Oceania, Aotearoa and Australia
Kanak
Lands
New Caledonia, including Grande Terre and the Loyalty Islands
Countries New Caledonia
Facts 5
Language
The Kanak Languages Academy has eight regional sections, one in each of the eight customary areas of New Caledonia.
As of 2026 Source: Académie des Langues Kanak, Académie des Langues Kanak (ALK) | Des langues Kanak pour s'éveiller au monde (opens in a new tab) Checked Suggest a correction to this fact
Language
In 2019 four out of five Kanak spoke at least one of New Caledonia's Kanak vernacular languages.
As of 2019 Source: Institut de la statistique et des études économiques Nouvelle-Calédonie (ISEE), Organisation coutumière kanak (opens in a new tab) Checked Suggest a correction to this fact
Today
Since 2016 every pupil in New Caledonia must be taught the fundamentals of Kanak culture, and every school must offer teaching in Kanak languages.
As of 2016 Source: Institut de la statistique et des études économiques Nouvelle-Calédonie (ISEE), Organisation coutumière kanak (opens in a new tab) Checked Suggest a correction to this fact
Language
Kanak languages belong to the Oceanic group of the Austronesian family, and the Academy works to promote and develop all of them.
Source: Académie des Langues Kanak, Académie des Langues Kanak (ALK) | Des langues Kanak pour s'éveiller au monde (opens in a new tab) Checked Suggest a correction to this fact
Governance
Kanak society is organised by custom: clans join into tribes within customary districts, which are grouped into eight customary areas.
Source: Institut de la statistique et des études économiques Nouvelle-Calédonie (ISEE), Organisation coutumière kanak (opens in a new tab) Checked Suggest a correction to this fact
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