Bahá'í Faith in New Caledonia

] though the first Bahá'í arrived in 1952cite book
last = Effendi
first = Shoghi
authorlink = Shoghi Effendi
title = Messages to the Antipodes:Communications from Shoghi Effendi to the Bahá'í Communities of Australasia
publisher = Mona Vale: Bahá'í Publications Australia
year = 1997
location =
pages =
url = http://bahai-library.com/file.php5?file=shoghieffendi_messages_antipodes&language=All
doi =
id =
isbn = 9780909991982] during a temporary visit because of restrictive policies on English-speaking visitors.Citation
first = Hassall
last = Graham
author2-link =
editor-last = Rubinstein
editor-first = Donald H. (ed)
contribution = Pacific Baha'i Communities 1950-1964
contribution-url = http://bahai-library.com/file.php5?file=hassall_bahai_pacific&language=All
title = Pacific History: Papers from the 8th Pacific History Association Conference
year = 1992
pages = pp.73-95
place =
publisher = University of Guam Press & Micronesian Area Research Center, Guam
url =
doi =
id = ] In 1961 Jeannette Outhey was the first New Caledonian to join the religion and with other converts and pioneers elected the first Bahá'í Local Spiritual Assembly of Nouméa.Citation
authors = Universal House of Justice
title = In Memorium
journal = The Bahá'í World of the Bahá'í Era 136-140 (1979-1983)
volume = XVIII
publisher = Bahá'í World Centre
pages = pp. 721-2.
year = 1986
url = http://bahai-library.com/books/bw18/720-748.html p.721-2
isbn = 0853982341] The Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly of New Caledonia was elected in 1977. Multiplying its involvements through to today, the 2001 population was reported at 1,070 and growing.cite web
title = Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies
work = Operation World - Pacific
publisher = Patrick J. St. G. Johnstone
year = 2001
url = http://www.operationworld.org/country/newc/owtext.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-07-26]

First mention

The first mention of New Caledonia in Bahá'í literature is in a series of letters, or tablets, to the followers of the religion in the United States in 1916-1917 by `Abdu'l-Bahá, then head of the religion, asking the followers of the religion to travel to other countries; these letters were compiled together in the book titled Tablets of the Divine Plan. The seventh of the tablets was the first to mention several island nations in the Pacific Ocean. Written in April 11, 1916, it was delayed in being presented in the United States until 1919 — after the end of the First World War and the Spanish flu. The seventh tablet was translated and presented by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab on April 4, 1919, and published in Star of the West magazine on December 12, 1919. [cite book| last = Abbas | first = 'Abdu'l-Bahá | coauthors = Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, trans. and comments | title = Tablets, Instructions and Words of Explanation | date = 1919 | month = April | url = http://bahai-library.com/index.php5?file=abdulbaha_tablets_instructions_explanation.html]

"A party speaking their languages, severed, holy, sanctified and filled with the love of God, must turn their faces to and travel through the three great island groups of the Pacific Ocean—Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia, and the islands attached to these groups, such as New Guinea, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Philippine Islands, Solomon Islands, Fiji Islands, New Hebrides, Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia, Bismarck Archipelago, Ceram, Celebes, Friendly Islands, Samoa Islands, Society Islands, Caroline Islands, Low Archipelago, Marquesas, Hawaiian Islands, Gilbert Islands, Moluccas, Marshall Islands, Timor and the other islands. With hearts overflowing with the love of God, with tongues commemorating the mention of God, with eyes turned to the Kingdom of God, they must deliver the glad tidings of the manifestation of the Lord of Hosts to all the people."

Early phase

Governmental policies in the area

As a special member of the former Second French colonial empire today's New Caledonia has a Sui generis relationship with France. The French government oversight of the islands of French Polynesia included an immigration policy of denying non-French speakers/citizens long-term residency in French Overseas Territories. English speaking Australians Bahá'ís were thus ineligible for permanent residency. Consequently, Australian Bahá'í pioneers were itinerant rather than permanent, and frequently returned to Australia or travelled between colonies when their visas expired. Access to the Loyalty Islands was even more restrictive as they were designated off-limits to all Europeans, including French citizens.

Pioneers and converts

Shoghi Effendi, head of the religion after the death of `Abdu'l-Bahá, communicated about New Caledonia in several letters: 3 June 1952, 30 April 1953, 7 May 1953, 31 December 1954, 24 January 1956, 3 May 1956 and 15 February 1957, before he died in November 1957. Overall there was poor growth of the Bahá'í community in the French Overseas Territories in the period following World War II including New Caledonia which contrasted strongly with other areas of the Pacific ("see, for example, Bahá'í Faith in Vietnam").

In this atmosphere of restricted visits, the first pioneer to reach New Caledonia was Australia's Margaret Rowling in early 1952. In January 1955 she described her experiences in New Caledonia in talks at Yerrinbool Bahá'í School in Australia.cite web
last = Hassall
first = Graham
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Yerrinbool Baha'i School 1938 - 1988, An Account of the First Fifty Years
work = Published Articles
publisher = Bahá'í Library Online
date =
url = http://bahai-library.com/file.php5?file=hassall_yerrinbool_1938-1988&language=
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-07-20 ] Daniel Haumont became a Bahá'í in the Society Islands in early 1955, and travelled to the Loyalty Islands in October 1955 and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh.

A Persian family, the Sohailis, denied entrance to Australia because of Australia's White Australia policy was able to pioneer to New Caledonia in 1955.Citation
last = Hassall
first = Graham
author-link =
last2 = (ed.) Ata
first2 = Abe
author2-link =
title = Religion and Ethnic Identity, An Australian Study
place = Melbourne
publisher = Victoria College & Spectrum
year = 1989
pages = Chapter "Persian Bahá'ís in Australia"
volume =
edition =
url = http://bahai-library.com/file.php5?file=hassall_persian_bahais_australia&language=All
doi =
id =
isbn = ]

In 1961 the first citizens of New Caledonia converted to the religion. Perhaps the first Bahá'í was Jeannette Outhey.Citation
authors = Universal House of Justice
title = In Memorium
journal = The Bahá'í World of the Bahá'í Era 136-140 (1979-1983)
volume = XVIII
publisher = Bahá'í World Centre
pages = pp. 721-2.
year = 1986
url = http://bahai-library.com/books/bw18/720-748.html
isbn = 0853982341] She accepted the religion in Thio on the north side of the island on 10 June 1961. In the same year the first people from the Loyalty Islands converted to the religion — they were a husband and wife who joined the religion in Nouméa on the south side of the main island but whose home was on Maré Island. [cite book
author = Rabbani, R. (Ed.)
authorlink = Rúhíyyih Khanum
year = 1992
title = The Ministry of the Custodians 1957-1963
publisher = Bahá'í World Centre
isbn = 085398350X
url = http://bahai-library.com/index.php5?file=uhj_ministry_custodians&chapter=5] By the end of 1961 there were enough Bahá'ís to form a Local Spiritual Assembly in Nouméa with a smaller community in Thio. cite web | url = http://bahai-library.com/index.php5?file=handscause_statistics_1953-63&chapter=1 | title = The Bahá'í Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Bahá'í Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963| author = Compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land | pages = p. 104] Outhey took part actively in 1961 in the election of the first Local Spiritual Assembly of Nouméa and served on that body for nineteen consecutive years before serving in other capacities.

In 1962 Hand of the Cause Collis Featherstone travelled between October 3 and November 12 with an itinerary that included Nouméa among many stops. [Citation
last = Hassall
first = Graham
title = H. Colllis Featherstone
journal = Australian Bahá'í Bulletin
year = October 1990
url = http://www.bahai-library.com/asia-pacific/featherstone.htm
doi =
id = ] A regional National Spiritual Assembly had been elected in 1959 to whose annual convention a delegate from the Nouméa spiritual assembly attended first in 1963. Jean Sevin, who was designated a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh to the Tuamotu Archipelago region, was the only French Bahá'í to pioneer in the Pacific during the Ten Year Crusade. In 1968, at the request of the Universal House of Justice, Sevin moved to New Caledonia, settling in Nouméa.

National Spiritual Assembly

In 1964 the regional national assembly was divided into separate regional national assemblies with one based in Honiara, serving the South West Pacific Ocean (Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Loyalty Is, New Hebrides). Later in 1971, the Solomon Islands formed their own National Assembly and the seat of the National Spiritual Assembly (NSA) of the South West Pacific Ocean was transferred from Honiara in the Solomon Islands to Nouméa. The NSA was composed of Bahá'ís from New Hebrides, New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands. In 1977, the National Spiritual Assembly of New Caledonia and Loyalty Islands was elected.

Mutiplying interests

The Bahá'í community in New Caledonia has participated in a number of events in New Caledonia. In 1988, and then again 1991, the Bahá'í International Community, who were meeting in New Caledonia, offered statements at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community; the statements summarized Bahá'í projects across the Pacific basin by the Bahá'ís on projects related to initiatives of the United Nations (in this case "Health, Education, and the Role of Women" [Citation
contribution = Health, Education, and the Role of Women
contribution-url = http://statements.bahai.org/pdf/88-0521.pdf
title = Statement to the ninth meeting of the Committee of Representatives Governments and Administrations, South Pacific Commission
date = 1988-05-27
pages =
place = Nouméa, New Caledonia
publisher = Bahá'í International Community
url =
doi =
id = BIC-88-0521] and "Health and Nutrition" [Citation
contribution = Health and Nutrition
contribution-url = http://statements.bahai.org/pdf/91-0530.pdf
title = Statement to the Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations (CARGA), South Pacific Commission
date = 1991-05-31
pages =
place = Nouméa, New Caledonia
publisher = Bahá'í International Community
url =
doi =
id = BIC-91-0530] ).

In 1999, New Caledonian Bahá'í were attendees of "Partnerships for the Next Millennium" international conference by the Office for the Advancement of Women of the Bahá'í community of Australia, [Citation
last = Chittleborough
first = Marie
title = In Australia, an International Women's Conference charts new directions
journal = One Country
volume = 11
issue = 02
year = July-September 1999
url = http://www.onecountry.org/e112/e11204as.htm
doi =
id = ] and then in 2000 the New Caledonia Bahá'í National Women's Association was established and based in Anse Vata. [Citation
first = Secretariat
last = of the Pacific Community - Pacific Youth Bureau
contribution = Pacific Youth Bureau Activities 1998-2002
contribution-url = http://www.spc.int/youth/prev2005/WP2%20PYB%20Achievements%201998%20to%202002.doc
title =
date = 2002-12-06
pages =
place = Nouméa, New Caledonia
publisher = Secretariat of the Pacific Community - Pacific Youth Bureau
url =
doi =
id = ]

In 2005, for the 80th anniversary of the Bahá'í Faith, in Fiji the New Caledonian Bahá'í community contributed a Cook Pine in memory of those Bahá'ís who have been killed in Iran (see Persecution of Bahá'ís). [Citation
last = International Community
first = Bahá'í
author-link = Bahá'í International Community
title = Graceful trees mark anniversary
newspaper = Bahá'í World News Service
pages =
year = 2005-04-12
url = http://news.bahai.org/story/366] In 2007 representatives from New Caledonia National Spiritual Assembly addressed the delegates to the national convention for the election of the national spiritual assembly of the Bahá'ís of New Zealand on the occasion of their 50th anniversary. [cite web
title = Convention conveys greetings to Bahá’í World Centre
work = News
publisher = National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of New Zealand
year = 2007
url = http://www.bahai.org.nz/community/news.php
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2008-07-26 ]

Demographics

A 2001 estimate for the number of Bahá'ís in the countrly was listed at 0.50% of the national population or 1,070 individuals with an annual growth rate of +2.1%.

ee also

*History of New Caledonia
*Office québécois de la langue française for another instance of language affecting immigration

References