Dynamics of Socio-Religious Transformation in Lifou (New Caledonia): From the Traditional Drehu Order to Missionary and Post-Missionary Hegemony

Abstract

This research offers an ethnographic and historical analysis of social and religious transformations on the island of Lifou, in New Caledonia, following the introduction of Christianity by the London Missionary Society (LMS) in the mid-19th century. The first part of the study reconstructs the foundations of pre-Christian Drehu society, which was centered around haze (spiritual forces), chiefly systems, rituals, and clan structures. These elements formed a coherent politico-religious system, interweaving power, territory, and the sacred. The arrival of missionaries marked a radical rupture. The establishment of the LMS led to the replacement of traditional spiritual and social references with a Christian order, characterized by the centrality of the church, the erasure of haze, the reform of rituals, and the institution of a new moral authority. These transformations are explored through the lenses of syncretism, acculturation, and identity recomposition. From a diachronic perspective, the dissertation also examines the contemporary impact of Pentecostalism, which rekindles tensions between Christian faith and cultural heritage. Through various life stories, it sheds light on internal conflicts, identity reconfigurations, and social fractures within clans. The research combines ethnographic observation, analysis of missionary archives, and the reflexive position of the author, a native anthropologist from Lifou. This situated perspective provides a nuanced understanding of issues related to transmission, memory, and resistance in a postcolonial context.