The beginnings of the history of the Vanuatu are badly known. The most widespread theory, based on the archaeological discoveries on the spot, made state of a settlement of the archipelago by populations Lapita come from New Guinea New Guinea approximately 4 ' 000 years ago. Fragments of Céramique found with Malo were dated to 1 ' 300 years before J. - C. In June 2004, of the archaeological excavations led to Teouma close to Port-Villa reflect at the day of the skeletons of nine people, as well as chickens and pigs, dated with 1 ' 200 years before J. - C., which attests that the first inhabitants had brought cattle with them.

The oral tradition reports which between XIe and XVe century, of the Polynesian populations come from the center of the Pacifique brought new habits and techniques of manufacture.

Arrival of Europeans

The explorer Portuguese Pedro Fernández de Quirós was the European first to be unloaded in the Vanuatu, on the island of Espiritu Santo, in 1606. The second European contact with the Vanuatu took place only in 1768, when Louis Antoine de Bougainville redécouvrit the archipelago. In 1774, James Cook gave him the name of New Hebrides, which it preserved until independence in 1980.

Trade of the sandal

The wood discovery of Sandal in 1825 per the explorer and Scottish tradesman Peter Dillon on the island of Erromango caused a true rush, the China being very applicant of this ingredient entering the composition of the Encens. The Vanuatu delivered a boat full of sandalwood against a piece of Fer, which made forecast juicy profits. However, the growth of the sandal is slow and when the quantities available started to decrease, the inhabitants are reflected to claim weapons, ammunition and Tabac. The trade ceased in 1868 with the disappearance of the last seedlings of sandal.

Blackbirding and colonization

Whereas the trade of the sandalwood touched at its end, of the growers established in Australia, with the Fiji, in New Caledonia and with the Samoa started to recruit workers in the Vanuatu according to a process known under the name of Blackbirding. With most extremely of this period, more half of the adult men of the archipelago were employed abroad. They is also at that time that catholic missionary S and Protestant made their appearance, as well as colonists come to seek a site for the culture of the Coton, then Café, Cacao, Banane and Coconut when the international courses of cotton crumbled. They were at the beginning mainly British subjects established in Australia, but the foundation of the Compagnie calédonienne of New Hebrides in 1882 quickly gave the advantage to the French. With the turning of the XXe century, the number of French colonists exceeded that of the British of about 2 per 1.

Franco-British condominium

The fight of influence between France and Great Britain leads to the creation of a Franco-British Condominium in 1906. The Vanuatu did not have the possibility of acquiring the citizenship of one or the other power. The arrival of American soldiers during the Second world war contributed to feed the nationalist feelings of the buildings. The Worship of the cargo liner and John Frum developed, promising the nearest independence of Mélanésiens. In addition to one Messianic figure, John Frum is currently a Political party represented at the Parliament.

Nationalism and independence

The first Vanuatu political party was founded in 1971 by Pasteur Anglican Walter Lini. Initially named Left national New Hebrides , it took the name of Vanua' aku in 1974. The same year, it forwarded a petition to the the United Nations asking the independence of the Vanuatu. Administration of the condominium promised to organize elections in November 1979. Vanua' aku gained them, Walter Lini took the head of the government and independence was fixed at July 1980.

Espiritu Santo and Tanna, which did not support Vanua' aku, threatened to make secession. Great Britain planned to send the army to it but France dissuaded some. In May 1980, an insurrection on Tanna divided the island between the partisans of the government and those of France (called Modérés ). On Espiritu Santo, the secessionists took Luganville and deployed there the flag of the Republic independent of Vemarana. The government of Lini ordered a blockade of the island. At the same time, other partisans of Moderate, carried out by Jimmy Stevens had made secession on the islands of north. France and Great Britain sent some troops, without success. Once official independence, Lini obtained the military aid of New Guinea New Guinea, took again the control of the country and made stop the secessionists.

After independence

If the decade 1980 - 1990 was relatively stable, the following one was the framework several episodes of crisis. A scandal burst in 1998 when it was discovered that members of the government had diverted funds of the Vanuatu National Provident Fund. The riots and the state of emergency proclaimed for two weeks led to more than 500 arrests. The same year, the president Jean Mari Leye was kidnapped by the police force which claimed rises in wages for a long time. The majority of the police officers were laid off but gained the lawsuit which they brought thereafter.