Kanak people
Kanak (French spelling until 1984: Canaque) are the indigenous Melanesian inhabitants of New Caledonia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southwest Pacific. According to the 2014 census, they make up 39.1% of the total population with around 104,000 people.
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.