Nouméa, New Caledonia, 8 August 2012
The centre culturel Tjibaou in Nouméa, New Caledonia, invites historian Jerry Delathière to give the conference “Ciri, le terroir assassiné, l’insurrection de 1878 dans la region de La Foa” on 23 August at 4.15pm.
During his talk, Jerry Delathière will give a history of the original organisation of the country of CiRi and the different tribes which lived there. He will discuss the impact of colonialism on the territory: the “slow agony which these populations experienced up until the events of 1878 and its aftermath” (as stated in the press release). Finally, he will give a brief description of the current socio-political situation of the Kanak community, which inhabits the region today.
This conference will include several photos and maps from the community’s archives.
Delathière states ‘There exist numerous writings about the 1878 Kanak insurrection. Even if the personality of Chef Ataï, the power figure of this revolt, is recognized today; there is less information about the history of his land and the tribes and clans, which inhabited it before the European invasion in 1871. The region of La Foa, originally known as CiRi, is the example of an original indigenous organization completely annihilated by colonialism”.