With their cliffs beaten by the swell of the open sea, their peaks rising towards the clouds and their brown sand beaches, the Marquesas Islands do not exactly meet the definition of paradise islands.

Raw and wild, they sit alone in the middle of the Pacific.

Two planes a week offer them a thin line of union with civilization.

But to reach this end of the world from Tahiti, the royal road is that of the ocean.

Heir to the old supply schooners, the Aranui or “Grand Chemin” transports freight and passengers to the archipelago twice a month.

At an average speed of 15 knots, they have plenty of time to savor the trip, in the wake of illustrious predecessors, such as Melville, Stevenson, Segalen or London.

This mixed freighter punctuates the life of the Marquesas.

His arrival is always a celebration that all the islands make a point of celebrating.

Everyone expects something from it: food, equipment, a car, the return of a relative who has gone to work in Tahiti… Between bursts of laughter, the men are busy around the barges to unload the long-awaited equipment.

Instead, they store copra, the dried coconut pulp from which oil is extracted in Tahiti.

On board, passengers are in constant contact with Polynesian culture.

The staff form a large family with which they quickly feel intimate thanks to the small size of the boat and the widespread use of familiarity, but also thanks to the conferences and the daily activities.

The Aranui 5 begins its fortnightly tour in the largest of the Marquesas, Nuku Hiva.

After two days at sea, docking in the bay of Taiohae, the administrative capital of the archipelago, still has a taste of adventure.

Second stopover of the mixed freighter, Ua Pou is distinguished by its relief bristling with peaks and by its cultural dynamism.

The jagged coast of Ua Huka then forces the boat into a spectacular manoeuvre, as close as possible to the cliffs of Vaipaee, under the dubious gaze of goats and wild horses.

Expected by all the admirers of Paul Gauguin and Jacques Brel who rest there in peace, Hiva Oa also has a very rich set of

tikis

, these anthropomorphic sculptures which are the seat of

mana

and ancestral beliefs.

A short distance away, Tahuata is the smallest of the six inhabited islands.

Then finally comes Fatu Hiva, the southernmost.

The passengers of the Aranui are invited to a memorable hike on the green heights, before the archipelago finds its solitude.

A battered "Land of Men"

According to legend, the Marquesas were created overnight.

When the world was just an ocean, Oatea lived without a home, with his wife Atanua.

When she asked him for a home, he invoked the gods and set to work.

That same evening, he erected two pillars, depicting the island of Ua Pou.

He then placed the ridge beam (Hiva Oa) to support the roof (Nuku Hiva), covered by nine coconut palms (Fatu Hiva).

The work was completed at dawn (Tahuata) and the remains of the site collected in a pit (Ua Huka).

This is how Te Fenua Enata

, “The Land of Men”

was drawn .

In the heart of the largest of the oceans, this archipelago is far from everything.

More than 5,000 kilometers from the American continent and 9,000 from Australia, the Marquesas are the most isolated islands on the planet.

However, they were the very first center of Polynesian settlement, from the beginning of our era.

Their encounter with Europeans dates back to 1595.

Leaving from Peru, four Spanish ships commanded by don Álvaro de Mendaña, anchored off the island of Tahuata.

To honor the wife of its sovereign, the Marchioness of Canete, the leader of the expedition baptized these new lands Las Marquesas.

This first contact, which would have left 200 dead and some illnesses, was only a distant memory when the explorer Abel Dupetit-Thouars took possession of the archipelago in the name of France in 1842.

This new contact with Europe was even more devastating.

Administration of the islands was quickly handed over to Catholic missionaries, who resented the local practices of free love, tattooing and ritual cannibalism.

To bring the Marquesans back to the right path, Bishop Dordillon enacted a “code” prohibiting, one after the other, all traditions.

This tyrannical "good word" and the introduction of new viruses caused the population of the Marquesas to drop from 50,000 to 2,000 inhabitants in a century!

It was not until the 1920s and the promotion of new hygiene standards by Dr. Rollin to see the demographic curve rise.

Today, the six inhabited islands of the archipelago have 10,000 souls determined to find and defend their identity.

The cultural revival

Before the arrival of Europeans, knowledge and customs were transmitted orally in the Marquesan valleys.

But having become silent after two centuries of prohibitions, the islands ended up losing all their bearings.

Speaker on the Aranui, Ben Teikitutoua explains that in the 1970s “the Marquesans were perceived as savage ear-eaters” in Papeete.

The frustration generated by these prejudices, but also by the hegemony of Tahiti, is at the origin of the Marquesan revival.

This dynamic coincides with the appointment of Monsignor Hervé Le Cleac'h as head of the Marquesas bishopric.

As soon as he arrived in 1972, the man of faith was moved by the fact that the Marquesans had never been able to pray in their own language.

When in 1977 a decree imposed Tahitian as a compulsory language in all schools in French Polynesia, three courageous teachers from Ua Pou finally reacted.

Ben Teikitutoua was one of them.

Thanks to the support of the bishop, they set up the Motu Haka association aimed at defending their language.

Then they began to glean from the valleys all the residual bits of tradition.

Songs, legends, drums, tattoos (

patutiki

), cooking, sculpture, vegetable fabric (

tapa

)… Little by little, the cultural puzzle was put together.

And in 1985, Marquesans were allowed to teach their language in primary school.

An exception throughout Polynesia!

The same year, the Marquesas took part for the first time in the South Pacific Arts Festival.

Better, they made the opening.

From then on, the reconquest of identity would accelerate.

Today, it is expressed in particular through crafts and during festivals which bring together a delegation from each island every two years.

The 2021 presidential visit was a consecration for the work of Ben and his friends.

Never had a French head of state been to the Marquesas.

Welcomed like a king on Hiva Oa by six hundred dancers and musicians, Emmanuel Macron supported the request for mixed, cultural and natural registration of the archipelago as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In the meantime, the Marquesan culture radiates throughout the world through its best ambassador: the tattoo.

An indelible memory that Aranui passengers can even treat themselves to on board.

Travel

Tahiti, Moorea, Huahine, Bora Bora: the most beautiful archipelago in the world in four stopovers

Go

Air Tahiti Nui is offering up to seven flights a week to Papeete this summer.

From Paris, the journey takes 21 hours, to which is added a technical stopover in Los Angeles for which it is necessary to obtain an ESTA authorization.

The other conditions for traveling to French Polynesia are updated on the company's website.

Cruise

The journey aboard the Aranui 5 is exceptional on two counts.

For its destination first, the Marquesas Islands.

And for its mixed cargo vocation.

A supply ship that can carry 1,700 tonnes of freight, it also offers all the comforts of a cruise ship to 230 passengers: swimming pool, table service, bars, spa... Compliant with international Marpol regulations on pollution at sea, the ship makes every effort to control its impact on the environment, from air conditioning management, waste sorting, ballast water treatment and LED lighting.

Departing from Tahiti, the Aranui 5 sails to the Marquesas, passing through the Tuamotus.

This 12 day/11 night journey is the only way to discover the six inhabited islands of the archipelago.

Full board, including guided excursions and wine during meals on board, prices start at €2,851 in a dormitory and €4,580 per person in a double cabin.

Note that all cabin categories (except dormitories) benefit from discounts on departures from May 07 to August 27, 2022.

The trip from July 2 to 13 will give cruise passengers the opportunity to attend the Marquesas Arts Festival during the stopover in Fatu Hiva.

With this year's theme “Language, ancestral heritage”, the cultural event will revolve around dances, songs, games, crafts and gastronomy.

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