Kanak people
The earliest history of Europeans arriving on these islands is when Captain Cook of the United Kingdom landed in these islands in 1775 at a time when there were reportedly 70,000 Kanaks living in the archipelago. Cook gave the name "New Caledonia" to these islands, after Caledonia, his Scottish highlands.
Pacific Islands home front during World War II
The indigenous New Caledonias (Kanak) noted with interest that the African American soldiers, while segregated, could outrank white Americans. They judged that this system was superior to the one they lived in under French rule. Asian indentured servants in New Caledonia could not officially be employed by the Americans, however, they were heavy involved in the black market supply of good and labor that developed. Their absence put pressure on the efficiency of the local nickle mines.