The termSociety Islands was first used by CaptainJames Cook when he visited theLeeward Islands, a subgroup of six of the modern-day Society Islands, during hisexpedition to the south Pacific Ocean in 1769. It has been asserted that the name honors theRoyal Society, the sponsor of his voyage, but this is disputed.[7] Cook wrote in his journal:
To these six islands, [Raiatea,Tahaʻa, Bora Bora, Huahine,Tupai, andMaupiti], as they lie contiguous to each other, I gave the names of SOCIETY ISLANDS, but did not think it proper to distinguish them separately by any other names than those by which they were known to the natives.[8]
The islanders explain their origins in terms of anorally transmitted story. The feathered godTa'aroa lay in his shell. He called out but no-one answered, so he went back into his shell, where he stayed for aeons. When he came out he changed his body into the multi-layered dome of the sky. Other parts of his body he transformed into Papa-fenua, the earth. Other parts he made into Te Tuma, the ata, or shadow of his phallus. Ta'aroa said, "Cast your eyes on my phallus. Gaze upon it and insert it in the earth." He came down to earth at "Opoa in Havai'i" (nowRa'iatea), one of the most sacred places in the Society Islands. Other gods were created, and these ran directly into the time of the people. The high chiefs or ari'i rahi were descendants from the gods, reckoned to be forty generations previous. In their presence commoners showed respect by stripping to the waist. The high chiefs erectedmarae as places of worship.
In the generations before Europeans arrived, a cult called 'Oro-maro-'ura developed: the cult of the red-feathered girdle. This became a tangible symbol of the chief's power. Key followers of the 'Oro cult were the 'arioi, who lived separately from the common people. They wore scented flowers and adorned themselves with scents and scarlet-dyed cloth. The head of each 'arioi group was heavily tattooed from ankle to thigh and known as a blackleg. Both male and female blacklegs were a privileged group but they were forbidden to have children. Their babies were all killed at birth. They received and gave lavish presents. They had a wide range of artistic skills and could be priests, navigators and lore specialists. Only good-looking men or women could become 'arioi. They played a crucial role in ceremonies associated with birth, deaths and marriage.[12]: 23–28
In 1767 HMSDolphin, sailing under CaptainSamuel Wallis, landed on Tahiti. The captain and crew were quite sick withscurvy on arrival and were keen to obtain fresh food. Europeans quickly found that the islanders were desperate to obtain iron, which was prized for use in woodworking and as fish-hooks. The sailors found that young women and girls were eager to exchange sex for a nail.
The islanders were delighted at the abundance of iron on the ship and tried to board the ship in search of iron. Wallis reported that he shot cannon to maintain control of his vessel and the iron on board.[12]: 39–47
Louis de Bougainville, a French nobleman, sailor and soldier, left France on his circumnavigation of the globe in 1766.[14] By the time he reached the Society islands in 1768, his crew was stricken with scurvy. Despite the crew being twice as numerous as that of theDolphin, the islanders had sufficient food to supply them in exchange for axes, knives, and other iron goods.[12]: 90–96
Between 1772 and 1775, theviceroy of Peru, theSpaniard Manuel Amat y Juniet, organized three expeditions to the Society Islands. Having news of James Cook's expedition and fearing British colonization of the island, he ordered a first expedition under the command of the Spanish sailorDomingo de Bonechea, with Tomás Gayangos as assistant, aboard the frigate "Águila". During the second expedition (1774-1775), Domingo de Bonechea and José Andía y Varela, aboard the ships "Águila"[15] and "Júpiter",[15] recognized or discovered a dozen islands between the archipelagos ofTuamotu and theAustral Islands, and established a mission in Tahiti, which lasted only a couple of years. Domingo de Bonechea, whose health was weakened, died during this expedition.[15]
The islands became aFrench protectorate in 1843 and a colony in 1880 under the name of French Establishments of Oceania (Établissements Français d'Océanie, EFO).
Combined, the Society Islands have a population of 275,918 inhabitants (as of 2017[update])[1] and a land area of 1,590 square kilometres (610 sq mi). They represent the most economically important of the fivearchipelagos of French Polynesia. The highest point isMount Orohena, which reaches 2,241 meters, located on the island of Tahiti.
The population of the islands is concentrated in the coastal regions and becomes increasingly sparse towards the mountainous center of the islands. The main island of Tahiti (Îles du Vent), where 50% of the inhabitants live, is also home to the capital of French Polynesia, the city ofPapeete.
The Society Islands are ahotspot volcanic chain consisting of ten islands and atolls. The chain is oriented along the N. 65° W. direction, parallel to the movement of thePacific Plate. Due to the plate movement over theSociety hotspot, the age of the islands decreases from 5Ma atMaupiti to 0 Ma atMehetia, 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 erodedshield volcano with at least 12 thinlava flows, which accumulated fairly rapidly between 4.79 and 4.05 Ma.Bora Bora is another highly eroded shield volcano consisting ofbasaltic lavas accumulated between 3.83 and 3.1 Ma. The lavas are intersected by post-shielddikes.Tahaʻa consists of shield-stage basalt with an age of 3.39 Ma, followed by additional eruptions 1.2 Ma later.Raiatea consists of shield-stage basalt followed by post-shieldtrachytic lava flows, all occurring from 2.75 to 2.29 Ma.Huahine consists of two coalesced basalt shield volcanoes, Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti, with several flows followed by post-shieldtrachyphonolitic lavadomes from 3.08 to 2.06 Ma.Moʻorea 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.[16]
The tropical forests of French Polynesia are home to a great variety of rare animals and plants.
Above all, the islands are known for their olfactorylandscape. The Tahitian tiaré (Gardenia taitensis), which blooms exclusively on the Society Islands, is one of the most fragrant of all flowers and is now protected.
Theatolls surrounding the islands are covered with numerouscorals, around which butterfly and clown fish frolic. Manta rays also reside here.
However, part of the underwater world of French Polynesia has been affected bynuclear tests conducted by the French government between 1966 and 1968.
The climate of the islands varies betweentropical and subtropical due to their size. The heat and very high humidity, together with the islands' fertilevolcanic soils, have created dense, mostly inaccessibletropical forests. There are two seasons: a warm one, which lasts from November to March, and a cooler one, from April to October.
Most of the population of the Society Islands professChristianity, including variousProtestantChristian denominations and theRoman Catholic Church. The Protestants arrived with the firstEnglish explorers, while the Catholics settled in the area first with the arrival of theSpanish and permanently with the beginning of theFrench colonization of the region, which was consolidated with the establishment of aprotectorate over the islands. By 1774, the Spanish had settled in the region briefly and installed a large cross that they brought from their colonies inPeru.[17]
In January 1775, the priest Fray Jerónimo Clota celebrated the first Catholic mass on the islands.[17] The Spanish did not remain in the area due to the continuing uprisings in other of their colonies.[17]
Sacred Heart Church in Taravao (Église du Sacré-Coeur de Taravao), Tahiti
Queen Pōmare IV expelled French Catholic missionaries from her kingdom in 1836 and provoked the annoyance of France. Between 1838 and 1842, French naval commanderAbel Aubert du Petit-Thouars responded to French complaints and forced the queen and Tahitian chiefs to cede Tahiti as a French protectorate. In the 1880s France formally annexed the islands.
Today [when?], the Catholic Church owns at least 45 religious buildings in the area, all under theecclesiastical responsibility of theMetropolitan Archdiocese of Papeete (Archidiocese of Papeete or Archidioecesis Papeetensis)[18] with headquarters on the island of Tahiti. The Cathedral of Our Lady of theImmaculate Conception (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de l'Immaculée Conception) stands out on the island.
On each island, the religious situation is different. On Bora Bora, for example, there are more Protestant Christians than Catholic Christians,[19] as a result of the fact that the English arrived there before the French,[19] however, both groups now regularly performecumenical Christian acts and live together.[19]
^P. V. Kirch: On the Road of the Winds – An Archaeological History of the Pacific Islands Before European Contact; Berkeley, Los Angeles, London 2002, pp. 230–231. There is much debate as to the exact date of the original Polynesian migration to Tahiti, and indeed whether it came in one wave or several. Some experts put it as late as 500–800 BCE.
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