History in Vanuatu

People settled the islands of Vanuatu at least about 3,000 years ago. Some government accounts identify archaeological evidence from about 2000 BCE as the oldest, but dates vary by island and archaeological method. The Teouma site on Efate contains an early Lapita settlement and cemetery dating to about 3,100 years ago. Lapita pottery traditions developed into local sequences. For the earliest periods, archaeology and oral traditions are central because written records do not exist. They can support each other without representing the same kind of evidence. History differs between islands and regions. In central Vanuatu, pottery production on Efate changed after about 1,500 years ago, probably in connection with trade and local production patterns. Systems of chiefly titles developed roughly 1,200 to 1,000 years ago. The Kuwae eruption in 1452 caused major regional disruption. The Great Efate War ended around 1600. The history associated with Roi Mata connects oral traditions about naflak matrilineal clans, conflict mediation, land and title rights, and customary authority with archaeological sites on Efate, Lelepa and Artok. Residence, death and mass-burial sites form part of this evidence. UNESCO recognises Chief Roi Mata’s Domain, but community custodianship remains central to access and interpretation. Pedro Fernández de Quirós reached the islands in 1605. James Cook’s voyage in 1774 helped establish the European name New Hebrides. European settlement expanded during the late eighteenth century. The first missionaries reached Erromango in 1839. During the nineteenth century, mission activity, trade, plantations and labour recruitment, including blackbirding, affected islands and communities unevenly. The Anglo-French Naval Commission began in 1887. Britain and France agreed the Anglo-French Condominium in 1906. The 1914 Protocol brought its detailed framework into force in 1922. The system combined separate British and French administrations with joint institutions, including a Joint Court. It also operated alongside ni-Vanuatu customary law and kastom, a local term for customary practices, knowledge and authority. Some ni-Vanuatu called the arrangement “Pandemonium” because of its complex and divided administration. Land ownership and political power remained strongly shaped by this colonial structure. During the Second World War, Allied military bases operated on Efate and Espiritu Santo from 1942 to 1945. The bases changed infrastructure, labour patterns and local memories. Their effects differed between islands and communities. Decolonisation accelerated during the 1960s. A 1957 Advisory Council gave ni-Vanuatu representation but limited authority. Municipal elections in Port Vila and Luganville and the creation of a Representative Assembly followed in 1975. The Vanua’aku Pati formed a provisional government in 1977. Internal self-government began in 1978, followed by constitutional work in 1979. The New Hebrides became the Republic of Vanuatu on 30 July 1980. Vanuatu joined the United Nations in 1981 and the Non-Aligned Movement in 1983. Independence is remembered through more than one perspective. The main national narrative is strongly anticolonial and associated with the Vanua’aku Pati. Francophone and UMP perspectives, Nagriamel and Santo histories, and local kastom accounts add different interpretations. The Nagriamel rebellion after independence remains a significant local memory of political rupture. Since 1980, historical continuity has included the integration of three colonial systems, the place of customary law, land rights, national unity and the relationship between central institutions and island communities. Vanuatu has had six provinces since 1994. Historical research and heritage protection involve the Vanuatu National Cultural Council, the Vanuatu Kaljoral Senta and National Museum, the Vanuatu National Heritage Registry, the National Library and Archives, Parliament and Hansard, UNESCO, and local chiefs, families, lineages, communities and custom owners. The Vanuatu National Heritage Registry records sites, but its survey remains incomplete; the Vanuatu Kaljoral Senta has reported that fewer than half of sites have been surveyed. Researchers may need permission through the National Cultural Council. Tabu, meaning a customary restriction, and traditional copyright can limit access to specialised knowledge. Researchers are expected to respect kastom, establish provenance and deposit publications, field notes, audio, film and photographs. Artefact export requires the legally required authorisation. Archives are generally public, but access can depend on cultural protection and the condition of the material. The Preservation of Sites and Artefacts Act, known as Cap 39, is relevant to site and artefact protection. Research costs are not published as one uniform national schedule, and archive access is handled case by case. Cyclone Pam in 2015 and the 2024 earthquakes damaged cultural institutions, archives and heritage sites. Recovery can take several years. Protection therefore concerns not only objects and buildings but also living memory, community resilience, ownership and the rights of custodians.