Defending the Lagoons: Insider/Outsider Struggles over the Tuamotuan Pearl Industry

Abstract

Because of their natural stocks of black pearl oysters, Tuamotuan lagoons have attracted the covetous interests of external society since the early 19th century. Under the French colonial administration, land was individualized and lagoons were declared public domain. Island populations responded to these intrusions through hidden and open forms of resistance. Nevertheless, pearl oyster stocks were overexploited and became nearly extinct on many atolls. By 1970, the mother-of-pearl industry ended. It was replaced by a pearl farming industry, now pitting Tuamotuan populations against the Tahitian administration. The struggle over land and sea resources parallels a deeper struggle over ideology and meaning.