Marquesas Islands
The Marquesas Islands (in French, Îles Marquises; in Marquesan, Henua dwarf or Fenua enata) are an archipelago in French Polynesia. They were named after the Spaniard Álvaro de Mendaña, who arrived there in 1595 naming them the "Marquesas de Mendoza Islands" after the then Spanish Viceroy of Peru, García Hurtado de Mendoza y Manríquez, Marquis of Cañete.
The islands are the largest archipelago of all those that make up French Polynesia, with about 997 km² and 9,346 inhabitants in 2017. They are located between 700 and 1,000 kilometers south of the equator and about 1,800 kilometers northeast of Tahiti. The islands of the archipelago are usually divided into two groups: the northern one, those around the island of Nuku Hiva, which includes the small Ua Pou and Ua Huka; and the southern group of Tahuata, Moho Tani and Fatu Hiva, which surround the main island of Hiva'Oa.
The inhabitants of Easter Island are considered to have departed from the Marquesas.
The Marquesas Islands were the inspiration for Herman Melville, whose experiences on the islands were the basis for his novels Typee and Omoo.
In the Marquesan language they are called Te Henua'enana in the northern dialect, and Te Fenua'enata in the southern dialect. Usually this is translated as "the land of men", but more accurately it would be "the country of the Marquesans". Makuita is also used as the phonetic equivalent of Marquises.
The French-born artist Paul Gauguin established his residence in the Marquesas Islands.
History
First inhabitants
According to American archaeologist Amau Debail, the Marquesas were inhabited by Polynesians from 150 B.C. C. until 100 d. C. Ethnological observations and linguistic kinship suggest they come from Samoa and Tonga.
Prior to European contact, Marquesan society consisted of five classes: the Hakaiki noble families, among which each tribe had its own hereditary (not necessarily patrilineal) royal lineage, the taua or priests, the kaioi or ordinary free clans (each with their own totemic initiation affiliations), the tuhuna (artisans, artists, storytellers), and the kikino (servants and servants, who could be captives of war, or people punished for breaking taboos or for debt).
Each valley was the territory of one or even two tribes (upstream and downstream) and conflicts could arise between them. One of the functions of the taua was to practice divination to "read" the will of the spirits or gods and settle the dispute. Failing this, the warriors performed a haka (intimidation parade) to avoid physical confrontation if one of the two clans withdrew. After the war and in a religious environment, human sacrifices and ritual cannibalism could sometimes be practiced at the expense of prisoners of war, which greatly impressed European visitors, while more often the captives were turned into kikino or were returned for ransom.
According to oral tradition on Easter Island (now part of Chile), the island's first ruler, Hotu Matu'a, arrived with his tribe from "Hiva," perhaps Nuku Hiva or Hiva Oa in the Marquesas.
Petroglyphs are numerous, as are troglodyte habitats.
European colonization
The first European to visit them was the Spaniard Álvaro de Mendaña in 1595 together with Isabel Barreto. On his voyage from Peru to the Solomon Islands he found the islands of the southern group: Magdalena (Fatu Hiva), Dominica (Hiva Oa), Santa Cristina (Tahuata) and San Pedro (Moho Tani).
Nearly two centuries passed without further foreign visits until James Cook arrived in 1774, to rest for more than a month after exploring the Antarctic coast.
In 1791, the American Joseph Ingraham invaded the islands of the northern group: Washington (Ua Huka), Federal (Nuku Hiva) and Adams (Ua Pou). He called the group Washington Islands , differentiating them from the Mendaña Islands .Two months later, the Frenchman Etienne Marchand arrived on the second French tour of the world in the middle of the Revolution. He took possession of the archipelago on behalf of France. He named the northern group Revolution Islands and named the islands after their officers: Marchand (Ua Pou), Baux (Nuku Hiva), Deux Frères (Motu Iti), Masse (Eiao) and Chanal (Hatutu).
In 1813, during the Anglo-American War, American David Porter established a naval base on Madison Island (Nuku Hiva), named after the American president. But after the war, the United States did not ratify the takeover. In 1842, the Frenchman Du Petit-Thouars took possession of the archipelago. One witness was the writer Herman Melville, who would later write his first novel, Typee , explaining his adventures.
In 1849, the Superior Court of Justice of Bourges handed down the first sentences to Armand Barbès, the worker Albert and Louis Blanc. Shortly after, the law of June 8, 1850 selected the island of Nuku Hiva, the largest in the archipelago, as the place of deportation. In 1852 the first and only deportation to the Marquesas took place:
Louis Langomazino, Alphonse Gent and Albert Ode, opponents of the coup d'état of December 2, 1851, are convicted and exiled with their families. However, the Taiohae settlement, which was highly isolated, was abandoned in 1854 and moved to New Caledonia.
Recent history
The French used the islands as a prison for several years and, later (in 1958), incorporated them into the territory of French Polynesia.
In 2018, the Marquesas Islands adopted a new design for the local flag of the community of communes, notably the use of the matatiki.
On July 25 and 26, 2021, the islands received the first visit by a French president during an official trip to French Polynesia, with the arrival of Emmanuel Macron at Hiva Oa and Ua Pou, an event that gave rise to important cultural festivities and announcements by the president in the ecological and patrimonial field, among which stands out the desire for the Marquesas archipelago to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Geography
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The total area is 1,274 km². The largest island is Nuku Hiva, the second largest in French Polynesia after Tahiti.
The age of the Marquesas Islands is estimated to range from 1.3 million years (Fatu Hiva) to 6 million years (Eiao). All of them, except Motu One, are high islands. Motu One is a low island, made up of two small sandbars on a coral reef. Unlike most islands in French Polynesia, those of the Marquesas (except Motu One) are not surrounded by protective reefs.
On these islands, coral is found only in bays and other protected areas, or, in the case of Fatu Huku, in an unusual place: on the top of the island. The south equatorial current hits all these islands hard; its strength has carved sea caves that dot its shores. Although the islands have valleys that flow into small bays, they are notable for their mountain ridges, which end abruptly in cliffs at the edge of the sea.
Islands
The archipelago consists of six islands, six islets and some sandbars and reefs, which are divided into two geographically and culturally differentiated groups. From north to south they are (in parentheses other historical names):
- North Group (Washington Islands, Revolution Islands):
- Motu One (Sable), uninhabited sand island.
- Hatu (Chanal, Hancock, Langdon), uninhabited islet.
- Eiao (Fremantle, Knox, Masse, Robert), islet uninhabited.
- Motu Iti (Deux-Frères, Hergest’s Rock), islet uninhabited.
- Nuku Hiva (Federal, Baux, Henry Martin, Adams, Madison), with the capital Taiohae.
- Ua Huka (Washington, Riou).
- Ua Pou (Adams, Marchand, Trevenen).
- South Group (Mendaña Island):
- Fatu Huku (Hood), uninhabited islet.
- Hiva Oa (Dominica), with Atuona, former capital.
- Tahuata (Santa Cristina).
- Moho Tani (Motane, San Pedro), uninhabited islet.
- Fatu Hiva (Magdalena).
- Motu Nao (Thomasset), rock.
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Geology
With the exception of Motu One, all the islands of the Marquesas are of volcanic origin with a steep relief and no coral reefs to protect the coast. From the peaks and plateaus at more than 1,100 m above sea level, the cliffs descend directly to the bottom of the sea, constantly attacked and eroded by the south-Ecuadorian Pacific current. The coast has the appearance of a wall with deep caves, cut into a few bays, and almost without coastal planes. The mountain ranges are cut by some narrow and isolated valleys.
This orography with pillars of basalt rocks is reflected in the place names in the local language: Hiva Oa, 'long crest'; Nuku Hiva, 'crest of the cliff'; Fatu Iva, 'nine rocks'; Fatu Huku, 'piece of stone'; Ua Pou, 'two peaks', and the surprising bay of Las Vergas, which the missionaries changed to Vírgenes.
Climate
The rainfall regime is highly variable between islands and from one year to the next. The trade winds moderate the temperature and bring rain. Precipitation is more abundant on the western leeward coasts, and the eastern windward coasts are barer and more inhospitable.
Temperatures in the Marquesas are stable year-round. Precipitation is highly variable: higher in the coastal and mountainous areas of the north and east (windward), with an average of 2,500 mm per year; much less in the western (leeward) areas.
Mean annual precipitation in the "desert" of Nuku Hiva is only 20 inches (510 mm). Droughts are frequent, sometimes lasting several years, and seem to be associated with the El Niño phenomenon. The typical variability of climate at sea level in the Marquesas is well illustrated by measurements made at the Atuona weather station on Hiva. ʻOa: The highest annual rainfall recorded there is 148.2 inches (3,760 mm); the smallest is 22 inches (560 mm).
Flora and fauna
The ecosystem of the Marquesas is marked by its great distance from the mainland, which makes endemic species scarce. In addition, it has been devastated in some areas by human activity, livestock farming, and the introduction of alien species. The islands have a diverse marine fauna, a rather limited endemic terrestrial fauna, and a diverse flora with a high degree of endemism.
Endemic terrestrial fauna is limited to birds, insects, butterflies, spiders, and one species of bat.
Early Polynesian sailors brought dogs and pigs. Contact with Europeans brought the introduction of horses, goats, sheep, and rats, as well as mosquitoes and scorpions.
There are breadfruit trees and coconut palms. The main exports are copra, tobacco, cotton and vanilla.
Ocean wildlife
Unlike most warm-water islands in the South Pacific, the Marquesas are not protected by coral reefs and therefore do not have the wide range of reef-dwellers found in neighboring archipelagos such as the Tuamotus and the Society Islands. The only exception is the island of Motu One, at the northern end of the group, which is a small atoll and the only low-lying island in the Marquesas.
Apart from Motu One, there are coral growths in several sheltered bays, especially on the north and west sides of several of the islands, most notably Nuku Hiva.
Sharks are common and abundant in the deep waters off the coast.
Seabirds
Nineteen species of seabirds breed in the Marquesas, and several other species visit the islands:
- Sternidae - Charranes
- Black seagull (Anous minutus)
- Blue grey seagull (Procelsterna cerulea)
- Common range (Anous stolidus)
- Common seagull (Onychoprion fuscatus)
- White tar (Gygis alba)
- Procellariidae - real petreles
- Petrel de Bulwer (Bulweria bulwerii)
- Petrel de Phoenix (Pterodroma alba)
- Petrel de Tahití (Pseudobulweria rostrata)
- (Tropical) Audubon Pardela (Puffinus lherminieri/bailloni)
- Wedding tail (Puffinus pacificus)
- Sulidae - piqueros
- Blue-footed jellyfish (Sula nebouxii)
- Brown pigeon (Sula leucogaster)
- Red-footed Piquero (Sula sula)
- Fregatidae - frigates
- Big frigate (retail race)
- Frigate minor (Fregata ariel)
- Hydrobatidae - country
- Polynesia (Nesofregetta fuliginosa)
- Phaethontidae - tropical birds
- Tropical white tail bird (Phaethon lepturus)
Endemic species
The endemic fauna of the Marquesas has been greatly affected by human activity and by the introduction of domestic species and pests. Due to their remoteness from the mainland (although they are not the most isolated islands in the world, they are the furthest from any continent), the Marquesas have a paucity of endemic terrestrial species. Limited to birds, arthropods (including 16 species of fruit flies, moths, butterflies, arachnids, etc.).
Among the 11 resident land bird species, the endemics are:
- Ultramarine loite (Vini ultramarine)
- Martin fisherman of the Marquesas (Halcyon godeffroyi)
- Several subspecies of the Marquesas (Acrocephalus mendanae), including the long beak parrot (A. m. postremus)
- Upe (Marquesan Imperial Patagon, Gallic Ducula)
- White-headed fodder (Ptilinopus dupetithouarsii)
- Paloma de las Marquesas (Aerodramus ocistus)
- Paloma de las Marquesas (Gallicolumba rubescens)
- Several Pomarea Monarchs
Demographics
Contact with seafarers brought new diseases, drastically reducing the population of the islands. In the 16th century it is estimated that there was a population of approximately 100,000 inhabitants. By the turn of the XX century it had dwindled to a minimum of 2,000.
During the 20th century the population has been recovering. In the 2002 census there were 8,712 inhabitants. For 2012 the population was estimated at 9264 inhabitants.
Religion
Most of the population of the Marquesas Islands is Christian as a result of the missionary activity of the Catholic Church, and various Protestant Christian groups. The main church in the area is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Taiohae (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Taiohae) seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Taiohae (Dioecesis Taiohaënus seu Humanae Telluris).
According to data from 2017, 90.1% of the population of the Marquesas Islands is affiliated with the Catholic Church, an increase compared to 1950 when 87.3% of Catholics were registered on the islands.
Although Mendaña's ships did carry chaplains on board, there does not appear to have been any serious attempt at missionary work in the Marquesas Islands. The first missionaries to arrive in the Marquesas beginning in 1797, coming from England via Tahiti, were William Pascoe Crook (1775-1846) and John Harris (1754-1819), of the London Missionary Society. Harris could not bear the conditions at all and returned to Tahiti only a few months later A contemporary report says that he was picked up on the beach, completely desperate, stripped naked and looted. Crook remained until 1799.
The US mission to Hawaii was no more successful. William Patterson Alexander (1805-1864), Benjamin Parker (1803-1877), and Richard Armstrong (1805-1860) came to the Marquesas in 1834 from Hawaii with their wives and a three-month-old baby. They returned the same year. In 1853, more missionaries led by James Kekela (1824-1904) arrived at Fatu Hiva with their wives from Hawaii, but were unable to remain there due to clashes with Catholic missionaries who arrived on a French warship.
The Protestants went to Hiva Oa, but even there they had little success. There were few converts, tribal warfare and human sacrifice continued. The Protestant missionaries gradually left Hiva Oa and returned to Hawaii, only James Kekela remaining. In 1899 he too returned to Hawaii and died in Honolulu on November 29, 1904. Hawaiian-born missionary James Bicknell translated the Gospel of John into the Marquesan language in 1857.
From 1838/39, the Catholic mission was able to establish itself, supported by the French order Pères et religieuses des Sacrés-Cœurs de Picpus, which was not founded until 1800. Missionaries spread from Mangareva to Tahuata, Ua Pou, Fatu Hiva and Nuku Hiva. They suffered the same hostile reception and tribal warfare as their fellow Protestants. However, with the support of the French authorities, they were able to hold on in the long term, despite all the obstacles. They even managed to baptize King Moana of Nuku Hiva, who would, however, die of smallpox in 1863.
Missionaries of all denominations did their best to eradicate traditional culture with kava drinking, fertility and manhood rites, tattooing, skull dissection, traditional dance and music, but they also tried - and finally they managed to end cannibalism, human sacrifices and constant tribal wars.
Languages
As in the rest of France, the only official language is French, although Marquesan is officially recognized as a regional language of France. It is subdivided into two dialects, which correspond to the two island groups (some linguists consider them to be two different languages).
The Marquesan is defended by the Marquesan Academy, created in 2000 by the Assembly of French Polynesia. At the Polynesian government level, French and Tahitian are used.
The Marquesan languages, in their various forms, remain the primary means of communication among Marquesan residents, although knowledge of French is now nearly universal among Marquesan residents.
Marquesan is a set of East-Central Polynesian dialects of the Marquesian group, spoken in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia. They are usually classified into two groups, the Northern Marquesan and the Southern Marquesan, which roughly correspond to the geographic lines.
Northern Marquesan dialects are spoken on the islands of Ua Pou and Nuku Hiva, and southern Marquesan dialects on the islands of Hiva ʻOa, Tahuata, and Fatu Hiva. The Ua Huka dialects are often incorrectly classified as Northern Marquesan; instead, they are transitional. Although the island belongs to the northern Marquesan group, the dialects show more morphological and phonological affinities with southern Marquesan. The northern Marquesan dialects are sometimes considered to be two distinct languages: Northern Marquesan and Tai Pi Marquesan, the latter spoken in the valleys of the eastern third of the island of Nuku Hiva, in the former Tai Pi Province..
The most striking feature of the Marquesan languages is the almost universal replacement of /r/ or /l/ of other Polynesian languages by /ʔ/ (glottal stop).
Like other Polynesian languages, the phonology of the Marquesan languages is characterized by a paucity of consonants and a comparative abundance of vowels.
Linguistic data in the 2017 census
In the 2017 census, 97.0% of the population aged 15 and over stated that they knew how to speak French (compared to 94.1% in the 2007 census). 92.6% stated that they also knew how to read and write (compared to 90.2% of the 2007 census). Only 1.9% of the population aged 15 and over do not know French (compared to 4.4% in the 2007 census).
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In the same census, 66.9% of the population aged 15 and over stated that the language they spoke most at home was Marquesan (compared to 67.8% in the 2007 census). 30.2% stated that French was the language they spoke the most at home (compared to 30.1% in the 2007 census). 2.3% declare Tahitian (versus 1.4% in the 2007 census) and 0.6% declare another language (versus 0.7% in the 2007 census)
4.9% of the population aged 15 and over declared not knowing any Polynesian language in the 2017 census (compared to 7.2% in the 2007 census).
Migrations
The places of birth for the 9,346 residents of the Marquesas Islands at the 2017 census were as follows:
- 63.2 per cent was born in the Marquesas Islands (compared to 70.5 per cent of the 2007 census)
- 29.2 per cent in Tahiti (compared to 20.9 per cent of the 2007 census)
- 4.0 % in metropolitan France (compared to 4.5 % of the 2007 census)
- 2.5 % in French Polynesia (outside the Marquesas and Tahiti Islands) (less than 3.0 % of the 2007 census)
- 0.8 % abroad (compared to 0.6 % of the 2007 census)
- 0.3 % in the overseas departments and territories of France (other than French Polynesia) (compared to 0.5 % of the 2007 census)
Between the 2007 and 2017 censuses, the population of Tahiti-born Marquesas residents increased by 50.5% (from 1,810 in the 2007 census to 2,726 in the 2017 census), making up 29.2% of the population in 2017. However, many of these arrivals from Tahiti are the children of Marquesans who had immigrated to Tahiti and gave birth there, and whose children return to the Marquesas, as can be seen from the linguistic statistics: 50.8% of Marquesas residents aged 15 years or older who were born in Tahiti and living in the Marquesas at the 2017 census reported Marquesan as the language most widely spoken at home, while that 42.1% declared French and only 6.6% Tahitian.
3,353 Marquesas-born people lived on the island of Tahiti at the 2017 census (down from 3,493 at the 2007 census), while 5,907 Marquesas-born people lived in the Marquesas (down from 3,493 at the 2007 census). from 6,106 in the 2007 census), and 705 lived in the rest of French Polynesia (up from 679 in the 2007 census). The total number of people born in the Marquesas Islands and living in French Polynesia decreased from 10,278 in the 2007 census to 9,965 in the 2017 census, as net births could not compensate for departures to New Caledonia and metropolitan France due to the economic crisis experienced by French Polynesia.
Government and politics
The Marquesas Islands form one of the five administrative divisions (administrative subdivisions) of French Polynesia. French and Tahitian are the official languages of the government. The capital of the administrative subdivision of the Marquesas Islands is the settlement of Taiohae, on the island of Nuku Hiva.
Some Marquesas residents have complained of Tahiti's overwhelming dominance, highlighting the neglect of Tahiti-based politicians, and some leaders have suggested developing a direct relationship with the metropolis, the government in Paris, rather than relying on from Papeete.
In the 21st century, as sentiment grew in Tahiti for independence from France, several prominent Marquesan political leaders raised in 2007 the idea that the Marquesas Islands should separate from French Polynesia, but remain within the French Republic, has sparked controversy in Tahiti, where independent Tahitian leaders have accused the French central government of promoting the separation of the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia.
The Marquesas Islands do not have a provincial or regional assembly. Administratively, they form a deconcentrated subdivision of both the French central state and the French Polynesian government. As a decentralized subdivision of the central French state, the Marquesas Islands form the administrative subdivision of the Marquesas (French: subdivision administrative des Marquises), one of the five administrative subdivisions of French Polynesia.
The head of the administrative subdivision of the Marquesas is the administrateur d'État ("administrator of the State"), generally known simply as administrateur, also sometimes called chef of the administrative subdivision ("head of the administrative subdivision"). The administrateur is an official under the authority of the High Commissioner of the French Republic in French Polynesia in Papeete. The administrator and his staff are based in Taiohae on the island of Nuku Hiva, which has become the administrative capital of the Marquesas Islands, having replaced Atuona on the island of Hiva ʻOa, which was previously the capital..
Acting as representative of the French central State and delegate of the High Commissioner of Papeete, the administrator of the Marquesas is in charge of
- Providing legal advice to the municipalities of the Marquesas and verifying the legality of decisions taken by the municipalities
- Send official documents (identity cards, driving permits, etc.), apply immigration rules, organize elections
- Manage security (coordination of gendarmerie forces, management of major crises such as natural disasters, etc.)
- Supervising the public services of the French central State in the Marquesas Islands (such as the Nuku Hiva prison)
As a devolved subdivision of the French Polynesian government, the Marquesas Islands form the Marquesas constituency ("district of the Marquesas"), one of four constituencies ("districts") of French Polynesia created in 2000 by the Assembly of French Polynesia to serve as devolved subdivisions of the French Polynesian government on the outlying islands of Tahiti and Moorea.
The head of the constituency des Marquises is the tavana hau, known as administrateur territorial in French ("territorial administrator"), but the Tahitian title tavana hau is the most used. The tavana hau is the direct representative of the president of the French Polynesian government, who appoints him. The tavana hau and his staff are based in Taiohae, in Nuku Hiva, as is the state administrator.
The tavana hau is responsible for:
- Coordinate the work of the administrations of French Polynesia in the Marquesas Islands (such as the administrations of French Polynesia responsible for roads, fishing, etc.)
- Ensuring the implementation of the laws adopted by the Assembly of French Polynesia and the decisions adopted by the Government of French Polynesia
- Evaluate the performance of French Polynesia officials and send the evaluations to the responsible ministries in Papeete.
- act as a link between the local population and the government of French Polynesia in Papeete
The Marquesas Islands also form the constituency of the Marquesas Islands, one of French Polynesia's six constituencies for the French Polynesian Assembly (see also Politics of French Polynesia).
The Marquesas Islands are subdivided into six communes (municipalities). In each of the six communes, local residents elect a municipal council and a mayor in charge of managing local affairs within the commune. Three communes (Nuku-Hiva, Ua-Pou and Hiva-Oa) are subdivided into associated communes due to their larger population. The communes and associated communes are the only elected councils in the Marquesas, as there is no provincial or regional assembly for the entire archipelago. Municipal elections are held every six years, on the same day as municipal elections in the rest of France.
Transportation and Communications
- The archipelago is regularly attended by cargo ships Aranui and Taporo, the Te Ata or Hiva boat provides links between the islands in the southern group, including the use of boats.
- Taxis and cars in general benefit from a network of roads that are frequently improved thanks to their horsing.
- In several islands the horse is still used as a means of transport.
Airports
There are four airports in the Marquesas, one on each of the islands of Nuku Hiva, Ua Pu, Ua Huka, and Hiva ʻOa. The terrain of Tahuata is too uneven to allow construction of an airstrip without significant investment, and although the highland plateau of central Fatu Hiva is large enough to allow construction of an airstrip, the The island's tiny population makes such an exercise of dubious utility.
Telecommunications
The Marquesas are served by telephone services, as well as radio and television, mainly from Tahiti. The "Vini" has recently been incorporated, a mobile telephone service that, in about 6 years, has been extended to cover most of the populated islands. There is also "Mana", an Internet server with DSL broadband which is being expanded with Wi-Fi stations as well.
Culture
The Marquesas Islands were an important center of civilization in Eastern Polynesia. Due to the orography of the islands, each valley constituted a tribal unit with its own social system directed by the genealogies of the chiefs and priests. The isolation of the valleys caused endless tribal wars, marking the warrior character of the Marquesans. They practiced ritual cannibalism with their enemy prisoners [citation needed]
Famines were frequent after periods of drought, but they were also caused by retaliatory practices in wars, where coconut palms and breadfruit trees were destroyed in enemy valleys.
Although the Marquesas were among the first islands discovered by Europeans in Polynesia, for two centuries they remained off the beaten path and outside Western cultural influence. The native Marquesan culture was devastated after the arrival of European explorers. In addition to the activity of Christian missionaries, the cultural collapse must be attributed to the catastrophic effects of imported diseases.
The writer Herman Melville based on his experience as a crew member of a whaler and as a deserter in the Marquesas, wrote his first novel, Typee, considered the first of the genre of literature of the seas from the south.
Robert Louis Stevenson and Jack London followed in Melville's footsteps, and their travels are also reflected in their books.
Famous French painter Paul Gauguin and Belgian singer Jacques Brel spent the last years of their lives in the Marquesas, where they are buried. Brel composed the song Les Marquises here.
The researcher and adventurer Thor Heyerdahl wrote his book Fatu Hiva after spending a long year on this island. It was the basis of his theories and research on pre-Hispanic marine migrations (Inca voyage to Polynesia).
Today the Marquesan culture is a mixture of the revival of the old culture with strong influences of the Tahitian culture, and the French.
Crafts
Tou (local Polynesian name for Oceanian walnut or false ebony, lat. cordia subcordata) is used in cabinetmaking for the construction, among other things, of sculptures of the Tiki deity or furniture This is the case with the presidential office of French Polynesia, which is said locally to be en-tou-marquisiana. Ua Huka, in the Marquesas, is famous for its sculptures. In addition to tou, they use miro (Thespesia populnea) for the sculpture of wooden statuettes representing Tiki, but also mahogany and black wood.
Tattoos
Although the practice of tattooing is common throughout Polynesia, in the Marquesas it reached a high degree of sophistication. Men tattooed themselves entirely from head to toe, taking on a fierce, bluish color. The inhabitants of the Marquesas Islands, both men and women, were known for their numerous tattoos. These had a function of integration in the clan, protective virtues against spirits and enemies, as well as therapeutic virtues.
Tattoos were unanimously considered essential by the Marquesans. In fact, any individual who was not tattooed was not integrated into the social activities of the clan. A non-tattooed person could not get married. The long and rigorous rite of tattooing allowed the young men of the clan to gain the status of "man" or "woman", thus becoming adults. At the end of this initiation process, marked by the tattoo, a three-day party was organized that ended with a human sacrifice. The tattoo was, therefore, at the same time a test, a test and a social marker.
As proof of maturity, the tattoo has a strong link with beauty, seduction and, by extension, marriage, as well as with the procreative capacity of individuals. Tattoos have the power to capture and hold the attention of others. In fact, at the end of the 19th century, untattooed lips, hands or feet were considered ugly, even repulsive. The lower abdomen and kidneys were considered the seat of creative power and were therefore frequently tattooed, especially in the case of high-ranking women.
The tattooing of these islands quickly fascinated Westerners, inspiring them, depending on the time, disgust or admiration, as evidenced by its gradual disappearance around 1830, after the introduction of prohibitions by the Church in 1830. However, the practice of tattooing is by no means a "whim" aesthetic, but rather represents the belonging of individuals to the world of men, their mana and their identity.
Although this practice was lost over the centuries, Karl von den Steinen points out that "this does not mean that this custom has no history for the simple reason that the wearer no longer knows anything about it.& #39;' Today, there is a renewed interest in Marquesan tattoo designs among the Western public.
Marquesan Mythology
The most important ancient gods were Tetoo and Tiki. Tetoo belonged to the first category of gods, and Tiki only to the second. However, Tiki was, without a doubt, the most illustrious of all the Marquesan gods. His worshipers said that, although he had a mother, he was the author of everything that existed and that all men were his descendants. They added that, nevertheless, he had spoken with the inhabitants of this archipelago.
Among the secondary gods was Mane, who had brought the earth out of the sea: one day, he was fishing with a rod, and suddenly he saw, instead of a fish, a large piece of earth hanging from his hook. But this feat is more often attributed to Tiki.
The main evil gods were: Hanake, who "inflicted kidney pain and rheumatism"; Tutepoa, who "made people fall from trees"; Tapareko, who "punished shark fishermen"; Hakanaii, who "demanded human victims"; Tavita, who "ruled the underworld"; Aavehu, who "favored criminals".
Cover
Traditionally, these fabrics were used primarily in their natural state as ceremonial clothing.
Today, the cap is used in Polynesia as a support for arts and crafts, covered with geometric patterns, tiki representations, similar to tattoo designs. The island of Fatu Hiva has a reputation for upholding the highest standard for tapas making.
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