Nuku Hiva

Nuku Hiva (sometimes mistakenly spelled "Nukahiva") may be the biggest of Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, an international territory of France into the Pacific Ocean. It was previously also referred to as Île Marchand and Madison Island.

Herman Melville had written their book considering their experiences in the Taipivai valley inside east section of Nuku Hiva. Robert Louis Stevenson's first landfall on his voyage on Casco was at Hatihe'u, on the north part of Nuku Hiva, in 1888.

Coast[edit]

The coast of western Nuku Hiva is characterized by a high, but relatively regular coastline, indented periodically by little bays causing deep valleys, which lead to the interior. There aren't any villages about this part.

The coast of east area of the area features couple of locations to land by water and takes the brunt regarding the sea swells.

The north, alternatively, is indented by deep bays, the largest which are Anahō and Hatihe'u. 'A'akapa bay isn't as big but has actually a village of the identical name.

The south has less bays, among which those of Taioha'e, Taipivai, Ho'oumi, Hakaui (the past three are elements of the bigger ) together with bays of Hakau'i and Hakatea both accessed because of the exact same slim entry.

Inland[edit]

The main an element of the island is increased plateau called To'ovi'i, covered mainly by a tall-grass prairie, upon which experiments in cattle raising tend to be happening for the first time — 15 years ago all of the cattle were feral and hunted with rifles.

From the western side of To'ovi'i rises Tekao, the island's greatest peak, which hits a level of 1224 m (4, 016 ft). The western and north sides of To'ovi'i tend to be a mountain ridge, which grabs much of the rainfall that oceans the island.

Pine forest plantations covering huge places all over the crater of To'ovi'i give a general impression associated with reduced Alps and parts of Germany, Wales and Switzerland. In a single destination, Vaipō Waterfall, the accumulated water falls down a highland and falls 350 m (1, 148 ft).

Administration[edit]

Nuku Hiva is administratively part of the commune (municipality) of Nuku-Hiva, itself within the administrative subdivision of Marquesas isles.

Demographics[edit]

The people in 2007 ended up being 2, 660. This is considerably significantly less than that experienced after the 16th century when the Spaniards initially sighted the area. Associates with Europeans brought infections such venereal illness and influenza causing high death.

The people is primarily Polynesian with a small proportion of Europeans, mainly from Metropolitan France. At the 2002 census, 92.6% of Nuku Hiva's residents were created in French Polynesia while 148 men and women, making up 5.6% of Nuku Hiva's residents, were people-born in Metropolitan France.

The principal diet of individuals is commonly breadfruit, taro, manioc, coconut and several kinds of good fresh fruit, which develop in abundance. Goats, fish and, more rarely, pigs, will be the primary sources of beef but there is an ever growing number of local beef available. Imported food can be freely readily available, including apples, red grapes, celery, and also sliced bread from New Zealand. Two local bakeries produce baguettes, another cheap staple. Substantial rice can be consumed. There are a lot of wild pigs from the area including those reared in the farming college.The crazy pigs tend to be a cross involving the Polynesian pig brought by the very first settlers and also the crazy boar brought by the Europeans.

Discover one prison on the island, that has been typically used for 'short stay' internments such as the last 3 months of sentences and has also been frequently altogether empty. Recently, but prisoners can choose to do their full phrase right here whether they have no family on Tahiti so the Nuku Hiva prison now has inmates everyday.

Transportation[edit]

Nuku Hiva is supported by a single-runway airport into the northwest corner of this area, around 50 kilometres (31 mi) by-road, northwest of Taioha'e.

Ancient Period[edit]

Nuku Hiva was, in old times, the site of two provinces, Te I'i covering somewhat above the western two thirds regarding the area, and Tai Pī, since the eastern 3rd.

Latest studies suggest that very first people to arrive right here came from west polynesia around 2000 years back, only later colonizing Tahiti, Hawai'i, The Cook Islands and New Zealand. The legend has it that 'Ono, the god of creation, guaranteed their partner to construct a house within one day, therefore he collected collectively land and created these countries, which are all known as after elements of the home, Nuku Hiva becoming the roofing. Every thing he'd left he threw to 1 part and produced a dump which is called 'Ua Huka. From these supposed origins the people rose to an untenable dimensions; first European estimates range from 50, 000 to 100, 000.

Food became of prime relevance. Breadfruit had been the basic, but taro, plantain and manioc in addition played a large component. As for animal meat, seafood had been the key resource, but even so was limited because of the amount needed seriously to give countless mouths. Pigs, birds and puppies were in addition developed, and hunted once they took to your wild.

It's still discussed the reason why numerous Polynesian tribes or countries applied cannibalism. Undoubtedly, a lot of Pacific isles residents did so in pre-historic times. One principle is that cannibalism had been more for meals than ritual, although ritual played a huge part. An offering towards the gods had been called Ika, therefore fish, and a sacrifice was caught and, exactly like a fish, ended up being hung by a fishhook inside sacred place.

Those is eaten were tied and hung up in trees until needed, then had their brains bashed from execution blocks with a club. Females and kids seem to have been cannibalized only for food, whereas warriors killed in fight were offerings to your gods and were consumed by their particular conquerors to absorb their particular energy; their skulls had been held by their slayers for the same explanation.

Colonial Period[edit]

On July 21, 1595 Álvaro de Mendaña de Neira stopped at Fatu Iva and labeled as the islands Los Marquesas following the wife for the Viceroy of Peru. James Cook similarly visited the south in 1774, in addition to Solide expedition in 1791. There is certainly little proof that these visits led to the development of diseases, possibly because sluggish passages inhibited the diseases aboard the vessels. It appears that it absolutely was the commercial delivery, dealing with sandalwood, together with whaling vessels that introduced the epidemics that killed nine from ten Polynesians.