Williams P. Ganileo, UH Manoa, 2723 Kolo Place, Honolulu, HI 96822. ganileo@hawaii.edu.

Traditional Land Ownership in a Modern Political System in North Pentecost, Republic of Vanuatu.

Land in the Republic of Vanuatu is traditionally owned by chiefly tribes. During the colonial era, land system was changed to the modern system. The British and the French nationals grab lands to build their wealth. The new land divisions was based on their modern system of exclusivity. This method has brought forward today where people of no genealogical attachment to Vanuatu and nearby islands have continued to follow these land system. We have lost our ancestral lands and our traditional land system to immigrants. This presentation will address the current conflict and possible solutions to resolving the difference between our traditional land system and the one brought by the British and French.

Keyword: Vanuatu, colonialism, mapping.