The French – and more specifically, French missioniaries – had been in Oceania since before Paul Gauguin was born. It is important to understand the fact that while Gauguin likely had a large impact on the native Tahitians that he directly interacted with, the history of the French in the South Pacific was written largely before – and without – Gauguin.
Captain James Cook made a voyage between 1772 and 1775 that dispelled the myth – leftover from the Renaissance – that there must be a large landmass located south of Asia and east of Africa (Edmond 6) . What Cook discovered instead of this expected landmass was an extensive chain of archipelagos and other smaller, more isolated islands scattered throughout the South Pacific to its southern boundary – Antarctica. These islands make up what we know today as ‘Oceania.’
Although missionaries were far from being the only group to influence the peoples and cultures of Oceania during the nineteenth century, these religious folk undoubtedly had a significant impact on the islands of Oceania that they evangelized. Oceania was proselytized by both Catholic and Protestant missionaries and although missionaries likely had similar goals, they differed in their methods of ministering to the natives. Robert Aldrich addresses some of the debates among the missionaries in Oceania in his book The French Presence in the South Pacific, 1842-1940, including: “How much Christian doctrine should be taught? Which groups should be evangelised first? Could the priests administer sacraments if they were unsure of the real faith of the converts?” (Aldrich 44). And varying strategies for converting the natives were often the least of the missionaries’ problems. Missionaries had to deal with the heathen lifestyle of the native Tahitians. As Aldrich writes, “Practices accepted in Oceanic societies, such as polygamy and infanticide, scandalised the priests. Even everyday features of Pacific life, such as scant clothing and dances, shocked the young men accustomed to the life of French villages and Catholic seminaries” (Aldrich 43-4). And beyond these moral setbacks, the missionaries also faced very real challenges in terms of their basic needs. The missionaries “lacked basic provisions,” had to find ways to feed and house themselves, and faced constant attacks from the islanders (Aldrich 42). But despite the challenges faced by the missionaries, they indeed had a very real impact on the native Tahitians. The missions provided the natives with medical care and educational opportunities, both as social services and to attract converts (Aldrich 45). This impact was not always positive, though, as the missionaries also used tobacco products as means of proselytizing to the Tahitians. But positive or negative, the amount of the impact of the missionaries was great. As Aldrich writes, “The missionaries’ influence was considerable: they directly or indirectly represented French interests, even when at loggerheads with the state, and they were major agents in the socialisation of Polynesians and Melanesians into a Europeanised way of life” (Aldrich 34). French foreign policy in the South Pacific was often shaped by the Catholic and Protestant missionaries in the area, and Tahiti was no exception to this.
Catholic Missions in Tahiti
As Robert Aldrich wrote in his book The French Presence in the South Pacific, 1842-1940, “Tahiti and the islands of eastern Polynesia were among the first areas where French Catholics began to be solidly anchored” (Aldrich 35). But, according to Aldrich, Tahiti was distinct among the Oceanic islands due to the fact that Protestantism was the “official religion” of Tahiti during its colonial years (Aldrich 56). According to Aldrich, the Catholic mission in Tahiti did not enjoy a legal existence until 1939 but the Catholic parish in Papeete was the recognized by law because the state had designated it the parish of the French community in that city (Aldrich 56). This lead to power struggles within the Catholic Church in Tahiti. Father Gilles Collette, the cure of the recognized Catholic mission in Tahiti ranked lower than Msr. Verdier, the Vicar Apostolic, who was not recognized by the state. But because of the status granted to the two by the administration of the island, Collette received a stipend from the state while Verdier did not. The tension between the two came to a head in 1889 when Collette supported a group effort to lock Verdier out of the church and Verdier retaliated by excommunicating Collette and suspending him from his duties in the church. The situation continued to affect parish life in Papeete for a year, ending only when Cardinal Simeoni wrote a letter that called for reconciliation between the two men, blaming Verdier for the ordeal and slapping the vicar on the wrist for his behavior, leaving Collette victorious (Aldrich 56).
Protestant Missions in Tahiti
As Rod Edmond states in his book Representing the South Pacific, Protestantism was first established in Tahiti by the English in 1795 when the London Missionary Society chose Tahiti as its first targeted field of operation (Edmond 9). But when French authorities took over Tahiti in 1842, they treated the long-established London Missionary Society with ambivalence (Aldrich 62). Given the French presence in Tahiti and the lack of French Protestant missions on the island, Catholicism was quickly becoming the unofficial but established religion of Tahiti, until 1860 when the Polynesian assembly in Tahiti asked Paris for French Protestant missionaries. The call was answered in 1863 by the French pastor, Arbousset. Fairing better than the Catholic church, the Protestant church was legally recognized in 1884 after discussions between pastors and officials lasted for ten years. After this breakthrough for the Protestant church, the government gave stipends to pastors and teachers while maintaining certain controls over the missionary activities. Because of this, the French Protestant missionaries were able to expand their activities in education, evangelization, and social work (Aldrich 63-4).