Maurice – et Jeanne – Leenhardt et l’archéologie calédonienne : une histoire de connections

In the Leenhardt file that is kept by the Archives of New Caledonia, one can find a few pages detached from a diary, accompanied by a letter signed: Marius Archambault - one of the early amateur archaeologists active in New Caledonia and the Pacific. An exploration of the reasons justifying the presence of these notes within the Leenhardt’s archives reveals the complex web of personal, intellectual and institutional relationships woven between the pastor and the archaeological discipline then emerging in New Caledonia and the region. The role of Jeanne Leenhardt, his wife, through her own personal history, is fundamental. The connections between the Leenhardts and the development of archaeology in the Pacific extend beyond the French-speaking world and New Caledonia, from the end of the 19th century to the 1950s. In this contribution, I focus on the circumstances of the encounter between Marius Archambault and the Leenhardts at the very beginning of the 20th century, as well as the essential support they offered to his work. The intellectual background is exposed, but also the importance of the biographical histories of the protagonists. In addition, I explore the continuity of Maurice Leenhardt's interest in archaeological issues throughout New Caledonia and the Pacific, as well as the active role he took in the development of professional archaeology in Oceania.