French Polynesia and it's History

Polynesia and its History

Polynesia is pretty much all of the islands in the South Pacific. This includes: French Polynesia, Tonga, Samoa, The Cook Islands, Hawaii and New Zealand but not Fiji or anything West of there. The island groups west of Polynesia are called Micronesia, Melanesia and even further, Australia and Indonesia.

French Polynesia

French Polynesia is located in the East of Polynesia and is governed by the French. Some of the archipelagos in French Polynesia are the Society Islands, the Tuamotus, the Marquesas and the Gambier’s.

The Society Islands

The Society Islands or Iles de Société are the most populated island group. It includes Huahine, Bora Bora, Raiatea, Moorea and the main island of Tahiti. Unlike the Tuamotus most of the islands in this area are just that, islands but

with a fringing reef. Most have high mountain peaks in the centre and towns along the coast. Tahiti is home to the capital Papeete and hosts 183,645 people. Compared to a city like Melbourne it is quite small but it is still the centre of business in the archipelago/island group. The most populated is fairly obviously Tahiti since it is the capital. The overall population of the Societies is 235,295 (data from 2012). Moorea is the island furthest to the east in this archipelago while Maupiti is further to the west.

The Tuamotus Archipelago

The Tuamotu Archipelago consists of almost 80 atolls and is located in Western French Polynesia. An

atoll is a lagoon surrounded by a fringing coral reef which was formed by a sinking volcano. This process can take millions of years and an atoll is the last stage in the transformation. The atolls in the Tuamotus are all different shapes and sizes ranging from large oval shapes to small, round atolls with no passes. The two largest and most populated atolls are Rangiroa and Fakarava but most have or have had at least one resident. The population of the Tuamotus is 15,862 (as of 2002).

The Marquesas

The Marquesas are a group of 15 islands in the North of French Polynesia. The Marquesas have a population of 9,264 people (from 2012). Normally, for people in boats crossing from America, the Marquesas is the first stop. The main island in this archipelago is Nuku Hiva but some other major ones include: Ua Pu, Hiva ‘Oa, Ua Haku and Fatu Hiva.

The Gambier Islands

The Gambier Islands or Mangareva Islands are a small archipelago South of the Tuamotus. The main island of 14 is named Mangareva but two other islands are called Taravai and Akumaru. Some of the islands including Papuri and Tokorua are not islands, but atolls of volcanic origin. The population of this archipelago is a small 1,641 (since 2007).

History

The theory provided by archaeological and genetic evidence is that French Polynesia, namely the Marquesas were settled at around 200 BC by people from South East Asia. A common belief is that Tonga and Samoa were settled first followed by the islands of what is now known as French Polynesia. In the subsequent centuries the expansion continued until virtually all of the main island had been populated. These people continued to live undisturbed with their own culture up until European contact.

One of the most famous aspects of Tahitian culture is the tiki. Tikis are human-like statues that were used to represent ancestors or parts of the deity the maker’s worshipped. Since the tiki’s greatly resembled the Inca’s statues it is probable that the Polynesians had had contact with America some time before European interaction. The Polynesian’s tikis never represented actual deities but aspects of one, for example one tiki could symbolize a quality and the other some part of appearance. The main thing the Polynesians used tiki statues to represent was actually the first man in their myths. He went by the name of Kon-tiki or Tiki and was one of the many gods Tahitians worshipped. The Tahitians had a god/goddess for pretty much anything from tattoo to mankind itself. The place of worship was called a Marae which was made of stone and consisted of a courtyard with an altar made with separate tiers of rock. As a result of the Polynesian hierarchy, only priests were allowed to climb to the top of the ‘steps’ and women and children were not allowed inside the low rock wall with the exception of arii women and the young girls who served them. It was at these maraes where offerings would be made, tribes would meet (and partake in events such as sporting games) and people would meditate. They all were different in a large or small way and as the power of a tribe/clan expanded, the marae would also.

The Polynesians had many advanced techniques for survival in these remote islands. Those with access to breadfruit used it to make a sort of bread which proved to be a valuable resource and the different clans used the bone of ancestors and enemies to make jewellery and such. These people lived productively on their own up until and after European contact.

Since French Polynesia wasn’t always French there was a line of purely Polynesian rulers. Pomare the first was the first king of the area known as French Polynesia and he began his rule in 1793. The king (or queen in later times) would rule from Tahiti but the island north of Tahiti named Teriaroa was a retreat for the royal family.

European interaction with the islands/atolls in Polynesia was gradual. In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan sighted one of the atolls in the Tuamotus and the southern Marquesas were visited in 1595. In 1722 a Dutch explorer called Jacob Roggeveen ‘discovered’ Bora Bora, Maupiti and Makatea of the Society islands. Sometime during 1767 Samuel Wallis arrived in the Society Islands and visited Tahiti, Moorea and Maiao Iti as well as claiming Tahiti for the English under the name of ‘King George III Island’. Unaware of this event, Louis-Antoine de Bougainville visited the opposite side of the island and claimed it for France. In 1769 Captain James Cook reached Tahiti to observe the transit of the sun by Venus. The place where he disembarked was aptly named Point Venus and Captain Cook visited Tahiti twice more, for the last time in 1777.

In the 1800s the arrival of both French and British missionaries created a rivalry for control of the area. The Pomare family reined over Tahiti until 1847 when Queen Pomare accepted French protection over Tahiti and Moorea. In 1880, after the queen’s death, King Pomare V was persuaded to give over Tahiti and most of the other islands in the kingdom to France, one reason being because he had no heir. During 1940 voters chose to remain a French Colony and fought for France in World War II. Later, in 1957 all the islands of Tahiti were grouped and renamed French Polynesia.

The French began to test nuclear weapons in the Tuamotus during 1960. The aftereffects of the radiation caused many problems such as residents of some atolls becoming sick with radiation poisoning. The locals living around this area opposed the testing and in the 1990s the French conducted the last test. The radiation is still a problem today though and has left many atolls uninhabitable. In 1984 the French Polynesians voted to stay an overseas territory of France and all inhabitants of Polynesian gained the right to a French citizenship.

Present Day

Today French Polynesia is a popular tourist destination and a country/territory known for it’s great diving, crystal clear lagoons, blue skies, palm trees and wonderful sea life. In the main cities things are a bit different, the residents of the suburbs generally live in crowded neighbourhoods and have to wake before dawn to be in time for work. French Polynesia is still a French territory but they have a fair say in the government of their country. French Polynesia now relies on the French for most of their economy and even if the Polynesians wanted to be a self-governed country they could not without becoming close to bankrupt. Nevertheless, French Polynesia is a beautiful place with many islands/atolls that have remained almost untouched by modern society.

By S