitute part of the conflict inherent in politik.¶ ...

This chapter outlines an ongoing research program which investigates the evolving engagements between ni-Vanuatu and Europeans in the Port Sandwich region (in southern Malakula, Vanuatu) during the period from 1774 to 1915. The research has drawn on a multiplicity of sources—including oral traditions, historic documents, and archaeological surveys and excavations—in an attempt to provide new insights into the process of colonization from both an indigenous and European perspective. For instance, James Cook visited the ‘ideal’ harbour in 1774. Following his positive report of the location, almost all foreign vessels visiting northern Vanuatu over the next 100 years would use Port Sandwich as a base. It became an early focus for sustained European settlement. Although Vanuatu (or the New Hebrides, as it was then known) became a formalized colony in 1906, land purchases in Port Sandwich began as early as the 1870s. Moreover, a French military camp was established earlier, in 1886, and Catholic missionaries arrived two years later. Increasing tensions developed and conflict inevitably erupted. Indigenous resistance continued for decades, and, by 1913, as evidence suggests there was massive depopulation.