How did Melanesian communities hold and inherit rights to land?

In traditional Melanesian societies, land tenure was primarily organized through local kin groups rather than centralized institutions. These groups held corporate title to the land, which was inherited collectively by the descendants of the ancestors who originally cleared it.1

While the kin group maintained ownership of the land itself, individual members or domestic units typically held specific use rights over gardens and cultivated trees. In coastal regions, this corporate title often extended to reefs and fishing grounds.1

The relationship between people and land was frequently conceptualized through chains of descent from founding ancestors. These descent systems varied by region and could be:
* Patrilineal: Reckoned through the male line, common in lowland New Guinea, northern Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.1
* Matrilineal: Reckoned through the female line, prevalent in the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands, and much of the Massim.1
* Cognatic: A combination of both lines.1

Ultimately, while birth provided a basis for these claims, rights to land often required validation through the fulfillment of social obligations or the exchange of gifts.1