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History of
French Polynesia
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After refuting several theories, researchers
have nowadays attributed the origins of the
Polynesian people to Southeast Asia. Around
4000 BC, a vast migration began from that
area across open ocean to settle the Pacific
Islands.
Using double-outrigger canoes of wood and
braided fibre and equipped with sails, these
first navigators, thanks to their knowledge
of the wind, the currents and the stars,
travelled towards the east.
The Marquesas Islands were the first ones to
be colonised. These islands were used as an
exploration "hub" for all future migrations.
From this mythical archipelago, these
navigators sailed the Pacific towards three
major directions to form what is known today
as the Polynesian Triangle: towards the
North to Hawaii, towards the South West to
New Zealand and towards the South East to
Easter Island. Similarities in the
languages spoken in these islands and their
derivations from the Ma'ohi language proves
the common origin of their inhabitants.
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The era of European exploration began during
the sixteenth century when “ships without
outriggers” began to arrive. In 1521,
Magellan spotted the atoll of Pukapuka in
what is now the Tuamotu Atolls and, in 1595,
the Spanish explorer Mendaña reached Fatu
Hiva Island in the Marquesas archipelago.
However,
it is the English Captain Samuel Wallis who
remains renowned for the European discovery
of Tahiti in 1767 aboard the H.M.S. Dolphin.
Wallis named the island of Tahiti “King
George III Island” and claimed it for
England. A few months later and unaware of
Wallis’ arrival, French navigator
Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, landed on the
opposite side of Tahiti and claimed it for
the King of France. In 1769, another English
explorer, Captain James Cook, was landing in
Tahiti and named Tahiti’s surrounding
islands the Society Islands after his
sponsor, Britain’s Royal Society.
Tahiti and her islands were then divided
into several realms and kingdoms and the
separated Polynesian people began giving
praise to different gods.
Little by little, the Protestant and
Catholic missionaries began evangelising the
islands when around 1797, with the help of
the Europeans, one of the chiefs proclaimed
his supremacy and created the "Pomare
Dynasty".
In 1815, King Pomare II came to the throne
after winning the battle of Narii (from a
Punaauia temple holding the same name) or
Fei Pi (the Green bananas), thanks to the
help of Leeward islands warriors. This last
battle was the end of the ancient Polynesian
aristocracies ruled by the ari’i and is
synonymous to the defeat of paganism versus
Christianity. Moreover, the pre-eminence of
Tahitian kings who were already dominating
the Tuamotu islands was slowly accepted by a
growing number of islands like Tubuai and
Rimatara.
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Following Pomare II request, a 19-law code
baptized “Pomare Code” was established and
approved in 1819. It was inspired by
puritan concepts of the English missionaries
and tried to put an end to old customs such
as human sacrifice, infanticide and
licentious behaviours.
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European fascination with the islands grew
as news spread of both the mutiny of Capt.
William Bligh’s crew aboard the H.M.S.
Bounty and of tales of tropical
beauty and the warm nature of the Tahitian
people. Knowledge of Tahiti and the South
Pacific continued to grow as Capt. James
Cook brought back thousands of illustrations
of Tahitian flora and fauna as well as the
first map of the islands of the Pacific. In
the 1800s, the arrival of whalers, British
missionaries, and French military
expeditions forever changed the way of life
on Tahiti and created a French-British
rivalry for control of the islands. The
Pomare Dynasty ruled Tahiti until 1847 when
Queen Pomare finally accepted French
protection of the islands of Tahiti and
Moorea.
In 1880, following the queen’s death, King
Pomare V was persuaded to cede Tahiti and
most of its dependencies to France. In 1957,
all the islands of Tahiti were reconstituted
as the overseas French territory called
French Polynesia. Since 1984, a statue of
autonomy was implemented and, in 1998,
French Polynesia became an overseas country
with greater self-governing powers through
their own Assembly and President. With these
powers, the country is now negotiating
international agreements with foreign states
in matters of commerce and investment.
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