Lejars C., Bouard S., Nekiriai C., Sabinot Catherine. (2025). Water tensions and social transformations on customary lands. In :
Lejars C. (ed.), Bouard S. (ed.). Water policy in New Caledonia : participative co-building of water governance in a decolonization process. Cham : Springer, 93-113. (Global Issues in Water Policy ; 32). ISBN 978-3-031-88196-1. ISSN 2211-0631.
Titre du document
Water tensions and social transformations on customary lands
Lejars C. (ed.), Bouard S. (ed.), Water policy in New Caledonia : participative co-building of water governance in a decolonization process
Source
Cham : Springer, 2025,
93-113 (Global Issues in Water Policy ; 32). ISBN 978-3-031-88196-1 ISSN 2211-0631
In New Caledonia, in the Kanak communities, "water is the link", the link between Heaven and Earth, between the Mountain and the Sea, but also between men and between clans. This article aims to show how the evolution of water networks management, from the "traditional" irrigation canals to the drinking water supply network, has transformed and still transforms uses of water in tribes and how these changes modify the links between men and tribe social organization. In the specific context of New Caledonian negotiated decolonization, focusing on techniques and technical changes around access and uses of the water show the impact of colonization and mining development on the management of the resource and on customary rules.
