Tahiti
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Pacific Ocean |
| Archipelago | Society Islands |
| Area | 1,045 km2 (403 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 2,241 m (7352 ft) |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 178,133[1] |
| Pop. density | 170/km2 (440/sq mi) |
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous with surrounding coral reefs. The population is 178,133 (2007 census), [1] making it the most populous island of French Polynesia and accounting for 68.6% of the group's total population.
The capital, Papeete, is located on the northwest coast with the only international airport in the region, Faa'a International Airport, situated 5km from the town centre. Tahiti was originally settled by Polynesians between AD 300 and 800. They comprise about 70% of the island's population with the rest made up of Europeans, Chinese and those of mixed heritage. The island was proclaimed a colony of France in 1880 although it wasn't until 1946 that the indigenous Tahitians were legally authorised to be French citizens. French is the only official language although the Tahitian language (Reo Tahiti) is widely spoken.
Geography
Tahiti is the highest and largest island in French Polynesia. It is located 4400 km south of Hawai'i, 7900 km from Chile and 5700 km from Australia.
The island is 45 km (27.96 mi) across at its widest point and covers an area of 1,045 km2. The highest peak is Mount Orohena (2,241 m). Mount Ronui in the southeast rises to 1,332 m. The island consists of two roughly round portions centered on volcanic mountains and connected by a short isthmus named after the small town of Taravao, situated there.
The northwestern portion is known as Tahiti Nui ("big Tahiti"), while the much smaller southeastern portion is known as Tahiti Iti ("small Tahiti") or Taiarapu. Tahiti Nui is heavily populated along the coast, especially around the capital Papeete.
The interior of Tahiti Nui is almost entirely uninhabited. Tahiti Iti has remained isolated, as its southeastern half (Te Pari) is accessible only to those traveling by boat or on foot. The rest of the island is encircled by a main road which cuts between the mountains and the sea.
An interior road climbs past dairy farms and citrus groves with panoramic views. Tahiti's landscape features lush rain forests and many streams, including the Papenoo River on the north side.
Climate
November to April is the wet season, the wettest month of which is January with 13.2 inches (335 mm) of rain in Papeete. August is the driest with 1.9 inches (48 mm).
The average temperature ranges between 70 °F (21 °C) and 88 °F (31 °C) with little seasonal variation. The lowest and highest temperatures recorded in Bibys are 61 °F (16 °C) and 93 °F (34 °C), respectively.[2]
History
Tahitians
Tahiti is estimated to have been settled between AD 300 and 800 by Polynesians, although some estimates place the date earlier. These first settlers are believed to have travelled thousands of miles across open sea by Polynesian navigation from the western archipelagoes of Fiji, Samoa or Tonga. In 1770, James Cook observed in Tahiti, a great traditional ship (va'a) 33 metres in length.[3] Tahitian society was composed of chiefdoms and territories based on kinship and military power among various clans. A clan was led by a chief (Ari'i rahi), nobles (Ari'i) and lesser chiefs. The Ari'i were believed to be descendants of Polynesian gods and invested with supernatural power (mana). A symbol of their status were belts made of red feathers. However, clan leaders did not hold absolute power and their role included consulting with general assemblies or councils, especially in times of war. The marae was a sacred place of worship constructed of raised stone platforms in open ground, performing a cultural function similiar to such structures in other Polynesian societies. The marae were at the centre of the spiritual and social life of the clan. Here, gods were invoked and leaders enthroned. It was also a place for ceremonies such as preparation for war, birth celebrations as well as burial rituals. Types of marae ranged from simple family platforms to larger edifices for leaders of high status, although all were considered tapu. Early European contact saw the arrival of the London Missionary Society in 1797 who introduced Christianity and documented the Tahitian language (Reo Tahiti) into writing.
European contact
1700s
Samuel Wallis, an English sea captain, sighted Tahiti on 18 June 1767, and is considered the first European visitor. (A later report of an earlier Spanish sighting of Tahiti by Pedro Fernandes de Queirós in 1606 is likely to have been mistaken with a sighting of La Sagitaria Island, to the SE of Tahiti.)[4]
The relaxed and contented nature of the people and the characterisation of the island as a paradise impressed early Europeans, planting the seed for a romanticisation by the West that endures to this day.
Wallis was followed in April 1768 by the French explorer Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, completing the first French circumnavigation. Bougainville made Tahiti famous in Europe when he published Voyage autour du monde. He described the island as an earthly paradise where men and women live happily in innocence, away from the corruption of civilization. His account illustrated the concept of the noble savage, and influenced utopian thoughts of philosophers such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau before the French Revolution.
In April 1769 Captain James Cook visited the island on secret orders from the Lords of the Admiralty to view the Transit of Venus on 2 June. He set up camp at Matavai Bay and stayed on until 9 August. The population was estimated to be 50,000 including all the nearby islands in the chain. After Cook, European ships landed with greater frequency. The best-known was HMS Bounty, whose crew mutinied after leaving Tahiti in 1789. The European influence disrupted traditional society, bringing prostitution, venereal disease, alcohol, and Christianity. The London Missionary Society, founded in 1795, instructed its Tahitian missionaries to intervene in what they saw as wretched conditions and demonic influence.[5] Introduced diseases including typhus, influenza and smallpox killed so many Tahitians that by 1797, the population was only 16,000. Later it was to drop as low as 6,000.[6]
Viceroy of Peru Manuel de Amat y Juniet, following the rules of the Spanish Crown, decided to take possession of the island in 1772, largely to control the expansion of other countries and also to evangelize. So, he sent four expeditions within the period 1772-1775, but Charles III of Spain finally cancelled the mission as a consequence of his secular policy. Most notable of these expeditions was the drafting of a Diary by a soldier of the Marine named Maximo Rodriguez, covering a period of 12 months, revealing many ethnological details about the Tahitians of the eighteenth century.
1800s
In November 1835 Charles Darwin visited Tahiti aboard the HMS Beagle on her circumnavigation, captained by Robert FitzRoy. He was impressed by what he perceived to be the positive influence the missionaries had had on the sobriety and moral character of the population. Darwin praised the scenery, but was not flattering towards Tahiti's Queen Pomare IV. Captain Fitzroy negotiated payment of compensation for an attack on an English ship by Tahitians, which had taken place in 1833.[7]
In 1839 the island was visited by the United States Exploring Expedition; one of its members, Alfred Thomas Agate, produced a number of sketches of Tahitian life, some of which were later published in the United States.
In 1842, a European crisis involving Morocco escalated between France and Great Britain when Admiral Dupetit Thouars, acting independently of the French government, convinced Tahiti's Queen Pomare IV to accept a French protectorate. George Pritchard, a Birmingham-born missionary and acting British Consul, had been away at the time. However he returned to work towards indoctrinating the locals against the Roman Catholic French. In November 1843, Dupetit-Thouars (again on his own initiative) landed sailors on the island, annexing it to France. He then threw Pritchard into prison, subsequently sending him back to Britain.
News of Tahiti reached Europe in early 1844. The French statesman François Guizot, supported by King Louis-Philippe of France, had denounced annexation of the island. However, war between the French and the Tahitians continued until 1847. The island remained a French protectorate until June 29, 1880, when King Pomare V (1842–1891) was forced to cede the sovereignty of Tahiti and its dependencies to France. He was given the titular position of Officer of the Orders of the Legion of Honour and Agricultural Merit of France.
20th century
In 1946, Tahiti and the whole of French Polynesia became a Territoire d'outre-mer (French overseas territory). Tahitians were granted French citizenship, a right that had been campaigned for by nationalist leader Marcel Pouvana'a A Oopa for many years.[8] In 2003, French Polynesia's status was changed to that of Collectivité d'outre-mer (French overseas community).
French painter Paul Gauguin lived on Tahiti in the 1890s and painted many Tahitian subjects. Papeari has a small Gauguin museum.
During the First World War, the Papeete region of the island was attacked by two German warships. A French gunboat as well as a captured German freighter were sunk in the harbor and the two German warships bombarded the colony. Between 1966 and 1996 the French Government conducted 193 nuclear bomb tests above and below the atolls of Moruroa and Fangataufa. The last test was conducted on 27 January 1996.[9]
Politics
 |
Tahitians are French citizens with complete civil and political rights. French is the official language but the Tahitian language and the French language are both in use. However, there was a time during the 60s and 70s when children were forbidden to speak Tahitian in schools. Present day thinking has changed and the Tahitian language is now being taught in schools; it is sometimes even a requirement for employment.
Tahiti is part of French Polynesia. French Polynesia is a semi-autonomous territory of France with its own assembly, president, budget and laws. France's influence is limited to subsidies, education and security. The former President of French Polynesia, Oscar Temaru, advocates full independence from France. However, only about 20% of the population is in favour.
During a press conference on June 26, 2006 during the second France-Oceania Summit, French President Jacques Chirac said he did not think the majority of Tahitians wanted independence. He would keep an open door to a possible referendum in the future.
Elections for the Assembly of French Polynesia, the Territorial Assembly of French Polynesia, were held on May 23, 2004 (see French Polynesian legislative election, 2004). In a surprise result, Oscar Temaru's pro-independence progressive coalition formed a Government with a one-seat majority in the 57-seat parliament, defeating the conservative party led by Gaston Flosse (see also List of political parties in French Polynesia). On October 8, 2004, Flosse succeeded in passing a censure motion against the Government, provoking a crisis. A controversy is whether the national government of France should use its power to call for new elections in a local government in case of a political crisis.
Demographics
The indigenous Tahitians are of Polynesian ancestry comprising 70% of the population alongside Europeans, East Asians (essentially Chinese) and people of mixed heritage sometimes referred to as Demis. They make up the largest population in French Polynesia. Most people from metropolitan France live in Papeete and its suburbs, notably Punaauia where they make up almost 20% of the population.[citation needed]
Historical population
| 1767 | 1797 | 1848 | 1897 | 1911 | 1921 | 1926 | 1931 | 1936 | 1941 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50,000[10] to 200,000[11] |
16,000[10] | 8,600 | 10,750 | 11,800 | 11,700 | 14,200 | 16,800 | 19,000 | 23,100 | |||
| 1951 | 1956 | 1962 | 1971 | 1977 | 1983 | 1988 | 1996 | 2002 | 2007 | |||
| 30,500 | 38,100 | 45,400 | 79,494 | 95,604 | 115,820 | 131,309 | 150,721 | 169,674 | 178,133 | |||
| Official figures from past censuses.[1][12][13][14][15][16] | ||||||||||||
Economy
Tourism is a significant industry, mostly for the islands of Bora Bora and Moorea.
In July, the Heiva festival in Papeete celebrates Polynesian culture and the commemoration of the storming of the Bastille in Paris.
After the establishment of the CEP (Centre d'Experimentation du Pacifique) in 1963, the standard of living in French Polynesia increased considerably and many Polynesians abandoned traditional activities and emigrated to the urban centre of Papeete. Even though the standard of living is elevated (due mainly to France's FDI investment), the economy is reliant on imports. At the cessation of CEP activities, France signed the Progress Pact with Tahiti to compensate the loss of financial resources and assist in education and tourism with an investment of about US$150 million a year from the beginning of 2006.
The main trading partners are France for about 40% of imports and about 25% of exports, the other ports that are traded with are in USA, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
Black pearl farming is also a substantial source of revenues, most of the pearls being exported to Japan, Europe and the US. Tahiti also exports vanilla, fruits, flowers, monoi, fish, copra oil, and noni.
Unemployment affects about 13% of the active population, especially women and unqualified young people.
Tahiti’s currency, the French Pacific Franc (CFP, also known as XPF), is pegged to the Euro at 1 CFP = EUR .00838 (approx. 81 CFP to the US Dollar in January 2008). Hotels and financial institutions offer exchange services.
Sales tax in Tahiti is called TVA or V.A.T. in English. V.A.T. 2009 on tourist services is 10% and V.A.T. 2009 on hotels, small boarding houses, food and beverages is 6%. V.A.T. on the purchase of goods and products is 16%
Culture
Tahitian cultures included an oral tradition that included mythology of various gods and beliefs as well as ancient traditions such as tattooing and navigation. The annual Heiva Festival in July is a celebration of traditional culture, dance, music and sports including a long distance race between the islands of French Polynesia, in modern outrigger canoes (va'a).
Situated in Tahiti is the Paul Gauguin Museum, dedicated to the life and works of French artist Paul Gaugin (1848 - 1903) who painted famous works such as Tahitian Women on the Beach and Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?.
The Robert Wan Pearl Museum is the world's only museum dedicated to pearls. The Papeete Market also sells local arts and crafts.
Dance
One of the most widely recognised images of the islands is the world famous Tahitian dance. The ʻōteʻa, sometimes written as otea, is a traditional dance from Tahiti, where the dancers, standing in several rows, execute different figures. This dance, easily recognized by its fast hip-shaking, and grass skirts is often confused with the Hawaiian hula, a generally slower more graceful dance which focuses more on the hands and story telling than the hips.
The ʻōteʻa is one of the few dances which already existed in pre-European times as a male dance. On the other hand, the hura (Tahitian vernacular for hula), a dance for women, has disappeared, and the couple's dance 'upa'upa is likewise gone but may have reemerged as the tāmūrē. Nowadays, however, the ʻōteʻa can be danced by men (ʻōteʻa tāne), by women (ʻōteʻa vahine), or by both genders (ʻōteʻa ʻāmui = united ʻō.). The dance is with music only, drums, but no singing. The drum can be one of the different types of the tōʻere, a laying log of wood with a longitudinal slit, which is struck by one or two sticks. Or it can be the pahu, the ancient Tahitian standing drum covered with a shark skin and struck by the hands or with sticks. The rhythm from the tōʻere is fast, from the pahu it is slower. A smaller drum, the faʻatētē, can also be used.
The dancers make gestures, reenacting daily occupations of life. For the men the themes can be chosen from warfare or sailing, and then they may use spears or paddles.
For women the themes are closer to home or from nature, combing their hair, or the flight of a butterfly for example. But also more elaborate themes can be chosen, for example one where the dancers end up in a map of Tahiti, highlighting important places. In a proper ʻōteʻa the story of the theme should pervade the whole dance.
Navigation
The indigenous Tahitians are Polynesians, part of the greater family of Oceania who are noted in their history and culture for their navigation skills, essential for trade and communications in their maritime environs.
In Polynesian navigation, the star Sirius, found directly above Tahiti's night sky has served as a location beacon in traditional wayfinding during ocean travels.
Education
Tahiti hosts a French university, the University of French Polynesia. It is a growing university, with 2,000 students and 60 researchers. Many courses are available such as law, commerce, science and literature.
Transport
Faa'a International Airport is the international airport of Tahiti with Air Tahiti Nui being the national airline while Air Tahiti is the main airline for inter-island flights. The Moorea Ferry is also a notable ferry that operates from Papeete. There are also several ferries that transport people and goods throughout the islands.
Sport
Rugby union is a popular sport in Tahiti.
Gallery
- Tahiti
-
Satellite image of Tahiti -
Carved figures at Rahurahu marae -
Javelin throwing, annual Heiva Festival -
Idol of the god 'Oro -
Tahitian young women in missionary dress. -
Tahitian girl wearing a hau; engraving by Alfred Thomas Agate -
Tahitian war canoes, 1774 -
Taravao -
Air Tahiti Nui, national airline -
Tomb of Pomare II at Papa-oa, 1842
See also
- Cultural variations in adoption#Polynesia
- List of volcanoes in French Polynesia
- Music of Tahiti
- Nuclear-free zone
- Postage stamps and postal history of French Polynesia
- Tahitian language
References
- ^ a b c Template:Fr icon Institut Statistique de Polynésie Française (ISPF). "Recensement de la population 2007" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-12-02.
- ^ Papeete, French Polynesia. Weatherbase.com. Last retrieved 2007-09-26.
- ^ Laneyrie-Dagen, Nadeije (1996). Larousse (ed.). Les grands explorateurs, sous la direction de Nadeije Laneyrie-Dagen. p. 148. ISBN 2-03-505305-6.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document/Volume_12_1903/Volume_12,_No.3,_September_1903/Who_discovered_Tahiti%3F_by_Geo._Collingridge,_p184-186
- ^ Alan Moorehead, The Fatal Impact (1966)
- ^ Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Depopulation of French Polynesia in the 19th century
- ^ [1] Vogage of the Beagle
- ^ The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia
- ^ http://www.sarinoni.com/article/Nuclear%20Tests%20in%20Tahiti.htm
- ^ a b Robert C. Schmitt in Population Trends in Hawaii and French Polynesia
- ^ Estimate by James Cook
- ^ 2002 census
- ^ 1971, 1977, 1983, 1988, and 1996 censuses
- ^ Censuses from 1911 to 1962 in Population, 1972, #4-5, page 720, published by INED
- ^ La Grande Encyclopédie for the 1897 census
- ^ 1848 census
External links
- Official website for citizens of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland (Tahiti Tourism Board)
- Official website for citizens of North America (Tahiti Tourism Board)
- CIA Factbook entry
- University of French Polynesia
- Template:Fr icon Tahitian Heritage with Google maps
- Tahiti is at coordinates 17°38′S 149°27′W / 17.633°S 149.450°W
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