The contribution of three scientific approaches shows how the Kanak of New Caledonia refer to mythical or apparently historical arguments to assert their present social and political organisations, and try to strengthen their legitimacy in their claiming of land rights or in their territoriality. This "territorial imperative" explains why some elements of precolonial culture, notably when they have been researched, are used as references for today's "tradition" while others, entailing no land-based implications, are more or less obliterated. (Résumé d'auteur)
