Royauté, chefferie et monde sociocosmique à Wallis (’Uvea).

Abstract

Although it is said to be « traditional », the Polynesian society of Wallis Island has always been changing. What can we know about its past that enables us to understand the paradox of its continuing while changing? Starting from the study of the traditions gathered by Father Henquel at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, this book aims at eliciting and understanding the values and deep logic that operate status distinctions, organize the allocation of responsibilities and, most of all, give meaning and efficiency to all kinds of action.The study focuses on the chieftainship - often called kingship - which is at the top of the social organization, with its relationships to land tenure. It elicits the conditions and the modalities of their mutations, especially under the influence of the Tongan immigrants, the Catholic missionaries and the French State. This diachronic approach is articulated with a synchronic one. It shows how similar principles organize socio-cosmic relationships at different nested scales - the village, the district and the country (fenua) - that together constitute the land, the living and the dead. Eschewing an approach in the sole perspective of politics and power, this monograph aims at shedding light on Wallis' sociocosmic dimensions. Thus, beyond the classic opposition between so-called Polynesian and Melanesian societies, this approach can be of use to understand other Polynesian societies.