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“Customary law in the Pacific: An endangered species? “

Brown, Kenneth
June 4, 2015

Source: (1999) Journal of South Pacific Law 3 (2). Vanuatu: University of the South Pacific School of Law.

In the islands of the South Pacific customary (tribal) law was largely displaced and superseded by the colonial legal model. With independence from colonial powers, demand arose for integration of customary law into “the body legal.â€? In this paper Brown examines the extent to which this has been achieved. Main points include the evolution of an indigenous common law in the post-independence period, the adaptability of customary law to the modern world, customary law and human rights, and a prognosis for the viability of customary law.

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