*nagriamel (& New Hebrides)

I think it’s hard to say exactly what sort of government Jimmy Stevens and the members of the movement hoped to create. Their movement was less a ‘constructive’ one than an oppositional one. That is, there was not a coherent agreed upon idea for the future than there was a rejection of the independence movement led by Father Walter Lini and his party the Vanua’aku.

This is even more clear if we take into account the motivations of two supporters of Stevens and his band on Espiritu Santu : French colonial settlers (+right wing sympathizers in New Caledonia and even claims of actual secret French government support) and the radical libertarian Phoenix Foundation (who were by this point fairly well practiced, though totally unsuccessful at trying to find/foment rebellion to create a libertarian state).

Stevens and NaGriamel were heavily influenced by ideas of kastom and the desire to reinvigorate or restore traditional land tenure on the island, they did not see themselves as part of a larger Vanuatu (the idea of being Ni-Vanuatu being entirely new as the islands had never been a common entity until the joint French-British condominium rule over the extended archipelago), and an a millenarian philosophy that believed divine judgement was closely at hand which would cleanse the island of foreign settlers and restore the “cargo” (wealth/prosperity) that had been stolen from the island.

Whereas the French were keen to disrupt independence of what had been a valuable producer of tropical cash products for French planters which had been threatened by the Lini led independence (and yes there are obvious contradictions here with some of the goals of NaGriamel— but they were all joint in their opposition of Lini/Vanua’aku). The French were also keen to turn back the increasingly politically vocal (and even militant) Kanak in New Caledonia, who they feared might be inspired by the formation of a new Melanesian nation next door to make even louder demands for independence or at least a change in their status quo. They also feared Lini, a devout anti-colonial figure, would push for restitution to the Kanak and eventual independence for New Caledonia. Their goal was to fragment the new nation, secure their property rights, and ensure that none of their other colonial holdings in the Pacific would be able to push for independence.

The Phoenix Foundation was more keen to establish an island free of nearly all government interference or law. They wanted to create free-trade zones for industrial and banking activity. How they planned to square that with the demands or expectations of the people they were funding or offering supplies to, I have absolutely no idea. They project really never got far enough along for them to have to plan it out in any way that is currently available for us as historians to look at and what contact, if any, they had with the French in organizing their support of NaGriamel, would likely still be classified (I haven’t gone looking for the materials, but it’s recent enough you would need special dispensation to review it through the French Archives if there is even anything available).

I think I have some other responses on this and related matters on here— but trying to flip and find them while on mobile is a pain, so tomorrow, if you haven’t found them already I’ll try to link them.

That is incredibly helpful, thank you!

I look forward to your future research project, as I am fascinated by South Pacific history, and now this Pheonix Foundation. Do you have any links or recommended sources to study this topic?