Tjibaou Cultural Centre

 

We visited the Tjibaou cultural centre to learn more about Kanak culture. Most of the Tjibaou cultural centre is made of natural materials such as wood, iron, and even the concrete flooring is made with New Caledonian shells.

 

Our tour guide began to show us around the gardens. Unfortunately, it rained!

The guide whistled as, in the Kanak culture, if you whistle, you call away the wind. Despite our efforts, it began to rain but we were still able to see a pond with flowers and sculptures. Il faisait beau! We learned that water represents women in Kanak culture and that plants represent birth.

Inside the centre, we learnt about the architecture and design of the buildings. The centre was the brainchild of Monsieur Jean-Marie Tjibaou as a method of preserving Kanak culture and of reconciliation. The centre showcases its 28 cases (houses/huts) to represent the 28 native languages.

In the art gallery, we talked and explored about the one thing everybody has in common, a heart. The gallery contained a dark section in the room with a heart carved out of a unique type of wood which flashed a bright red light resembling a human heart. We also saw an art work which was made of materials from all over the world, and they were all sewn into the shapes of raindrops as they hung from the ceiling.

We then returned outside and explored the traditional New Caledonian huts. There were four – one for the north, one for the south, one for travellers and one for the island just off of the mainland. We learned that in the southern and northern huts, they would communicate using knots tied in natural fibres.

 

In conclusion, Le Tjibaou cultural centre est magnifique!

 

Au revoir!