Conflict and alliance in a colonial context

Hierarchy and reciprocity in New Caledonia: An historical ethnography

“…In some cases, such relationships between groups scattered throughout an entire region looked to Guiart like "networks of identification" (1963: 631), 31 particularly in the region north of a line roughly between Temala and Tipindje, where local groups were distributed, patchwork fashion, between two mutually hostile, ritually opposed groupings known as Hoot and Waap (Douglas 1992a: 94-96;Guiart 1957: 21-27;1966: 49-53;Guiart and Bensa 1981;Leenhardt 1930: 105). 32 Stress on lateral relationships -an insistent theme in contemporary action descriptions (Douglas 1992a: 93-95) -encouraged political equilibrium throughout the region and might have inhibited the formation of more complex hierarchies, though at the onset of regular European contacts in 1843 the opposed "networks" included some influential chiefdoms (Douglas 1979a;1980;Guiart 1963: 630-632, 639-640, 646). Conquest of territory seems not to have been a feature of Hoot/Waap opposition, which, though often implicated in alliance formation, was of mainly symbolic and ritual significance (Guiart 1985:91).…”

Australian Travellers in the South Seas

“…Such an approach recognises that travellers, in the act of writing, also seek to maintain a balance between past and present, between the 'desire to come to terms with a complex world in transformation and its nostalgic need to restore the imaginary site of a "simpler" past'. 22 Eric Leed described this as a 'tendency of modern Europeans to equate differences in space with differences in time-to "historicize"'. 23 If we consider travel writing a form of memory through which people construct and legitimise cultural identity, then history is apropos to studying these cultural interactions.…”

“…The terms 'Melanesia' and 'Polynesia' were firmly rooted in Australian understandings of the Pacific region, denoting race rather than geographical location. 22 The Islands of Melanesia included Papua and New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands and Santa Cruz group, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia and Fiji. History 38, vol.…”

“…The steamer was specially fitted with first-class accommodation only and she carried no cargo … no expense appears to have been spared in studying the most minute details for the comfort of the passengers. 22 These early forays into tourist cruises were short lived and did not become economically viable until the interwar years. Indeed, they were only possible due to the size and profitability of BP's and USSCo's business operations, as the two had gradually incorporated smaller competitors in the region.…”

“…In Tahiti, visitors commonly associated flowers with women and were aware that their adornment signified their availability. 22 Fragrances, be they of coconut oil, frangipanis or even 'the indefinable scent of dusky humanity', were often alluring and satisfying in the descriptions of Tahiti. 23 The HMS Bounty mutineers were frequently cited as a reminder of the potentially overpowering nature of this 'lure' and the attraction of forbidden pleasures.…”