Colonial period

The first recorded sighting of Hiva Oa by the Europeans was by the Spanish expedition of Álvaro de Mendaña on 21 July 1595. They charted it as Dominica.^[1]

Climate

Temperatures in the Marquesas are stable year round, but precipitation is highly variable. Precipitation is much greater on the north and east (windward) parts of the islands and much less on the western (leeward) parts. Droughts, sometimes lasting several years, are frequent and seem to be associated with the El Niño phenomena.^[5] The highest annual rainfall recorded in Atuona is 148.2 inches (3,760 mm); the lowest is 22 inches (560 mm).^[6]

View of Atuona, the main village of Hiva-Oa, Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia.

Geology

The island is of volcanic origin. Geologically, Hiva Oa belongs to the Marquesas Linear Volcanic Chain, which formed from a hot spot on the Pacific Plate and is moving west-northwest at a rate of 103 to 118 mm. per year.^[9] The magmatic rocks on the island are between 1.63 and 4.26 million years old,^[10] but volcanic activity has not yet been completely extinguished. Not far from the road from Atuona to Ta'aoa, further west, some mud pots and small solfataras can be seen.

Flora

Like Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, as the second largest island in the archipelago, has a relatively high biodiversity for the South Pacific islands. A total of 205 native plants - 24 of them endemic - and 178 exotic species have been identified. Among the richest and most widespread native species on the island are ferns with a high number of endemic species. They cover large areas of the inaccessible, humid and shady incises of the valley. Among the idiocorophytes (ancient autochthonous species) are probably the coconut palm and the screw tree, which are widespread in the lowlands.^[11]

Anthropochorophytes, such as breadfruit trees and Tahitian chestnut (Inocarpus edulis), already introduced by Polynesian settlers, predominate in the lowland and midland regions. A threat to native plant communities could be bamboo, which is not native to the island and has already formed extensive groves in some places.

In the higher, more inaccessible areas of the island, the natural habitats remain almost unchanged. The north, shaded from wind and rain by the mountains, is largely arid.^[11]

Fauna

The fauna of the Marquesas Islands is limited to land and sea birds, insects, reptiles, butterflies and spiders. The Marquesas warbler (Acrocephalus mendanae mendanae) is endemic to Hiva Oa and the neighboring island of Tahuata. There are no animals that are dangerous to humans. The nono fly, a type of black fly which occurs in the interior, is extremely unpleasant.^[11]

Religion

The population is primarily Christian, due to Catholic missionaries. The Catholic Church controls six religious buildings on the island, including the Church of the Immaculate Conception (Église de l'Immaculée Conception)^[13] in Atuona; the Church of Saint Anne (Église de Sainte-Anne)^[14] in Hanaiapa; the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes (Église de Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes)^[15] in Hanapa'aoa; the Church of Saint Joseph (Église de Saint-Joseph)^[16] in Nahoe; the Church of the Sacred Heart (Église du Sacré-Cœur)^[17] in Puamau; and the Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (Église de Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur)^[18] in Ta'aoaoa.

According to local myth, the gods created the Marquesas as their home. Therefore, all the islands have names related to the construction of a house: Hiva Oa means long ridge.

Copra drying in the village of Hanaiapa, Hiva Oa Island, Marquesas Islands.

Places of interest

The village of Puamau is 45 km from Atuona (a two and a half hour drive up a steep and winding road). On the outskirts of the village is a large ceremonial platform, said to be the burial place of Queen Vahine Titoiani. There are large stone tikis carved on two corners of the platform.

Paul Gauguin Gravesite

In the Puamau valley, about two kilometers from the coast, is Ipona (formerly: Oipona), the largest and most important historical site in the Marquesas. The valley once belonged to the influential Naiki tribe, which also controlled the Atuona region. After the Naiki captured and consumed the chief of the neighboring tribe, Tio'o, the clans of the Hanapa'aoa district took revenge and wiped out the Naiki. The victors erected a tapu on Ipona and installed tikis. After the introduction of Christianity, this place of worship fell into disuse.

The Marae Takii, now well restored and consisting of three overlapping terraces, stands at the foot of a steep cliff and includes 8 stone statues and cyclopean heads.^[21] The largest is Tiki Takai'i, the guardian spirit of the valley, at 2.43 meters. However, the most interesting artwork is the Maki'i Taua Pepe figure, unique in the entire South Seas region, which, according to Karl von den Steinen, physician and ethnologist, depicts a priestess or goddess giving birth.^[22] According to Thor Heyerdahl, who visited Hiva Oa in 1937, the statue does not resemble a woman giving birth, but "more like an animal swimming," and he compared it to two sculptures of the "alligator god" from the St. Augustine culture. v.d. Steinen's interpretation of a woman in labor is contradicted by the fact that the base emerged from the navel region and not from the loins. He learned from his informants that the statue had long been lying on its back in a thicket and had only "recently" been erected.^[23] Another notable site is in the Vustin River valley.

Also notable is the Ta'aoa Valley, west of Atuona, which is filled with huge banyan trees, coconut palms, twenty-meter tall Barringtonia asiatica, many breadfruit trees, mango trees and Tahitian chestnuts. Among the dense undergrowth, it is difficult to distinguish most of the house and ceremonial platforms spread over an area of 3 ha, as little has been excavated and hardly anything has been restored. The Ta'aoa valley belonged to the sphere of influence of the powerful Tiu tribe, which plays a central role in the traditional myths of Hiva Oa. The buildings erected were correspondingly numerous and representative. In the center is a tohua, the largest of the Marquesas.^[24] A large tiki stands in the plaza and a stone head on one of the ceremonial platforms. Taro cultivation terraces have been found in the vicinity of the settlement. Ralph Linton explored this site as part of his expedition to the Marquesas, 1920/21, organized by the Bishop Museum.

Mont Temetiu

The Eiaone Valley, west of Puamau, is known for its unique and particularly expressive semi-relief petroglyphs. However, most of them are covered by dense vegetation. There are other petroglyphs, stone images and platforms in the Tahauku and Punae (Punai) valleys east of Atuona.

The Atuona cultural center dedicated to the painter Paul Gauguin displays only copies of his paintings, but documents his life in the South Seas. His house, which was right next door, has been reconstructed. In the process a disused well was found where the later inhabitants had disposed of the painter's personal belongings, including a comb and toothbrush, jugs of wine, empty absinthe bottles, a morphine syringe, and tiger balm.^[25]

There are also some Jacques Brel memorabilia in Atuona. In 2003, a hangar was built especially for his Beechcraft D 50 Twin-Bonanza under the name "Jojo", which has been restored in the meantime. Photos and documents from Brel's stay in the South Seas over several years are also on display here. A monument to Jacques Brel has been erected on a lookout point on the airport road.

In the Calvaire Cemetery (Cimetière Calvaire), located above Atuona, are the graves of Gauguin and Brel. It is sometimes doubted that this is Gauguin's actual grave; it is said that he was buried unmarked and somewhere in the jungle. The cemetery is a much-visited lookout point, offering views of Ta'aoa Bay.^[26]