Alternative names: various clan and tribal names Location: New
Caledonian islands in south-western Pacific % of population: 43%
Religion: Catholic and Protestant, indigenous Kanak beliefs
Language: Kanak languages The Kanaks are the indigenous
Melanesian peoples of New Caledonia or Kanaky, an island group
of one large island and several smaller ones, lying mid-way
between Australia and New Zealand. The Kanaks are the largest
ethnic group in New Caledonia with a total population of about
63,000; about 43% of the population of 145,000. Other groups are
French (about 37%), Wallis and Futuna Islanders, Tahitians,
Indonesians and other Asian settlers. New Caledonia is an
Overseas Territory of France and will be the last of the
Melanesian island nations to attain independence. As a result
the 1980s have seen conflict between the Kanaks who seek
independence and the French settlers who wish to retain the
status quo. The Kanaks have inhabited the islands for about
6,000 years, living in autonomous tribal communities