In New Caledonia the Kanak identity is a central issue in the claims of members of the independent movement and in local politics. If in the Loyalty Islands (and more especially in the Maré Island) all Maréans claim proudly their Kanak and Nengone (Maréan) identity, the case of the descendants of European colonists settled down since the late 19^th century raises a problem. Though they consider themselves as Kanaks and Maréans, the “others” regard them as “Kanak-Maréan colonists”. In New Caledonia where the cleavage between colonists and natives is highly topical, it seems particularly surprising and even unthinkable to be considered both a colonist and a Kanak. This paper studies the case of a family settled down in Maré since the years 1880 which played a first role in the local politics and economy. Its history reveals the roles of matrimonial alliances, uterine bonds and links to land in the process of construction of the Kanak and Maréan identities.