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Around the World in 106 Days with Ray & Claire!! Part 30 – Marquesas Islands. Located about 700 miles northeast of Tahiti, the Marquesas are made up of 15 islands out of which only 6 are inhabited. Stretching over 350km, they are divided up in to north and south. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Around the World in 106 Days with
Ray & Claire!!
Part 30 – Marquesas Islands
Located about 700 miles northeast of Tahiti, the
Marquesas are made up of 15 islands out of which only 6
are inhabited.
Stretching over 350km, they are divided up in to north and
south.Nuku Hiva (which we visited)
is a volcanic island to the North West and is the
Marquesas principal island.
It has a population of around 2600, which is primarily Polynesian, with a small
proportion of Europeans - mostly from Metropolitan
France
The Marquesas were first discovered and colonized about 2,000 years ago, by
Polynesian voyagers.
They named the Island group “Hen-ua En-na” or
“Ground of the Men”
Although they had no written language the
Polynesians developed a culture rich in oral
traditions, folk law and decorative arts.
A warrior of Nuku Hiva with a spear and a hand fan by Wilhelm Gottlieb
Tilesius von Tilenau, 1813.
Women and children seem to have been cannibalized just for food, whereas warriors killed in
battle were offerings to the gods and were eaten by their
conquerors to absorb their power; their skulls were kept by their
slayers for the same reason, and hung from their loincloths.
The sculls had a hook arrangement to enable them to be hung on the
warriors belt
Human bones have been found indicating that the natives (similar to other Polynesian Islands) had turned
to cannibalism by the 1400’s
It is still debated why they practiced cannibalism and
whilst it is thought that it was more for food than a ritual –
rituals, nevertheless played a big part.
The remnants of a “cooking pot” used for sacrifices
After 1400, certain religious and ceremonial structures (some of monumental size) were built, including the To-hua and the Tiki, which are
characteristic of this classical period
The To-hua was a plaza that could accommodate special village activities. Similar to the Maori Marae, it had an
open area in the middle, probably built to
commemorate the birth of a first son, or the death of a
chief or a priest. Scribe’s NoteSee later about the renovation of the
site of Temehea and existing Tikis on
that site
The To-hua became the chief's hereditary property and part of his family's residential complex; so, in a sense,
the To-hua was the chief's compound to which he would invite guests, visitors, and sometimes the entire
village for special events, dancing and feasting.
Marquesan Chieftess
Tiki refers to large wood or stone carvings of humanoid
forms in Central Eastern Polynesian cultures.
The term is also used in Maori mythology where Tiki is the first man, created by either Tumata-uenga or Tane who found the first woman, Mari-kori-ko, in a
pond. She seduced him and he became the father of Hine-kau-
ataata.
The Tiki on Nuku Hiva which still stand on this site are only
remnants of the vast array of monumental statues
Many have since disappeared, either into museums or private collections, or have simply been weather damaged – especially
in the case of the wooden figures
The Marquesans lived happily - if not peacefully - until the Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mandana blundered across the islands during his search for the legendary land of Ophir.
Mendana believed that in Ophir he would find King Solomon’s mines - the source of gold for King Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem.
Although he didn’t find gold on the Marquesas - he did come across a great number of longhaired, ornately tattooed savages and inevitably
found conflict.
The Marquesians or Hivans were a savage warlike people, not to mention their penchant for eating people.
By the end of his visit though, Mendana and his crew had killed over 200 Marquesans, including many women and children.
.
Nearly two centuries were to pass before the next white visitor Captain
James Cook, arrived in 1774.
Although this visit was less traumatic, blood was still spilt.
Perhaps with more disastrous consequences, Cook's expedition had was the effect of opening the Marquesas to the outside world.
Catholic missionaries reached the island in 1839 and the religion took
hold when the archipelago was seized by the French in 1842
With little respect or comprehension for the people upon whom they had intruded,
the early European visitors had a dramatic and destructive effect
on the Marquesans and their culture, with the banning of tattooing, singing, dancing,
artwork and any activities related to the old religion
Marquesans performing a dance
The introduction of firearms, alcohol and a multitude of diseases decimated the local population and contributed
to an element of self-destructive anarchy.
In the brief period of only 60 years, their two thousand year old culture had disintegrated, one
of the reasons being due to smallpox disease, introduced by the uninvited visitors.
Nowadays, there are fewer than 10,000 inhabitants on the Marquesas and apparently
none of them are pure blood. Despite this, they are still very proud of their rich culture and
heritage.
Today, however Nuku Hiva is known for its towering spire like peaks, secluded lush valleys, ancient religious sites, fjord like bays and waterfalls so high that most of the descending water
evaporates on the way down There are no villages on the western side and the coastline on the eastern part of the island has
few places to land by sea and takes the brunt of the ocean swells.
Once more we had to anchor offshore and had to be brought in by the Ship’s Tenders’...
....and we were greeted in true Polynesian style
..even the children seemed pleased to see us
...and Claire discussed shopping opportunities with Dawn and Linda
The town of Taio-hae was easy to explore on foot as its main street follows the curving shoreline of the Bay for about 2 miles
....in any case, there were no taxis, so we decided to walk.
The ship
dropped
anchor here
Anyone want to buy a Ship?
I cannot understand what she is
talking about – I think she
must be English
Taio-hae is a pretty little village next to the sea
Walking round, heading west, we came across the Town Hall. This (along with the Post Office, Wharf and Tourist Information Centre) is located in the area of the original French settlement, which is behind Taio-hae and where U.S. Navy Commodore David Porter built a temporary base from which he raided British
shipping in the Pacific during the War of 1812.
A little further on, we reached the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame.
The gate to the compound was part of a wall from the original 19th-century church, but this modern version was built around 1977.
Inside the cathedral there were some marvelous stone and woodcarvings that each island had donated
The pulpit and Stations of the Cross are elaborately carved from single trunks of Tamanooo, which is ironwood or Australian Pine.
Outside St. Paul holds a spear instead of his
Sword of Damocles.St Peter holds
breadfruit which substitutes as the olive tree and the
Hinano beer is depicted as one of the seven deadly
sins!
As you will remember from previous
presentations, the Breadfruit plant was an important part of the
Polynesian diet
Families still use it today and when it is
cooked on the embers of an open fire, peeled and then cut, it tastes something between a slice of bread and a
cake
Outside there are a couple of stone sculptures, one of the Pope & the other of the Madonna & Child (which the cameraman forgot to take a picture of!)……
....and a cheery farewell wave from Raymond
Heading back to the coastal road we came across a
monument to Herman Melville
Although this American Novelist is probably best known for writing
“Moby Dick”, he also wrote a book called “Typee” based on his
experiences in the Taipivai valley
Mah-noi – used as a skin and hair softener (see
later)
A French 1880 War Memorial Another ancient monument
At the far end of the Bay we came across a black sand beach which (apparently) is very popular with visitors and from which locals launch their racing canoes
..and overlooking the sand are these lodges which belong to the only Hotel on the Island – and which cost about $US 2000 per night to rent
...and yes, just to prove a point,
Raymond had to purchase
something from Ruth (the owner)!
..and nearby was a museum with a little shop
Time to get back round to our Ship a we only have a short stop over here
But on our way back, we came across this old building. At first we thought that it was an old farmhouse or hall or something but then discovered that it is in fact the local jail!
This is the only one, perhaps not surprisingly, on the island and is generally used for “short stay” internments
The Island is literally full of colour
Near the Pier was some stalls selling handicrafts such as wood carvings, seeds, shell necklaces, bone carving and par-eos – which is the Tahitian word for a wrap around skirt - and Monoi oil.
Monoi oil is infused oil made from soaking the petals of Tahitian gardenias in semi-wax coconut oil.
Monoi oil (an ancient Tahitian word meaning "scented oil”) is widely used among French Polynesians as a skin and hair softener, it is also popular in
Europe and gaining ground in the United States
Using one of the Ship’s Tender to get back on board and were chased by one of the local Racing Canoes
The two canoeist in the background gave up, but this one chased us all the way to the Ship
..and there was the Black Watch waiting for us to Buckle up and get ready for NINE days at sea and nine days of entertainment and
relaxation before we reached our next Port of Call at Callao
Claire is going to be busy over the next nine days what with
Art and Choir
24 Mar to 1 Apr 2012
Ray will do his usual sunbathing, a bit of Gym, some dance lessons (with Claire) and “playing” with
his computers
23 Mar 2012
Madam ensures that she is suitably dressed for the occasion
(She just “loves” comics!)
24 Mar 2012
A truly excellent, profession
al West End Show!
25 Mar 2012
26 Mar 2012
The International Cocktail Party for the 200 or so Non-Brits on board the Black Watch
(Which Raymond gatecrashed as he said he was from Riddiford...and also there was free champagne! Where was Mrs Wembley when there was
champagne on offer? At a Women's Institute Meeting!!)
This was an
amazing Show by a top range Magician
26 Mar 2012
We dancers do get hungry
you know!
Cant you see? The missing
card is in his mouth!
Andy had four people from the audience sat at the table within inches of his
hands.He also had a camera show so that the
audience could see what was happening – and still he managed to give a faultless
show - he is banned from the Ships Casino by the way!!
27 Mar 2012
28 Mar 2012
That was great fun AND we got a
standing ovation....well
Raymond stood up (but I think he was
off to the Loo!)
29 Mar 2012
Oooh!They do make a
smashing couple
Is he talking
about us?
I think that we are much
nicer pair than that
other couple
30 Mar 2012
Its OK Ray – I’ll make sure
that she doesn't
leave with anything!
31 Mar 2012
“I only asked what was the Baked Alaska
like – and all of a sudden the waiters Fidel
and Cecil went mad!”
“As Cruise Director – I
thought that it might help her to sing the top
notes at the next Choral Concert!”
“But I don't like Baked
Alaska – can I just have
an ice cream for a
change!”
“We are ready to rock and
roll!”
“and we have
done all their hair”
The Parade of the Chefs
Claire’s first attempts at water colour
painting
Beginners Class
(Leg 1)
1 2
3 4
Second Leg
87
65
9 1011
1213
“Own Choice!”
Third Leg