Modes of Operation and Integrationin the Kanak Territories - [precolonial plant forest resources]

Abstract

This paper aims to explore models for the territorial management of forest and for the subsistence system in precolonial Kanak societies. The study is part of a broader project using anthracology to examine vegetarian changes linked to precolonial settlement patterns and management of wood resources. Archaeological field survey was combined with botanical recording and ethnobotanical observations. These data, together with information from the ethnological, archaeological, botanical and ethnobotanical literature, are used to redefine the precolonial horticultural system and to suggest a territorial pattern for tree species and forests, in which three kinds of area are distinguished, on the basis of their diversity and degree of "domestication". Show more