ROOTS
Seafaring runs deep in the island’s culture and the isolation of the Kunies no doubt accounts for their prowess as navigators and cultivators of root vegetables. Both these occupations give rise to their traditional art and customs. The large, heavy yam (l’igname) is the focus of Kunie customs and pivot point of their calendar. It signifies the community, sharing, life, man and the fruits of his labour. It is exchanged at special feasts and is a standard wedding gift and bereavement offering. All the islanders participate in planting it in September/October. Then the first harvest, in March, is marked by its benediction and one of the year’s most important customary rituals.
“ The island seems to concentrate all the beauties of the Pacific into its small area ”
Wooden outriggers (pirogues) with elegant, triangular sails are still built on the Isle of Pines and used for fishing and tourism. In fact the island is the only place in New Caledonia where such construction flourishes.
Kunie know-how is also evident in the building of their traditional thatched huts with their astonishing, umbrella-style roofs. Such activities reinforce the values and mutual help of the tribal system.