Also, they could have been constructed to enhance the soils key nutri- ents, through confinement and mulching, in a similar way to that previously observed in the basaltic environments of Polynesia. The constitution of stone enclosures, usually interpreted as private parcel delimitations, could have been undertaken in order to minimize the evaporation process and the impact of saline conditions in coastal environments. In particular, the deviation of streams in order to irrigate ferralitic plains has long since been demonstrated. After analysis, it seems reasonable to state that at least some of these specificities were linked to empirical experiences in soil enhancing, and oriented towards productivity.
#ABONNEMENT RENDEMENT LOCATIF SERIES#
By studying these structures discovered in the south of Grande Terre (in the Yaté and Ouinné regions) and the Isle of Pines, the chemical particularities and the requirements of the soils (to become productive), we were able to form a series of possible interpretations regarding these distinctions.
It is in these inauspicious settings that important horticultural structures have been archaeologically surveyed in recent years which, though chronologically linked to other, better-known horticultural structures found on more favorable soils throughout the archipelago, present some clear structural differences. These conditions fostered the advent of highly efficient, well-adapted vegetation with extremely high endemism levels and also introduced strong local constraints to the cultivation of species of alimentary importance, introduced by the first Austronesian people who arrived three thousand years ago. The pedological environment which derived from this phenomenon is particularly acidic, with very low levels of key nutrients (N, K, P, Mg, Ca) but high concentrations of toxic elements, such as metals. However, a significant part of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and the Isle of Pines, is covered by ferralitic soil, derived from the degradation of ultramafic rocks whose origin goes back to a partial, tectonic subduction event which occurred over 37 million years ago. These systems are usually distin- guished by irrigated terraces dedicated to the production of species which need a constant water supply, such as taro and also by the con- struction of elongated earth mounds connected with dryer cultivars such as yam, banana and sugarcane.
It is widely accepted that this southern Melanesia archipelago hosts an extremely elaborate set of horticultural systems, mainly dating to the last millennium and iconic of what is defined as the Traditional Kanak Cultural Complex. This article addresses questions relating to traditional horticultural practices in some supposedly infertile environments of New Caledonia.
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