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Lifou is divided into three districts, Wetr, Gaica and Lossi. There is a grand chief for each district and they live in a compound called the Chefferie. Each compound includes a large European style home, several out buildings, and a grand "case" built in the traditional style. This sphere image shows the chefferie de LÖSSI in the village of Mou.
Lifou is one of the few remaining parts of the Pacific where you can still see the traditional architecture maintained in perfect condition and where it still forms a central part of the culture.
Each family will have a traditional case built as a smaller version of their chief's case. Even though the families (and the Chief) have modern European style houses they sleep each night in the case and hold all important family and social meetings in the case. One important difference between a family case and the chief's case is that the grand case of the chief has no windows. The reason there are no windows is to assure that whatever goes on between the chief and anyone else in his case is completely confidential.
If you would like more information on the culture of Lifou and to visit Lifou yourself and stay in a tribal village accommodation visit begin your holiday plans at Lifou New Caledonia.
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Lifou Island is the largest of the Loyalty Islands, in the archipelago of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The Loyalty Islands comprise the Province Iles Loyaute of New Caledonia. There are 4 major islands, Ouvea in the north, Lifou in the middle and Mare in the south. 40,000 people live on these islands, with over half on the largest island of Lifou. All three islands began as atolls - a circular ring of islands with a central lagoon. About a million years ago the sea floor bulged under these atolls upwards. Ouvea, on the northern slope of the bulge, still retains the characteristics of an atoll, a circular group of islands with a central lagoon, but it is tilted, with the southeastern side raised up into two long islands and the lagoon getting progressively deeper to the northwest. The coral reefs and islets of Lifou were lifted about 80 meters out of the sea with the central lagoon now a forested plateau. Mare was also lifted right out of the water and also has a central forested plateau. The ancient, uplifted coral has left a multitude of caves, cliffs and sink-holes that are fun to explore. The coastal areas have new reefs around them and there are a number of very pretty beaches. The people of the Loyalty Islands speak French and their own tribal languages, a mixture of Melanesian and Polynesian. Many also speak some English. The physical infrastructure of roads, schools and medical facilities are modern and high quality. The people of the Loyalty Islands honour their cultural heritage and this is especially evident in the construction of their homes, their respect of custom, celebrations and family life. Each island has at least one international standard hotel and the villages offer "tribal stays" with guests staying in traditional styled thatched huts or small guest houses. The islands are only about a 40 minute flight from Noumea and Air Caledonie, the domestic airline, flies to each island several times a day. There is also a high speed catamaran from Noumea, the Betico II, with air conditioned guest rooms for the trip (about 3 hours to Mare, 4 hours to Lifou and 5 hours to Ouvea). Each island has it's own special personality and things to see and do. For full details on the tourism features of the Loyalty Islands visit the official web site www.iles-loyaute.com
