Birth Of A Melanesia House
pp. 76-77 · Read in the full issue
BIRTH OF A MELANESIAN HOUSE ... our top photograph shows a group of men from Canala, New Caledonia, working on the framework of a round house. How does the roof stay up? By an intricate criss-cross of beams, as shown (centre).
And the finished result of skilled workmanship—a brand new house, bottom.
IN May, 1972, a group of men from Canala, New Caledonia, built a small traditional house on the campus of the University of the South Pacific in Suva, as one of New Caledonia’s contributions to the South Pacific Arts Festival. Because of their skill, the same group has been chosen to build a complex of six traditional houses in the grounds of a major tourist hotel in Noumea. The large round house represents the father, the banana-shaped one represents the mother and the small huts, the children, symbolising the structure of Melanesian family groups. The traditional houses will provide local foods—taro, yam, breadfruit and pork cooked daily in an underground oven, and will also include room for dancing and relaxation.
Decoration of the various extensions of the hotel will
also be done by the group and the Polynesian artist, Aloi Pilioko.
The supervisor of the buildings is the Mayor of Canala, Mr Emile Nechero, who has been noted for his contribution to social work. He is assisted by Mr Lucien Nedenon, a member of the Council of Elders.
Both men are dedicated to preserving Melanesian styles of building and they erected a superb traditional house in the grounds of the Noumea Museum. Mr Nechero told artist Michoutouchkine who helped make the arrangements, that although young people in New Caledonia today do not know the traditional building methods, “as soon as they are shown what to do, their fingers suddenly find the old movements, and it is exciting to see how they rediscover the way to the tradition”.
“In an era of concrete,” writes Michoutouchkine, “it is exciting to see this initiative, especially as the entire responsibility has been left with the Canala group.
They work with a marvellous spirit, relaxed and proud of their beautiful achievement.”