What is the name of the traditional Kanak symbol on the flag of New Caledonia?

The traditional Kanak symbol on the flag of New Caledonia is the flèche faîtière.

A flèche faîtière is a carved wooden rooftop spear or finial placed on traditional Kanak chief’s houses, known as grande cases. Its design represents ancestral spirits and the continuing relationship between a clan, its chief and its ancestors. The French term literally suggests a spear or spire at the roof ridge.

On the Kanak flag, the black flèche faîtière appears inside a yellow sun disk. The flag’s blue, red and green bands are commonly associated with the sea and sky, sacrifice and struggle, and the land. The symbol was adopted by the FLNKS independence movement and became part of the flag displayed alongside the French Tricolour in New Caledonia from 2010.

It is sometimes mistaken for a generic arrow, tiki or totem. Those descriptions capture its broad appearance but not its specific Kanak cultural name or ceremonial meaning.