Synopsis

This documentary portrays Nidoish NAISSELINE, chief of the Kanak clan of the island of Maré in New Caledonia. The film gives us a vision on the clan and the current evolution of the Kanak society by tracing their personal and political paths from the May 1968 to present day.

Nidoish Naisseline

Nidoish Naisselineis great tribal chief, the highest authority in the Kank society, He’s one the Kanak personalities  of this generation, who operated in major transformation for the history of New Caledonia, born in 1944. he grew up in a region yet to considered as a real country, but more as a colony of France where different communities live together but with tensions.

As a Kanak, he comes from the native inhabitants of the island before the colonization, and his culture is deeply rooted in those lands. In the second half of 20th century, the kanak people became a minority and a segregation against them started to appear

Heir of an ancient culture and destined to be chief Nidoish Naisseline left for France to master in sociologie, when he returned in 1969, the young Kanak became a rebel with a left-wing politic, He wants to fight for his people and his culture, that were considered as a vanishing civilisation, a civilisation from the old ages slowing the modernisation. His political stand make him go to court and then prisons a few timer in the 70’s. then in 80’s he creates a political parti reformist and legalistic. In Liberation Kanak (the Palika )

Nidoish Naisseline always spoke up about his will the a part of his tradition and the present time. He was a member of many different political and administrative  institutions , head of a flight company, member of local associations…

Close to Jean-Marie Tjibaou, he signs « les Accords de Matignon » in 1988, and participate to the councils on the Accords of Nouméa. He was of those who fought to give his country the possibility of a “common destiny” and the choice to be independent witch was the subject of a referendum for the next 3 years.

All his life, Nidoish Naisseline was  the carrier of a vision : a future where the Kanak culture and modernity could mix harmoniously and grow together.