Approximately 2300 years ago, the maohi, or the Polynesian indigenous people, arrived to the islands located in the South Pacific(UNPO). Although they developed their own political system, based on mythological aspects of their culture, their society disappeared under European influence, as they were colonized first by the British and then by the French. The year 1767 was the first time for a European to set foot on the islands, as the British Captain Samuel Wallis made an expedition there. He was soon followed in 1768 and 1769 by Louis-Antoine de Bougainville and by James Cook, respectively. Tahiti remained for almost one century under local rule, the Pomare dynasty, who embraced Christianity, and in 1880 it was proclaimed a French colony (Britannica).
The Maohi religion resides in ancient polytheist beliefs. Some of their most important gods were Taaroa, Tane, Tu, Oro and Hir, whose legends were orally transmitted from generation to generation. During the European colonization, many traditions were lost, as the missionaries did all they could to impose their own religion and cultural values. Nevertheless, some of the traditional Polynesian ways have remained, and are hopefully rediscovered with governmental help. At the moment, Christianity is the most important religion in the islands, as 54% of the inhabitants are Protestants and 30% Roman Catholics (UNPO).
Some of the traditional musical instruments are paho and toere drums or a nose flute called a vivo. Although guitars arrived to the islands, the natives made an original song style, close to country but wearing a distinctive Southern Pacific mark at the same time. One tradition that unfortunately got lost is the art of making bark paper and cloth, named tapa. Although the Polynesian population has gone through several stages of evolution since the colonization, some aspects of the society still remind of the natives. People are easy-going, relaxed, while beachwear is usually from the waist down. Moreover, they hold a broad concept of family, which generously includes cousins, uncles or aunts (UNPO).
French Polynesia has a moderately developed economy, which is though still dependent on France. The largest source for income is definitely tourism, while commerce of black pearls comes second. Fishing and fisheries are the largest developing sector at the moment (UNPO).
The issue of independence is still prominent, as in 2004 France granted Tahiti more autonomy by transforming it from a French overseas territory to a French overseas country. This is an important step in the history of the archipelago, if we think that the islands are still recovering after more than 150 nuclear tests which France performed in the second half of the 20th century, some of them up to 200 kilotons, which means 10 times more powerful than the bomb that leveled Hiroshima (UNPO).
Images (from top to bottom):
Flag of French Polynesia. Source: UNPO
Toere Drums. Source: Hula Instruments
Map of French Polynesia. Source: UNPO