Marquesas Islands

The Marquesas Islands (of the Spanish Marquesas ) form one of the five archipelagoes of the French Polynésie.

They were named thus by Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira which approached them in 1595 and baptized them thus name of its guard García Hurtado de Mendoza, marquis de Cañete, who was also viceroy of the Peru at this time. Mendaña initially visited Fatu Hiva then Tahuata before joining the the Solomon Islands.

Geography

Islands

Of an total surface area of 997 km, they are among the widest archipelagoes of the French Polynésie.

They are located between 600 and 1 000 km of the equator to approximately 1 600 km of Tahiti. They are divided into two distinct groups of islands:

the septentrional group, centered around the large island of Nuku Hiva, both plus small islands of Ua Pou in the south, and Ua Huka in the east, and north small islands located on the same coral solid mass of Eiao, Hatutaa and Motu One;
the southernmost group, centered around the principal island of Hiva Oa, and more small islands very close to Tahuata and Moho Tani (or Molopu), and more in the south the island of Fatu Hiva and the rock Motu Nao.

Geology

All the islands of the Marchionesses are of volcanic origin except for Motu One. They have a escarpé relief and are not protected by a coral reef (except Fatu Hiva and some valleys like Anaho with Nuku-Hiva). The tops can reach the 1.100 meters of altitude. The cliffs plunge in the sea until in sea-beds and are constantly eroded by the currents of the Pacific-South. The coasts have the aspect of a cut wall of deep cracks and some beaches. Some deep and isolated valleys bar the assembly lines.

The volcanic landscapes are in the beginning many place names: Hiva Oa, the Large Peak; Nuku Hiva, the Peak of Cliffs; Fatu Iva, New Rocks; Fatu Huku, Piece of Pierre; Ua Pou, Two Peaks without forgetting surprising it “Beach of the Rods” that the missionaries changed into “Beach of the Virgins”.

Climate, fauna and vegetation

The rainfall is very variable from one island to another and one year on the other. The temperature is moderated by the Alizés. The coasts on the wind are sprinkled much than the lee shores, drier and more inhospitable.

The long distance which separates the islands from the continent east at the origin of the main features of the ecosystem. This one suffered from the human activities and the introduction of foreign species. The marine animal-life is rich, terrestrial fauna is definitely poorer: birds, insects (butterflies, spiders, millepede). The man also introduced dogs, stags then horses, goats, sheep as well as the rats, the mosquitos and the scorpions. The flora is varied and original. One cultivates the Breadfruit tree, the Cocotier, the tobacco, vanilla and even cotton.

Demography

The meeting of the explorers with Marquisiens caused to put them in contact with diseases which they did not know. That involved a strong fall of population. One does not estimate that with the XVIe century the population rose with 100.000 inhabitants, with the beginning of the XXe it was not any more but of 2.000 Marquisiens. It went back today to 8.712.

Communes and electoral constituency

In north, the most populated:

Nuku Hiva : 2.652 inhabitants (the principal island of the septentrional group, and the seat in the village of Taiohae of the chief town of the Marchionesses);
Ua Pou: 2.200 inhabitants;
Ua Huka : 584 inhabitants.

In the south:

Hiva Oa : 2.015 inhabitants (the principal island of the southernmost group, and most famous);
Tahuata : 677 inhabitants;
Fatu Hiva : 284 inhabitants.

the electoral constituency for the Assemblée of French Polynesia includes/understands the communes of Fatu-Hiva, Hiva-Oa, Nuku-Hiva, Tahuata, Ua-Huka and Ua-Louse. She elects three representatives with the Assemblée of French Polynesia. She belongs to the district Is for the legislative Frenchwomen.

History

The Marchionesses were inhabited by Polynesians dice IIIe century before Jesus-Christ. The ethnological observations and the linguistic family ties let think that they came from Samoa.

Each valley was the territory of a tribe with a clean social system, an aristocracy and a clergy. Interminable tribal wars opposed Marquisiens which practiced the ritual cannibalism with the prisoners of war.

The first European who discovered them was Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira in 1595. During its voyage from Peru in the Solomon Islands it met the islands of the south: Magdalena (Fatu Hiva) Dominica (Hiva Oa), Santa Cristina (Tahuata) and San Pedro (Moho Tani). Two centuries passed before another European, James Cook, does not return and remains there more than one month to rest of his exploration of the Antarctide.

In 1791, the American Joseph Ingraham discovers the islands of the northern group: Washington (Ua Huka), Federal (Nuku Hiva) and Adams (Ua Pou). It called them “the Washington Islands”. Two months later it was the turn of French Etienne Marchand. It took possession of the archipelago in the name of France and named it “islands of the Revolution”. The islands accepted its name and that of its seconds: Merchant (Ua Pou), Mass (Eiao) and Chanal (Hatutu), of its silent partners Beams (Nuku Hiva) and of a geomorphological characteristic, Two Brothers (Motu Iti).

In 1813, during the Anglo-American war, the American David Porter establishes a naval base in the islands Madison (Nuku Hiva) but after the war the United States did not ratify this possession.

In 1842, the French Of Small-Thouars the taken possession of the archipelago and they belonged to the French Settlements in Oceania. The Marquesas Islands will be incorporated in the Overseas territory of the French Polynésie in 1958, after the victory of “yes” with the referendum.

Transport and communications

Plane: There are four airports with the Marchionesses. They are on the islands of Nuku Hiva, Ua Pu, Ua Huka, and Hiva Oa. They are served by the company Air Tahiti.
Boat: boat of the company Aranui, communal boat, speed boat,…
Helicopters: Polynesia Helicopters.
Taxis.
Horses

Culture

The Marquesas Islands were formerly an important center of Eastern Polynesian civilization (the Hawaii were probably populated starting from the Marchionesses, as the relationship of the language with the Marquisien shows it).

Language

The Marquisien is officially recognized like regional Langue of France. It is subdivided in two dialects which correspond to the two groups of islands (certain linguists consider that they are two distinct languages). The marquisien is defended by the Académie marquisienne, created in 2000 by the Assemblée of French Polynesia.

Tattooing

Although the practice of tattooing is present in the whole of Polynesia, this art reached its top with the Marchionesses. The men tattooed head with the feet completely, primarily with a warlike aim. The reasons typically marquisiens are recopied today in the whole world.

Arts and letters

the Marchionesses inspired the American novelist Hermann Melville, whose experiments in the Marchionesses formed the base of the news Taïpi and Omoo .
the researcher and adventurous Thor Heyerdahl wrote its book “Fatu Hiva” after being remained more than one year on this island. It is the starting point of its research on the prehistoric marine migrations.
the singer Jacques Brel resided at the Marchionesses as from 1974. It composed its last disc there: the Marchionesses .
the painter Paul Gauguin also resided on this island as from 1901. It benefitted from its stay to defend the rights of the natives. Influenced by the tropical environment and the Polynesian culture, its work opens out, it carries out woodcarvings and painted its more beautiful paintings. It is buried in the cemetery of Atuona. The tomb of Jacques Brel côtoie his.
Aujourd'hui the culture marquisienne is a mixture of original culture, tahitienne and Frenchwoman.
Nuku Hiva was used into 2001 of turning with the American emission as Télé reality Survivor . (Although the population marquisienne was not consulted)

Appendices

External bonds

ICA - Site devoted to the audio-visual heritage of Polynesia with many videos, sounds and images
the Marquesas Islands
Polynesia Helicopters
Photomarquises Galleries photo
Marchionesses: hundreds of articles, more than thousand photographs

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