History of the Marquesas
This article details the history of the Marquesas. The Marquesas Islands are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas Islands comprise one of the five administrative divisions of French Polynesia.
Prehistory
The first recorded settlers of the Marquesas were Polynesians. Based on a variety of archæological evidence, researchers at one time believed they arrived between 100-600 A.D. This is well documented on the creation myth legend of Hawaiiloa, Ki and Kanaloa. Ethnological and linguistic evidence suggests that a second wave likely arrived from the western region of Tonga.[citation needed]
A 2010 study using revised, high-precision radiocarbon dating suggested that the period of eastern Polynesian colonization took place much later, in a shorter time frame of two waves: the "earliest in the Society Islands A.D. ~1025–1120, four centuries later than previously assumed; then after 70–265 y, dispersal continued in one major pulse to all remaining islands A.D. ~1190–1290."[1] This rapid colonization is believed to account for the "remarkable uniformity of East Polynesia culture, biology and language."[1] As of 2014, the initial settlement date for the islands has been pushed back slightly to around 900–1000 A.D.[2][3]
European exploration
The islands were given their name by the
The
never ratified that claim.A
In 1842, France, following a successful military operation on behalf of a native chief (named Iotete) who claimed to be king of the whole of the island of Tahuata, took possession of the whole group, establishing a settlement (abandoned in 1859) on Nuku Hiva. French re-established control over the group in 1870, and later incorporated into the territory of French Polynesia. Paul Gauguin and other French artists traveled to the Marquesas Islands and other areas of Polynesia in the 19th century to live and work at his art. The islands were regularly visited by whaling and trading ships of various nations.
Of all the major island groups of the
See also
References
- ^ a b Janet M. Wilmshurst, Terry L. Hunt, Carl P. Lipo, and Atholl J. Anderson. "High-precision radiocarbon dating shows recent and rapid initial human colonization of East Polynesia", PNAS, vol. 108 no. 5, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1015876108, accessed 26 October 2015
- ^ Allen, Melinda S. (2014). "Marquesan colonisation chronologies and post-colonisation Interaction: Implications for Hawaiian origins and the 'Marquesan Homeland' hypothesis". J. Pac. Archaeol. 5 (2): 1–17.
- .
- ISBN 0909897190.
- ^ "Papers of Joseph Ingraham, 1790-1792: Journal of the Voyage of the Brigantine "Hope" from Boston to the North-West Coast of America". World Digital Library. 1790–1800. Retrieved 2013-06-08.
- In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, New York: Viking Press, 2001