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Tahiti
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History of Tahiti
The origins and history of Tahiti to the present day.
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HISTORY
Archaeological evidence suggests the islands have been inhabited for almost 2000 years. As elsewhere in the Pacific, the Polynesian settlers came originally from South East Asia, traveling across the Pacific in large wooden canoes on a voyage to the unknown. As the islands were settled, each developed its own traditions and its own chiefly heritage.
In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan was the first European to document sighting the islands. He was followed in the 16th and 17th centuries by Dutch and Spanish seafarers. The English arrived in 1767, led by Samual Wallis, who discovered Tahiti. Shortly afterwards, famous explorers/adventurers Louis-Antoine de Bougainville, James Cook and William Bligh arrived. Cook made his famous observation of the transit of Venus from Tahiti in 1769.
The 1770's saw the arrival of Protestant and Catholic missionaries, traders, whalers and beachcombers. The missionaries had the strongest influence and Christianity spread quickly through the islands. With the Europeans - and more specifically their guns - the Pomare Dynasty of Tahiti united many of the islands under one ruler.
However, in 1836, the Catholic priests were expelled from Tahiti, which led to a French gunboat arriving in 1838 and demanding compensation. In 1842, France (which was already in the Marquesas Islands) declared Tahiti and its islands a French Protectorate. A three-year war of independence by Queen Pomare IV failed, but she continued to rule as a figurehead. In 1880, under her son, Pomare V, the islands became a French colony.
The new century brought rapid changes, including the development of plantation agriculture and the import of Chinese labourers to work them. Papeete was shelled during World War One by the Germans and US Marines were stationed at Bora Bora during the Second World War to defend the country against the Japanese.
In 1957, French Polynesia became a French Overseas Territory and since April 24, 1996, has had an internal autonomy statute, which gives the local government greater self-governing powers. There is a fairly strong independence movement, though support for it varies from island to island.
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