{"id":1115,"date":"2024-12-07T14:23:16","date_gmt":"2024-12-07T14:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/?page_id=1115"},"modified":"2024-12-07T14:23:18","modified_gmt":"2024-12-07T14:23:18","slug":"tahiti","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/aegir-ran.com\/index.php\/tahiti\/","title":{"rendered":"Tahiti"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tahiti<\/strong> (English: \/t\u0259\u02c8hi\u02d0ti\/<\/a> <\/a>\u24d8<\/a><\/sup>; Tahitian<\/a><\/small> [ta\u02c8hiti]<\/a>;[2]<\/sup> French pronunciation: [ta.i\u02c8ti]<\/a>) is the largest island of the Windward group<\/a> of the Society Islands<\/a> in French Polynesia<\/a>. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean<\/a> and the nearest major landmass is Australia<\/a>.[3]<\/sup>[4]<\/sup> Divided into two parts, Tahiti Nui<\/em> (bigger, northwestern part) and Tahiti Iti<\/em> (smaller, southeastern part), the island was formed from volcanic<\/a> activity; it is high and mountainous with surrounding coral reefs<\/a>. Its population was 189,517 in 2017,[1]<\/sup> making it by far the most populous island in French Polynesia and accounting for 68.7% of its total population; the 2022 Census recorded a population of 191,779.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tahiti is the economic, cultural, and political centre of French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity<\/a> and an overseas country<\/a> of the French Republic<\/a>. The capital of French Polynesia, Pape\u02bbete<\/a>, is located on the northwest coast of Tahiti. The only international airport in the region, Fa\u02bba\u02bb\u0101 International Airport<\/a>, is on Tahiti near Pape\u02bbete. Tahiti was originally settled by Polynesians<\/a> between 300 and 800 AD. They represent about 70% of the island’s population, with the rest made up of Europeans<\/a>, Chinese<\/a> and those of mixed heritage. The island was part of the Kingdom of Tahiti<\/a> until its annexation<\/a> by France in 1880, when it was proclaimed a colony of France<\/a>, and the inhabitants became French citizens<\/a>. French is the sole official language, although the Tahitian language<\/a> (Reo Tahiti<\/em>) is also widely spoken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tahiti was called Otaheite<\/em> in earlier European documents: this is a rendering of Tah.<\/a> \u02bbo<\/a><\/em> Tahiti<\/em>, which is typically pronounced [\u0294ota\u02c8h\u025biti]<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Geography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Tahiti is the highest and largest island in French Polynesia lying close to Mo\u02bborea<\/a>island. It is located 4,400 kilometres (2,376 nautical miles) south of Hawai\u02bbi, 7,900 km (4,266 nmi) from Chile<\/a>, 5,700 km (3,078 nmi) from Australia.[3]<\/sup>[4]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The island is 45 km (28 mi) across at its widest point and covers an area of 1,045 km2<\/sup> (403 sq mi). The highest peak is Mont Orohena<\/a> (Mou\u02bba \u02bbOrohena) (2,241 m (7,352 ft)). Mount Roonui<\/a>, or Mount Ronui<\/a> (Mou\u02bba R\u014dnui), in the southeast rises to 1,332 m (4,370 ft). The island consists of two roughly round portions centered on volcanic mountains and connected by a short isthmus<\/a> of Taravao.[5]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The northwestern portion is known as Tahiti Nui<\/em> (“big Tahiti”), while the much smaller southeastern portion is known as Tahiti Iti<\/em> (“small Tahiti”) or Tai\u02bbarap\u016b<\/em>. Tahiti Nui<\/em> is heavily populated along the coast, especially around the capital, Pape\u02bbete.[6]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interior of Tahiti Nui<\/em> is almost entirely uninhabited.[6]<\/sup> Tahiti Iti<\/em> has remained isolated, as its southeastern half (Te Pari<\/em>) is accessible only to those travelling by boat or on foot. The rest of the island is encircled by a main road which cuts between the mountains and the sea.[7]<\/sup> Tahiti’s landscape features lush rainforests<\/a> and many rivers and waterfalls, including the Papeno\u02bbo<\/a> on the north side and the Fautaua Falls<\/a> near Pape\u02bbete<\/a>.[8]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Geology<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Society archipelago is a hotspot volcanic chain<\/a> consisting of ten islands and atolls. The chain is oriented along the N. 65\u00b0 W. direction, parallel to the movement of the Pacific Plate<\/a>. Due to the plate movement over the Society hotspot<\/a>, the age of the islands decreases from 5 Ma<\/a> at Maupiti<\/a> to 0 Ma at Mehetia<\/a>, where Mehetia is the inferred current location of the hotspot as evidenced by recent seismic activity. Maupiti, the oldest island in the chain, is a highly eroded shield volcano<\/a> with at least 12 thin lava<\/a> flows, which accumulated fairly rapidly between 4.79 and 4.05 Ma. Bora Bora<\/a> is another highly eroded shield volcano consisting of basaltic<\/a> lavas accumulated between 3.83 and 3.1 Ma. The lavas are intersected by post-shield dikes<\/a>. Taha\u02bba<\/a> consists of shield-stage basalt with an age of 3.39 Ma, followed by additional eruptions 1.2 Ma later. Raiatea<\/a> consists of shield-stage basalt followed by post-shield trachytic lava flows<\/a>, all occurring from 2.75 to 2.29 Ma. Huahine<\/a> consists of two coalesced basalt shield volcanoes, Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti, with several flows followed by post-shield trachyphonolitic<\/a> lava domes<\/a> from 3.08 to 2.06 Ma. Mo\u02bborea<\/a>consists of at least 16 flows of shield-stage basalt and post-shield lavas from 2.15 to 1.36 Ma. Tahiti consists of two basalt shield volcanoes, Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti, with an age range of 1.67 to 0.25 Ma.[9]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

November to April is the wet season, the wettest month of which is January with 340 millimetres (13 in) of rain in Pape\u02bbete. August is the driest with 48 millimetres (1.9 in).[10]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average temperature ranges between 21 and 31 \u00b0C (70 and 88 \u00b0F), with little seasonal variation. The lowest and highest temperatures recorded in Pape\u02bbete are 16 and 34 \u00b0C (61 and 93 \u00b0F), respectively.[10]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Geological history<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

About 1.4 million to 870,000 years ago, the island of Tahiti was formed as a volcanic shield<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early settling of Tahiti<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first Tahitians arrived from Western Polynesia sometime before 500 BC.[12]<\/sup>[13]<\/sup> Linguistic, biological and archaeological evidence supports a long migration from Southeast Asia via the Fijian, Samoan and Tongan Archipelagos using outrigger canoes<\/a> that were up to twenty or thirty metres long and could transport families as well as domestic animals. [14]<\/sup> [15]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Civilization before the arrival of the Europeans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before the arrival of the Europeans, the island was divided into territories, each dominated by a single clan. The most important clans were the closely related Teva i Uta (Teva of the Interior) and the Teva i Tai (Teva of the Sea)[16]<\/sup> whose combined territory extended from the peninsula in the south of Tahiti Nui.[17]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clan leadership consisted of a chief (ari\u02bbi rahi<\/em>), nobles (ari\u02bbi<\/em>), and under-chiefs (\u02bb\u012aato\u02bbai<\/em>). The ari\u02bbi were also the religious leaders, revered for the mana<\/a> (spiritual power) they inherited as descendants of the gods. As symbols of their power, they wore belts of red feathers. Nonetheless, to exercise their political power, councils or general assemblies composed of the ari\u02bbi and the \u02bb\u012aato\u02bbai had to be called, especially in case of war.[16]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chief’s spiritual power was also limited; each clan’s practice was organized around their marae<\/em> (stone temple) and its priests.[18]<\/sup>[19]<\/sup>:\u200a23,\u200a26\u201327\u200a<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First European visits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first European to arrive at Tahiti may have been Spanish explorer Juan Fern\u00e1ndez<\/a> in his expedition of 1576\u20131577.[20]<\/sup> Alternatively, Portuguese navigator<\/a>Pedro Fernandes de Queir\u00f3s<\/a>, serving the Spanish Crown<\/a> in an expedition to Terra Australis<\/a>, was perhaps the first European to see Tahiti. He sighted an inhabited island on 10 February 1606.[21]<\/sup> However, it has been suggested that he actually saw the island of Rekareka<\/a> to the southeast of Tahiti.[22]<\/sup> Hence, although the Spanish and Portuguese made contact with nearby islands, they may not have arrived at Tahiti.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next stage of European visits to the region came during the period of intense Anglo-French rivalry<\/a> that filled the twelve years between the Seven Years’ War<\/a>and the American Revolutionary War<\/a>.[23]<\/sup> The first of these visits, and perhaps the first European visit to Tahiti, was under the command of Captain Samuel Wallis<\/a>. While circumnavigating the globe in HMS Dolphin<\/em><\/a>,[24]<\/sup> they sighted the island on 18 June 1767[25]<\/sup> and then harbored in Matavai Bay<\/a> between the chiefdom Pare<\/a>–Arue<\/a> (governed by Tu (Tu-nui-e-a\u02bba-i-te-Atua)<\/a> and his regent Tutaha) and the chiefdom Ha\u02bbapape<\/a>, governed by Amo and his wife “Oberea” (Purea<\/a>). The first contacts were difficult,[26]<\/sup> but to avert all-out war after a British show of force, Oberea laid down peace offerings[26]<\/sup> leading to cordial relations.[19]<\/sup>:\u200a45\u201384,\u200a104,\u200a135\u200a<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 2 April 1768,[27]<\/sup> the expedition of Louis-Antoine de Bougainville<\/a>, aboard Boudeuse<\/em><\/a> and Etoile<\/em><\/a> on the first French circumnavigation, sighted Tahiti. On 5 April, they anchored off Hitia\u02bba O Te Ra<\/a> and were welcomed by its chief Reti. Bougainville was also visited by Tutaha. Bougainville stayed about ten days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 12 April 1769 Captain James Cook<\/a> had arrived in Tahiti’s Matavai Bay, commanding HMS Endeavour<\/em><\/a>.[28]<\/sup>[19]<\/sup>:\u200a141\u200a<\/sup> He had been sent on a scientific mission with astronomy, botany, and artistic details. On 14 April Cook met Tutaha and Tepau[19]<\/sup>:\u200a144\u200a<\/sup> and the next day he picked the site for a fortified camp at Point Venus<\/a> for Charles Green’s<\/a> observatory.[19]<\/sup>:\u200a147\u200a<\/sup> Botanist Joseph Banks<\/a> and artist Sydney Parkinson<\/a>, along with Cook, gathered valuable information on fauna and flora as well as on native society, language and customs, including the proper name of the island.[29]<\/sup> Cook also met many island chiefs.[19]<\/sup>:\u200a154\u2013155,\u200a175,\u200a183\u2013185\u200a<\/sup>Cook and Endeavour<\/em> left Tahiti on 13 July 1769.[19]<\/sup>:\u200a149,\u200a186\u2013202,\u200a205\u200a<\/sup> Cook estimated the population to be 200,000 including all the nearby islands in the chain.[30]<\/sup>[19]<\/sup>:\u200a308\u200a<\/sup> This estimate was reduced to 35,000 by Cook’s contemporary, anthropologist and Tahiti expert Douglas L. Oliver.[31]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Viceroy of Peru<\/a>, Manuel de Amat y Juniet<\/a>, under order of the Spanish Crown, organized an expedition to colonize the island in 1772. He would ultimately send three expeditions aboard the ship Aguila<\/em>, the first two under the command of navigator Domingo de Bonechea<\/a>. Four Tahitians, Pautu, Tipitipia, Heiao, and Tetuanui, accompanied Bonechea back to Peru in early 1773 after the first Aguila<\/em> expedition.[19]<\/sup>:\u200a236\u2013256,\u200a325\u200a<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cook returned to Tahiti<\/a> between 15 August and 1 September 1773. Greeted by the chiefs, Cook anchored in Vaitepiha Bay<\/a> before returning to Point Venus. Cook left Tahiti on 14 May 1774.[19]<\/sup>:\u200a263\u2013279,\u200a284,\u200a290,\u200a301\u2013312\u200a<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pautu and Tetuanui returned to Tahiti with Bonechea aboard Aguila<\/em> on 14 November 1774; Tipitipia and Heiao had died. Bonechea died on 26 January 1775 in Tahiti and was buried near the mission he had established at Tautira Bay<\/a>. Lt Tomas Gayangos took over command and set sail for Peru on 27 January, leaving the Fathers Geronimo Clota and Narciso Gonzalez and the sailors Maximo Rodriguez and Francisco Perez in charge of the mission. On the third Aguila<\/em> expedition, under Don Cayetano de Langara, the mission on Tahiti was abandoned on 12 November 1775, when the Fathers successfully begged to be taken back to Lima.[32]<\/sup>[33]<\/sup>[19]<\/sup>:\u200a321,\u200a323,\u200a340,\u200a351\u2013357,\u200a361,\u200a381\u2013383\u200a<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his final visit<\/a> in 1777 Cook first moored in Vaitepiha Bay. From there he reunited with many Tahitian clans and established British presence on the remains of the Spanish mission. On 29 September 1777 Cook sailed for Papeto\u02bbai Bay on Mo\u02bborea.[19]<\/sup>:\u200a440\u2013444,\u200a447\u200a<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

British influence and the rise of the P\u014dmare<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mutineers of the Bounty<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Main article: Mutiny on the Bounty<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 26 October 1788, HMS Bounty<\/em><\/a>, under the command of Captain William Bligh<\/a>, landed in Tahiti with the mission of carrying Tahitian breadfruit<\/a> trees (Tahitian<\/a>: \u02bburu<\/em>) to the Caribbean<\/a>. Sir Joseph Banks<\/a>, the botanist from James Cook<\/a>‘s first expedition, had concluded that this plant would be ideal to feed the African slaves working in the Caribbean plantations at very little cost. The crew remained in Tahiti for about five months, the time needed to transplant the seedlings of the trees. Three weeks after leaving Tahiti, on 28 April 1789, the crew mutinied on the initiative of Fletcher Christian<\/a>. The mutineers seized the ship and set the captain and most of those members of the crew who remained loyal to him adrift in a ship’s boat. A group of mutineers then went back to settle in Tahiti, after which the Bounty, under Christian, sailed to Pitcairn Island<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although various explorers had refused to get involved in tribal conflicts, the mutineers from the Bounty<\/em> offered their services as mercenaries and furnished arms to the family which became the P\u014dmare Dynasty<\/a>. The chief T\u016b<\/a> knew how to use their presence in the harbours favoured by sailors to his advantage. As a result of his alliance with the mutineers, he succeeded in considerably increasing his supremacy over the island of Tahiti.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In about 1790, the ambitious chief T\u016b took the title of king and gave himself the name P\u014dmare<\/em>. Captain Bligh explains that this name was a homage to his eldest daughter Teri\u02bbinavahoroa, who had died of tuberculosis<\/a>, “an illness that made her cough (mare<\/em>) a lot, especially at night (p\u014d<\/em>)”. Thus he became P\u014dmare I<\/a>, founding the P\u014dmare Dynasty and his lineage would be the first to unify Tahiti from 1788 to 1791. He and his descendants founded and expanded Tahitian influence to all of the lands that now constitute modern French Polynesia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1791, HMS Pandora<\/em><\/a> under Captain Edward Edwards<\/a> called at Tahiti and took custody of fourteen of the mutineers. Four were drowned in the sinking of Pandora<\/em> on her homeward voyage, three were hanged, four were acquitted, and three were pardoned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Landings of the whalers<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In the 1790s, whalers<\/a> began landing at Tahiti during their hunting expeditions in the southern hemisphere. The arrival of these whalers, who were subsequently joined by merchants coming from the penal colonies in Australia, marked the first major overturning of traditional Tahitian society. The crews introduced alcohol<\/a>, arms and infectious diseases to the island, and encouraged prostitution<\/a>, which brought with it venereal disease<\/a>. These commercial interactions with westerners had catastrophic consequences for the Tahitian population, which shrank rapidly, ravaged by diseases and other cultural factors.[34]<\/sup> During the first decade of the 19th century, the Tahitian population dropped from 16,000 to 8,000\u20139,000; the French census in 1854 counted a population just under 6,000.[35]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrival of the missionaries<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

On 5 March 1797, representatives of the London Missionary Society<\/a> landed at Matavai Bay<\/a> (Mahina<\/a>) on board Duff<\/em><\/a>, with the intention of converting the pagan native populations to Christianity. The arrival of these missionaries marked a new turning point for the island of Tahiti, having a lasting impact on the local culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first years proved hard work for the missionaries, despite their association with the P\u014dmare, the importance of whom they were aware of thanks to the reports of earlier sailors. In 1803, upon the death of P\u014dmare I<\/a>, his son Vaira\u02bbatoa succeeded him and took the title of P\u014dmare II. He allied himself more and more with the missionaries, and from 1803 they taught him reading and the Gospels. Furthermore, the missionaries encouraged his wish to conquer his opponents, so that they would only have to deal with a single political contact, enabling them to develop Christianity in a unified country.[16]<\/sup> The conversion of P\u014dmare II to Protestantism in 1812 marks moreover the point when Protestantism truly took off on the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In about 1810, P\u014dmare II<\/a> married Teremo\u02bbemo\u02bbe daughter of the chief of Raiatea<\/a>, to ally himself with the chiefdoms of the Leeward Islands<\/a>. On 12 November 1815, thanks to these alliances, P\u014dmare II won a decisive battle at Fe\u02bbi P\u012b (Puna\u02bbauia), notably against Opuhara,[36]<\/sup> the chief of the powerful clan of Teva.[17]<\/sup> This victory allowed P\u014dmare II to be styled Ari\u02bbi Rahi<\/em>, or the king of Tahiti. It was the first time that Tahiti had been united under the control of a single family. This marked the end of Tahitian feudalism and the military aristocracy, which were replaced by an absolute monarchy. At the same time, Protestantism quickly spread, thanks to the support of P\u014dmare II, and replaced the traditional beliefs. In 1816 the London Missionary Society sent John Williams<\/a> as a missionary and teacher, and starting in 1817, the Gospels were translated into Tahitian<\/a> (Reo Maohi<\/em>) and taught in the religious schools. In 1818, the minister William Pascoe Crook<\/a> founded the city of Pape\u02bbete<\/a>, which became the capital of the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1819, P\u014dmare II, encouraged by the missionaries, introduced the first Tahitian legal code, known under the name of the P\u014dmare Legal Code,[16]<\/sup> which consists of nineteen laws. The missionaries and P\u014dmare II thus imposed a ban on nudity (obliging them to wear clothes covering their whole body), banned dances and chants (described as immodest), tattoos, and costumes made of flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1820s, the entire population of Tahiti converted to Protestantism. Duperrey<\/a>, who berthed in Tahiti in May 1823, attests to the change in Tahitian society in a letter dated 15 May 1823: “The missionaries of the Royal Society of London have totally changed the morals and customs of the inhabitants. Idolatry no longer exists among them, and they generally profess the Christian religion. The women no longer come aboard the vessel, and even when we meet them on land they are extremely reserved. (…) The bloody wars that these people used to carry out and human sacrifices have no longer taken place since 1816.”[37]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When, on 7 December 1821, P\u014dmare II died, his son P\u014dmare III was only eighteen months old. His uncle and the religious people therefore supported the regency, until 2 May 1824, the date on which the missionaries conducted his coronation, a ceremony unprecedented in Tahiti. Taking advantage of the weakness of the P\u014dmare, local chiefs won back some of their power and took the hereditary title of Tavana<\/em> (from the English word “governor”). The missionaries also took advantage of the situation to change the way in which powers were arranged, and to make the Tahitian monarchy closer to the English model of a constitutional monarchy. They therefore created the Tahitian Legislative Assembly, which first sat on 23 February 1824.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1827, the young P\u014dmare III<\/a> suddenly died, and it was his half-sister, \u02bbAimata, aged thirteen, who took the title of P\u014dmare IV<\/a>. The Birmingham<\/a>-born missionary George Pritchard<\/a>, who was the acting British consul, became her main adviser and tried to interest her in the affairs of the kingdom but the authority of the Queen, who was certainly less charismatic than her father, was challenged by the chiefs, who had won back an important part of their prerogatives since the death of P\u014dmare II. The power of the P\u014dmare had become more symbolic than real; time and time again Queen P\u014dmare, Protestant and anglophile, sought in vain the protection of England.[16]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November 1835 Charles Darwin<\/a> visited Tahiti aboard HMS Beagle<\/em><\/a> on her circumnavigation, captained by Robert FitzRoy<\/a>. 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 P\u014dmare IV. Captain Fitzroy negotiated payment of compensation for an attack on an English ship by Tahitians, which had taken place in 1833.[38]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Sept. 1839, the island was visited by the United States Exploring Expedition<\/a>.[39]<\/sup> One of its members, Alfred Thomas Agate<\/a>, produced a number of sketches of Tahitian life, some of which were later published in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

French protectorate and the end of the P\u014dmare kingdom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1836, the Queen’s advisor Pritchard had two French Catholic priests expelled, Fran\u00e7ois Caret<\/a> and Honor\u00e9 Laval<\/a>. As a result, in 1838 France sent Admiral Abel Aubert du Petit-Thouars<\/a> to obtain reparations. Once his mission had been completed, Admiral Du Petit-Thouars sailed towards the Marquesas<\/a> Islands, which he annexed in 1842. Also in 1842, a European crisis involving Morocco[citation needed<\/a><\/em>]<\/sup> escalated between France and Great Britain, souring their relations. In August 1842, Admiral Du Petit-Thouars returned and landed in Tahiti. He then made friends with Tahitian chiefs who were hostile to the P\u014dmare family and favourable to a French protectorate. He had them sign a request for protection in the absence of their Queen, before then approaching her and obliging her to ratify the terms of the treaty of protectorate. The treaty had not even been ratified by France itself when Jacques-Antoine Moerenhout<\/a> was named royal commissaire alongside Queen P\u014dmare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within the framework of this treaty, France recognised the sovereignty of the Tahitian state. The Queen was responsible for internal affairs, while France would deal with foreign relations and assure the defence of Tahiti, as well as maintain order on the island. Once the treaty had been signed there began a struggle for influence between the English Protestants and the Catholic representatives of France. During the first years of the Protectorate, the Protestants managed to retain a considerable hold over Tahitian society, thanks to their knowledge of the country and its language. George Pritchard<\/a> had been away at the time. He returned however to work towards indoctrinating the locals against the Roman Catholic<\/a> French.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tahitian War of independence (1844\u201347)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Main article: Franco-Tahitian War<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1843, the Queen’s Protestant advisor, Pritchard, persuaded her to display the Tahitian flag in place of the flag of the Protectorate.[41]<\/sup> By way of reprisal, Admiral Dupetit-Thouars announced the annexation of the Kingdom of P\u014dmare on 6 November 1843 and set up the governor Armand Joseph Bruat<\/a> there as the chief of the new colony. He threw Pritchard into prison, and later sent him back to Britain. The annexation caused the Queen to be exiled to the Leeward Islands, and after a period of troubles, a real Franco-Tahitian war began in March 1844. News of Tahiti reached Europe in early 1844. The French statesman<\/a> Fran\u00e7ois Guizot<\/a>, supported by King Louis-Philippe of France<\/a>, had denounced annexation of the island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The war ended in December 1846 in favour of the French. The Queen returned from exile in 1847 and agreed to sign a new covenant, considerably reducing her powers, while increasing those of the commissaire. Thus, the French reigned over the Kingdom of Tahiti. In 1863, they put an end to the British influence and replaced the British Protestant Missions with the Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 des missions \u00e9vang\u00e9liques de Paris (Society of Evangelical Missions of Paris).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later 19th century<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During the same period about a thousand Chinese, mainly Cantonese<\/a>, were recruited at the request of a plantation owner in Tahiti, William Stewart, to work on the great cotton plantation at Atimaono. When the enterprise resulted in bankruptcy in 1873, some Chinese workers returned to their country, but a large number stayed in Tahiti and mixed with the population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1866 the district councils were formed, elected, which were given the powers of the traditional hereditary chiefs. In the context of the republican assimilation, these councils tried their best to protect the traditional way of life of the local people, which was threatened by European influence.[citation needed<\/a><\/em>]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1877, Queen P\u014dmare died after ruling for fifty years. Her son, P\u014dmare V, then succeeded her on the throne. The new king seemed little concerned with the affairs of the kingdom, and when in 1880 the governor Henri Isidore Chess\u00e9, supported by the Tahitian chiefs, pushed him to abdicate in favour of France, he accepted. On 29 June 1880, he ceded Tahiti to France along with the islands that were its dependencies. He was given the titular position of Officer of the Orders of the Legion of Honour<\/a> and Agricultural Merit of France<\/a>. Having become a colony, Tahiti thus lost all sovereignty. Tahiti was nevertheless a special colony, since all the subjects of the Kingdom of P\u014dmare would be given French citizenship.[42]<\/sup> On 14 July 1881, among cries of “Vive la R\u00e9publique!” the crowds celebrated the fact that Polynesia now belonged to France; this was the first celebration of the Tiurai (national and popular festival). In 1890, Pape\u02bbete became a commune of the Republic of France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French painter Paul Gauguin<\/a> lived on Tahiti in the 1890s and painted many Tahitian subjects. Papeari<\/a> has a small Gauguin museum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1891 Matthew Turner<\/a>, an American shipbuilder from San Francisco who had been seeking a fast passage between the city and Tahiti, built Papeete<\/em><\/a>, a two-masted schooner<\/a> that made the trip in seventeen days.[43]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twentieth century to present<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1903, the \u00c9tablissements Fran\u00e7ais d’Oc\u00e9anie (French Establishments in Oceania) were created, which collected together Tahiti, the other Society Islands<\/a>, the Austral Islands<\/a>, the Marquesas Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the First World War<\/a>, the Pape\u02bbete region of the island was attacked<\/a> by two German<\/a> warships<\/a>. A French gunboat<\/a> as well as a captured German freighter were sunk in the harbour and the two German armoured cruisers<\/a> bombarded the colony. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 1966 and 1996 the French Government conducted 193 nuclear bomb tests above and below the atolls of Moruroa<\/a> and Fangataufa<\/a>. The last test was conducted on 27 January 1996.[44]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1946, Tahiti and the whole of French Polynesia became an overseas territory<\/a>(Territoire d’outre-mer<\/em>). Tahitians were granted French citizenship<\/a>, a right that had been campaigned for by nationalist leader Pouvana\u02bba a Oopa<\/a> for many years.[45]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faa\u02bba International Airport<\/a> was opened on Tahiti in 1960.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 17 July 1974, the French did a nuclear test<\/a> over Mururoa Atoll<\/a>, codenamed Centaure<\/a> [fr<\/a>], but the atomic cloud and fallout did not take the direction planned. 42 hours later, the cloud reached Tahiti and the surrounding islands.[46]<\/sup> As many as 111,000 people were affected.[47]<\/sup> Reports showed that some people on Tahiti were exposed to 500 times the maximum allowed level for plutonium.[48]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2003, French Polynesia’s status was changed to that of an overseas collectivity<\/a> (collectivit\u00e9 d’outre-mer<\/em>), and in 2004 it was declared an overseas country<\/a> (pays d’outre-mer<\/em> or POM<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2009, Tauatomo Mairau<\/a> claimed the Tahitian throne<\/a> and attempted to re-assert the status of the monarchy in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Politics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Further information: Politics of French Polynesia<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tahiti is part of French Polynesia. French Polynesia is a semi-autonomous territory of France with its own assembly, president, budget and laws<\/a>. France’s influence is limited to subsidies, education, and security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tahitians are French citizens with complete civil and political rights. French is the official language, but Tahitian and French are both in use. However there was a time during the 1960s and 1970s when children were forbidden to speak Tahitian in schools. Tahitian is now taught in schools; it is sometimes even a requirement for employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a press conference on 26 June 2006 during the second France-Oceania Summit, French President Jacques Chirac<\/a> said he did not think the majority of Tahitians wanted independence. He would keep an open door to a possible referendum<\/a> in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elections for the Assembly of French Polynesia<\/a>, the Territorial Assembly of French Polynesia, were held on 23 May 2004<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a surprise result, Oscar Temaru<\/a>‘s pro-independence progressive coalition, Union for Democracy<\/a>, formed a government with a one-seat majority in the 57-seat parliament, defeating the conservative party, T\u0101h\u014d\u02bbera\u02bba Huira\u02bbatira<\/a>, led by Gaston Flosse<\/a>. On 8 October 2004, Flosse succeeded in passing a censure motion against the government, provoking a crisis.[49]<\/sup> Flosse was removed from office in 2004 but was subsequently re-elected in 2008 after a period of political instability. His main rival Oscar Temaru served as the President of French Polynesia during multiple terms: 2004-2005, 2006-2008, and 2009-2013. He led the left-wing pro-independence party, Union for Democracy (UPLD). Temaru focused on greater autonomy for French Polynesia and calls for independence.[50]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demographics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Further information: Tahitians<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The indigenous Tahitians are of Polynesian ancestry and make up 70% of the population alongside Europeans, East Asians (mostly Chinese<\/a>), and people of mixed heritage, sometimes referred to as Demis<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The places of birth of the 189,517 residents of the island of Tahiti at the 2017 census were the following:[51]<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n