Citizenship in the French overseas territories is still linked to custom. This situation is the result of three historical evolutions: In the second colonial empire, custom was used as a stigma to justify the denial of citizenship to native people. During the post‑war period, when it was associated with a type of local citizenship, it was seen either as a lesser evil, or as a sign of autonomy. In French Guiana, the unofficial custom of Amerindian and Maroon peoples implies that they were treated as “independent peoples,” then as common law citizens.