However, archaeologists and historians have been able to find evidence to authenticate many of the stories, including those of Roy Mata, who was the chief of Efate and the Shepherd Islands and Chief Ti Tongoa Liseiriki who was believed to have survived a volcanic eruption. During the 17th and 18th centuries, many European explorers visited the islands. The French discovered Maewo, Ambae and Malo and named them the New Cyclades. Cook also sailed the islands and introduced many settlements. It was not long before the Europeans began trading with the locals with the main trading item being sandalwood. This caused them to rebel and by the 19th century, they had suffered many atrocities at the hands of the sandalwood traders including being kidnapped and sold as slaves to cane field plantation owners in Queensland, Australia. This was also the time missionaries began to arrive on the island and with them they brought many white man’s diseases which the locals had no immunity against. The turn of the century saw the French and British deciding that the New Hebrides become an Anglo-French Condominium. This was done without any consultation with the indigenous people and things soon became chaotic. There were three main languages being used and two currencies. Meanwhile, the indigenous people were used as cheap labour, working long hours for little compensation. Their conditions were no better than slaves and strong hostilities began to rise to the surface. | 
