TheMarquesas Islands were colonized byseafaringPolynesians as early as 300 AD, thought to originate fromTonga and theSamoan Islands. The dense population was concentrated in the narrow valleys and consisted of warring tribes.
Much ofPolynesia, including the original settlers ofHawaii,Tahiti,Rapa Iti andEaster Island, was settled by Marquesans, believed to have departed from the Marquesas as a result more frequently ofoverpopulation and drought-related food shortages, than because of the nearly constant warfare that eventually became a prominent feature of the islands' culture. Almost the entire remainder of Polynesia, with the exception of a few areas of western Polynesia as well as the majority of thePolynesian outliers, was colonized by Marquesan descendants centered in Tahiti.
Native Marquesan culture was devastated in the period following the arrival ofEuropean explorers. The primary cause of its collapse can be directly linked to the catastrophic effects ofaliendiseases, especiallysmallpox, which reduced the population by an estimated 98%.[1]
The sexual culture of Marquesans is often misrepresented.Robert Louis Stevenson, who visited the islands and talked to the natives, wrote:
"Stanislao Moanatini told me that in his own recollection, the young were strictly guarded; they were not suffered so much as to look upon one another in the street, but passed (so my informant put it) like dogs; and the other day the whole school-children ofNuka-hiva andUa-pu escaped in a body to the woods, and lived there for a fortnight in promiscuous liberty. Readers of travels may perhaps exclaim at my authority, and declare themselves better informed. I should prefer the statement of an intelligent native like Stanislao (even if it stood alone, which it is far from doing) to the report of the most honest traveller."[2]
(The conflicting reports mentioned here are compactly summarized byRobert Carl Suggs.[3][4])
The Marquesas have a long history of complex geometrictattooing, covering the whole bodies of both men and women.[5][6]
Marquesan tattoos can be recognized by 'trademark symbols', such asgeckos,centipedes,Ti'i's, the Marquesan Cross (which is also commonly confused with other designs) and other geometric designs. Marquesan designs distinguish themselves through the use of symbols and consistent artistic renderings of lines, arches and circles, which are uniquely attributed and linked through history to the South Pacific Islands.[7]
Boys received their first tattoos in their teens in a ritual setting, and by old age often had tattoos all over their bodies. Women were also tattooed, but not as extensively as men. The designs share many symbolic motifs, but were never copied entirely; every individual's tattoos were different and signified heritage, accomplishments, the specific Marquesan island the individual came from and their familial position.[8]
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Today, Marquesan culture is a mélange created by the layering of the ancient Marquesan culture, with strong influences from the importantTahitian culture and the politically importantFrench culture.
Marquesan society died a horrible, wasting death. By the early 1920s, only 1500 confused, hostile, and apathetic survivors remained of the possible 100,000 to 120,000 that had inhabited the islands in 1767.
