Wallis and Futuna

Territoire de Wallis et Futuna
Motto: n/a
Anthem: La Marseillaise
Capital (and largest city)		Mata-Utu 13°20′S 176°20′W
Official languages		French, Other: ʻUvean, Futunan
Government		Overseas territory of France
-	President	Jacques Chirac
-	Administrator-Superior	Xavier de Furst
-	President of the Territorial Assembly	Patalione Kanimoa
-	Kings Traditionally three:	Tomasi Kulimoetoke II, king of Uvea 1959– Soane Patita Maituku, king of Tu´a (Alo) 2002– Visesio Moeliku, king of Sigave 2004–
Non-sovereign		overseas territory of France
-	Date	1959 Voted to be a territory of France
Area
-	Total	274 km² (211th) 106 sq mi
-	Water (%)	Negligible
Population
-	July 2005 estimate	15,480 (218th)
-	2003 census	14,944
GDP (PPP)		2004 estimate
-	Total	$60 million (226th)
-	Per capita	$ 3,800 (149th)
Currency		CFP franc (XPF)
Time zone		(UTC+12)
Internet TLD		.wf
Calling code		+681

Wallis and Futuna, is a group of three volcanic tropical islands (Wallis (Uvea), Futuna, and Alofi with fringing reefs located in the South Pacific Ocean between Fiji and Samoa. The territory consists islands approximately 200 kilometers (125 miles) apart.

Geography

Wallis and Futuna is located about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand, at 13°18′S 176°12′W.

The Wallis Archipelago is the most populated and comprises a main island and about 20 smaller islands and islets. The main island, Wallis (Uvea), is hilly and dotted with numerous lake-filled craters surrounded by steep cliffs. The Futuna Archipelago consists of two mountainous islands, Futuna (Hooru) and Alofi. On Futuna the land rises steeply from a narrow coastal plain to a highest point of 875 meters (2870 feet). There are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural fresh water. The cannibal people of Futuna allegedly killed and feasted upon its population in one single raid in the nineteenth century. The total area is 274 square kilometers (106 sq mi) with 129 kilometres (80 mi) of coastline.

The highest point in the territory is Mont Singavi (on the island of Futuna) at 765 metres (2,510 ft).

The climate is tropical, but moderated by ocean breezes. The islands have a hot, rainy season from November to April and a cool, dry season from May to October. The rains accumulate 2500 to 3000 millimeters (98–118 in) each year. The average humidity is 80 percent and the temperature 26.6 degrees Celsius (79.9 degreesF).

The only indigenous animals are snakes, lizards, and pigeons. Coconut palms and breadfruit, mango, and orange trees are grown on the coasts, and the hills are densely forested.

Only five percent of the islands' land area is arable land; permanent crops cover another 20 percent. Deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain), largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source, is a serious problem. As a consequence of cutting down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion.

The capital of the territory is Mata-Utu on the island of Wallis.

History

Archeological excavations in Wallis have uncovered sites dating back to 1400 B.C.E. The Tongans arrived in the fifteenth century and took possession of the island after battles that have become legendary. Wallis emerged from the Early Tongan Maritime Empire in the l500s. Before that time it was part of Tonga and shared its language and customs. Futuna has close cultural ties with Samoa and Rotuma.

Futuna and Alofi were sighted by two Dutch navigators, Jakob Lemaire and Willem Cornelis Schouten, in 1616. British explorer Samuel Wallis visited Wallis in 1767. The French were the first Europeans to settle in the territory, when missionaries arrived in 1837, and converted the population to Catholicism. Those first Marist missionaries were Father Bataillon, on Wallis island, and Father Chanel on Futuna island. With the arrival of the Catholic mission, a long history of warfare on the islands ended.

On April 5, 1842, the missionaries asked France for protection after part of the local population rebelled. Around this time, the French banned overseas voyaging, so ties between Wallis and Tonga weakened. On April 5, 1887, the queen of Uvea (on the island of Wallis) signed a treaty establishing a French protectorate. The kings of Sigave and Alo on the islands of Futuna and Alofi also signed a treaty establishing French protectorate on February 16, 1888. The islands were put under the authority of the French colony of New Caledonia.

In 1917, the three traditional chiefdoms were annexed to France and turned into the Colony of Wallis and Futuna, still under the authority of the Colony of New Caledonia.

During the Second World War, a regiment of American soldiers arrived in the archipelago in May 1942, followed by the Free French forces some months later. The Allies thus disposed of a strategic air base in the South Pacific.

In 1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French overseas territory, effective in 1961, thus ending their subordination to New Caledonia.

Politics

Orthographic projection centred over Wallis and Futuna Islands

Wallis and Futuna has been a French overseas collectivity since 2003. Between 1961 and 2003, it had the status of an overseas territory.

The territory is divided into three traditional chiefdoms: Uvea (on the island of Wallis), Sigave (on the western part of the island of Futuna), and Alo (on the island of Alofi and on the eastern part of the island of Futuna). Uvea is further subdivided into three districts: Hanake, Hihifo, and Mua. As a territory of France, it is governed under the French constitution, uses the French legal system, and suffrage is universal for those over 18 years of age. The French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; the high administrator is appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior. Members of the assembly elect the presidents of the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly.

The head of state was President Jacques Chirac of France as represented by High Administrator Xavier de Furst since 2005. The head of government was the President of the Territorial Assembly, Patalione Kanimoa, since 2001. The Council of the Territory consists of three kings (the kings of the three traditional chiefdoms) and three members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the Territorial Assembly.

The legislative branch consists of the unicameral Territorial Assembly of 20 seats. The members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms. Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and one deputy to the French National Assembly.

Justice is administered under French law by a tribunal in Mata-Utu, but the three traditional chiefdoms administer justice according to customary law (only for non-criminal cases). The court of appeal is in Nouméa, New Caledonia.

The territory participates in the Franc Zone, and Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

Economy

Copra was an important export until the mid-1960s, when an attack of rhinoceros beetles ravaged the islands' palm trees. Some copra and timber is exported. Many islanders have migrated to New Caledonia for employment.

The territory's economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80 percent of the labor force earning its livelihood from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About four percent of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia.

The gross domestic product in 2004 totalled about $US60-million, or about $US3800 per capita. Industries include copra, handicrafts, fishing, and lumber. Agricultural products include breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas, pigs, and goats.

In 1999, exports totalled $US47,450. Export commodities were copra, chemicals, and construction materials. Export partners were Italy 40 percent, Croatia 15 percent, U.S. 14 percent, and Denmark 13 percent. Imports totalled $US61.17-million. Import commodities were chemicals, machinery, passenger ships, and consumer goods. Import partners were France 97 percent, Australia two percent, and New Zealand one percent.

In 2002, the territory had 1900 telephones in use, had one AM radio station, and two television broadcast stations.

The island of Wallis has about 100km (62 mi) of highway, 16 paved, while the island of Futuna has only 20km (12.5 mi), none of it paved. The territory has two main ports and harbors, Leava (on the island of Futuna), and Mata-Utu, that support its merchant marine fleet consisting of two passenger ships and a petroleum tanker. There are two airports, one with a paved runway about 2000 meters (6600 ft) long, one with a 1000-meter (3300 ft) unpaved strip. The only commercial flights to Wallis are operated by the New Caledonia based Aircalin. There is an Aircalin office in Mata-Utu on Wallis. There are no commercial boat operators.

The territory uses the CFP Franc, along with the French territories of New Caledonia and French Polynesia.

Demographics

The total population of the territory at the 2003 census was 14,944 (67.4 percent on the island of Wallis, 32.6 percent on the island of Futuna).

The vast majority are of Polynesian ethnicity, with a small minority of French descent. More than 16,000 Wallisians and Futunians live as expatriates in New Caledonia, which is more than the total population of Wallis and Futuna.

The overwhelming majority (99 percent) of the people in Wallis and Futuna are Catholic.

They speak both French and Wallisian 58.9 percent or Futunian 30.1 percent, the indigenous Polynesian languages. The Uvean language of Wallis is a Western Polynesian language closely related to Tongan. The Futunan language is of Samoic origin. It is the language of everyday life. French is only spoken by 10.8 percent of the population as a first language, though it is used on official occasions and is taught in schools. A few people also speak English.

Class stratification is perhaps more pronounced on Futuna. In Wallis, the traditional hierarchy persists, with the Lavelua at the apex and most people referred to as commoners. A distinction exists between families with and without cash income. Remittances from family members overseas also distinguish families. The Catholic Church is the largest landowner. Families that have produced a priest or nun have a high status. Symbols of difference include owning a car or truck, a large house, furniture, having access to electricity, and knowledge of life in New Caledonia. Gifts to the church are important indicators of status.

Education levels are not important markers of social class, and only half the total population (both men and women) age 15 and over can read and write. Each village has a primary school. New Caledonia has been the sole source of tertiary education until a two-year post-secondary program opened up in l990.

Culture

The culture of Wallis and Futuna is typically Polynesian, with strong institutions of marriage and extended families centered on the church. Marriages are controlled by the family and formalized by the church. Missionaries once raised young boys and girls apart from their families and then arranged their marriages. Today young people meet in high school, and families approve or disapprove of the friendship. Cohabitation occurs but is not approved of. Aunts and grandmothers raise illegitimate children.

An extended family household is the basic unit of society in Wallis and Futuna, and is likely to consist of several houses linked by brothers and sisters and their spouses. Households change in size as young people and their children go to New Caledonia, leaving one or two children to look after the parents. When a young couple marry, they join the household of one of their families. It is rare for a new house to be built. The father, the eldest son, and occasionally the eldest sister is head of the household.

Kin groups are synonymous with the extended family. Close ties are maintained despite separation over distance. Both sons and daughters inherit rights to the land, and membership of the kinship group. One son and one daughter are expected to look after the parents, including siblings of their parents.

Wallis is predominantly a rural community. All villages are linked by road to Mata-Utu. Villages are built around a Catholic church where people gather at large family occasions. A program to teach building skills has led to the construction of numerous churches built with expensive imported materials.

Houses are built mainly of concrete with corrugated iron roofs, although a few houses with pandanus thatch sides and thatched roofs still exist. People prefer to sit on the floor. Some cooking is done outdoors. Newer houses have toilets attached. Houses are scattered and have one or two acres of land to grow subsistence crops. A house site may consist of four or five houses for the extended family.

Futunan houses follow the Samoan “fale” style. The sleeping house is open-sided with a thatched roof and thatched blinds that can be let down in bad weather. There may be a concrete floor and a low wall to keep the pigs out. Cooking is done in a cook-house behind the sleeping house or in an earth oven in the bush. Water and electricity were installed in 1990, though few families can afford electricity.

There is “bush land” and “house land.” Families “possess" lands that link them to a “pule” and ultimately to the traditional chief. There is also land for use by members of the village. Family land rights are passed to both sons and daughters, but males are responsible for keeping the land productive. All family members are expected to work on the family land.

Wallis has an urban space that contains government buildings and a shopping area. Futuna consists of a string of villages along the southern coast, of which Leava is the main center. Each village has a small shop.

The kava bowl and tapa cloth are important symbols of both cultures. Kava is drunk both ritually and secularly in Futuna. The kava bowl is used to honor chiefs and the existing hierarchy. Tapa cloth is made by women for exchange at rituals that draw extended families together. It symbolises women's wealth, along with specially scented oil. Tapa is sold to tourists.

Food gifts are symbols of welcome and good will. The ‘malae,’ or meeting ground, is a place where people gather to honor their chiefs (kings in Futuna). The Lomipeau canoe represents the ties between Wallis-Uvea and the early maritime empire of Tonga of four hundred years ago. It also symbolizes the strong seagoing tradition of these people, particularly their journeys to Tonga, Samoa, and other islands.

The music of Wallis and Futuna has a rich tradition, and is overwhelmingly Polynesian in form. Traditional music is taught by specialists called “mâau.” Prominent composers include Helena Puino, Apeleto Likuvalu, and Likaleto Simete. The Association culturelle de Futuna promotes indigenous music. In 1999, Roland Di Rosa, a sound engineer, released Digital Studio, a compilation of Wallisian music. He has continued to release compilations that include performers like Ofamahi, Taulaga and Semata.

The Kailao, often thought of as a Tongan war dance was taken to Tonga from Uvea.