June 14-June 20, 2012
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| Hatauku anchorage in Atuona with Mt. Temetiu in the background (Silhouette is at the far right) |
Most of our initial impressions of French Polynesia were
formed on the island of Hiva Oa, where we made landfall. They may be somewhat
skewed by the fact the island is the third largest population center in the
islands (Nuku Hiva and Ua Pou are larger.)
The first thing we noticed (next to the visually stunning
topography) is that the islands are more modern than we imagined, considering their isolation. When we
arrived at Hatauku Bay, the Aranui 3,
a state-of-the-art supply ship/tour boat was in the process of unloading.
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| Aranui 3 |
Although the traditional pirogue---an
outrigger canoe---is still in use, its modern construction is of epoxy and
fiberglass.
I was thrilled to see this primarily female rowing crew
doing laps around the bay. Go ladies!
In some of the smaller villages in the valleys on the other
side of the island, we did see some boats (not canoes) with wooden outriggers.
The dress code was also a mixture of the old and new. The
Marquesan citizen below was dressed up for an event on election day,
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| Belle Femme (photo courtesy of Franck Perret) | |
but we also saw women wearing crowns of flowers as everyday
wear. Traditional pareus, as well as more modern attire are worn by women,
while men typically dress casually in shorts and T-shirts. Both Marquesan men
and women are often adorned with traditional tattoos. The tattoos are done in simple
black ink which makes the designs stand out more. Women wear tattoos behind the
neck, on the arms and hands, and sometimes on the face. I also noticed a modernized
stem, flower, and leaf tattoo worn along the thigh by a younger woman. Men wear
tattoos on their arms, legs, and chest, and sometimes on their faces.
New four-wheel drive vehicles were everywhere (and the roads
on the island warranted them, we were soon to discover!), and smart phones and
i-Pods were ubiquitous.
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| Marquesan icons: rooster, ground dove, four-wheel drive vehicle |
However, once you got out of town, Hiva Oa was like being in
the Garden of Eden. Although as of the year 2000, the population of the six
inhabited islands in the Marquesas numbered only 8,000; even at its peak, there
were fewer than 200,000 people (estimates vary). Due to the fact that the islands are not overpopulated, there is
plenty and abundance for all, and people can live very simply off the land.
There is livestock ---chickens, goats, wild pigs, and wild horses (probably all
mammals introduced to the islands)---running free all over the island. If you
catch it---it’s yours! Animals belonging to people are tethered and found
grazing in fields or alongside the road.
The fabled tropical fruit trees are for real! Fecund trees
hanging with fruit--- breadfruit, papayas, bananas, limes, pamplemousse (a
gigantic variety of grapefruit, only sweeter), mangoes, green oranges, and of
course, coconuts!---are everywhere. Patrick and I both came to the conclusion
that it would be impossible for someone to go hungry here.
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| Bananas ripening on banana trees |
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| Breadfruit or "uru;" Marquesan staple second only to taro |
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| Small mango variety common in the Marquesas |
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| Papaya tree |
As visitors, it would be impolite just to help ourselves, so
we ended up buying most of our food. There is bounty from the sea as well, and
I was able to purchase fresh tuna from someone selling it out of a cooler in
the back of their truck. (A vegetable truck and a fresh fish truck open up for
business around 9:00 a.m. in Atuona, in front of the low rock wall near the
Center for Marquesan Artisans at the end of the main road through town.) The
vegetables in the markets are limited to what the supply ship brings (mostly
root vegetables like carrots, onions, and potatoes, with some garlic,
cucumbers, and green tomatoes thrown in), but a local woman grows additional
vegetables (lettuce, cabbage, eggplant, green peppers, bok choy, and Chinese
beans were available when I bought) and sells them out of the back of her
truck. There are four magasins, or
stores, in town, and while prices are high, there is a good variety. Fresh
baked baguettes go quickly, but they are available every morning.
Marquesans hunt the wild pig in the island’s interior, and
on our way back from a tour of the island, we came across some young men selling
pig from the back of their truck.
Marquesans have a rich history and culture that defies
judgment from our own culture and society. They were a warrior people
consisting of tribes living in isolated valleys on these islands. Intertribal
warfare and conflict were common, and the biggest way of obtaining revenge upon
their enemies was to disrespect them by cooking and eating them. Hiva Oa was
supposedly the last island to practice cannibalism, a practice which reportedly
ended in 1912. We learned very little about these practices while on Hiva Oa,
but we did visit one archaeological site, the Iipona site at Puamau.
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| Tikis at Puamau |
The site was beautifully landscaped with tropical flora, and
the nearby forest was equally stunning in its beauty.
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| Bromeliad bloom |
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| Tropical color |
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| Cycads? |
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| Jungle light |
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| These giant-leaved plants are everywhere, but I can't find out their name |
We did not make it to a second site at the village of Taaoa,
a known place of human sacrifice.
We feel that we would definitely have a richer travel
experience in the Marquesas if we knew the languages (Marquesan, French) of
French Polynesia. At least in Mexico and Ecuador, I knew enough Spanish to ask
intelligent questions and to understand most of the answers. In the Marquesas,
we feel that we are coming away from the experience with a very superficial
understanding of the culture. However, it is only our first island, and perhaps
the facts and abstract concepts will sink in with multiple exposures over time.
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| More big leaves: this variety was in a garden outside someone's home |
