The Society Islands are an archipelago in Polynesia in the South Pacific Ocean. Politically, the islands are part of French Polynesia, a semi-autonomous part of France. The largest and most populous island is Tahiti. Other major islands are Moʻorea, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Huahine.
Name The term Society Islands was first used by Captain James Cook when he visited the Leeward Islands, a subgroup of six of the modern-day Society Islands, during his expedition to the south Pacific Ocean in 1769. It has been asserted that the name honors the Royal Society, the sponsor of his voyage, but this is disputed. Cook wrote in his journal:
To these six islands, [Raiatea, Tahaʻa, Bora Bora, Huahine, Tupai, and Maupiti], as they lie contiguous to each other, I gave the names of SOCIETY ISLANDS, but did not think it proper to distinguish them separately by any other names than those by which they were known to the natives.
History
Settlement
The first Polynesians are understood to have arrived on these islands around 1000 AD.
Oral history origin The islanders explain their origins in terms of an orally transmitted story. The feathered god Ta'aroa lay in his shell. He called out but no-one answered, so he went back into his shell, where he stayed for aeons. When he came out he changed his body into the multi-layered dome of the sky. Other parts of his body he transformed into Papa-fenua, the earth. Other parts he made into Te Tuma, the ata, or shadow of his phallus. Ta'aroa said, "Cast your eyes on my phallus. Gaze upon it and insert it in the earth." He came down to earth at "Opoa in Havai'i" (now Ra'iatea), one of the most sacred places in the Society Islands. Other gods were created, and these ran directly into the time of the people. The high chiefs or ari'i rahi were descendants from the gods, reckoned to be forty generations previous. In their presence commoners showed respect by stripping to the waist. The high chiefs erected marae as places of worship.
In the generations before Europeans arrived, a cult called 'Oro-maro-'ura developed: the cult of the red-feathered girdle. This became a tangible symbol of the chief's power. Key followers of the 'Oro cult were the 'arioi, who lived separately from the common people. They wore scented flowers and adorned themselves with scents and scarlet-dyed cloth. The head of each 'arioi group was heavily tattooed from ankle to thigh and known as a blackleg. Both male and female blacklegs were a privileged group but they were forbidden to have children. Their babies were all killed at birth. They received and gave lavish presents. They had a wide range of artistic skills and could be priests, navigators and lore specialists. Only good-looking men or women could become 'arioi. They played a crucial role in ceremonies associated with birth, deaths and marriage. The Society Islands are home to the Taputapuātea Marae, a UNESCO world heritage site on Ra’iātea.
European contact In 1767 HMS Dolphin, sailing under Captain Samuel Wallis, landed on Tahiti. The captain and crew were quite sick with scurvy on arrival and were keen to obtain fresh food. Europeans quickly found that the islanders were desperate to obtain iron, which was prized for use in woodworking and as fish-hooks. The sailors found that young women and girls were eager to exchange sex for a nail. The islanders were delighted at the abundance of iron on the ship and tried to board the ship in search of iron. Wallis reported that he shot cannon to maintain control of his vessel and the iron on board. Louis de Bougainville, a French nobleman, sailor and soldier, left France on his circumnavigation of the globe in 1766. By the time he reached the Society islands in 1768, his crew was stricken with scurvy. Despite the crew being twice as numerous as that of the Dolphin, the islanders had sufficient food to supply them in exchange for axes, knives, and other iron goods. James Cook arrived in Tahiti in April 1769. Between 1772 and 1775, the viceroy of Peru, the Spaniard Manuel Amat y Juniet, organized three expeditions to the Society Islands. Having news of James Cook's expedition and fearing British colonization of the island, he ordered a first expedition under the command of the Spanish sailor Domingo de Bonechea, with Tomás Gayangos as assistant, aboard the frigate "Águila". During the second expedition (1774-1775), Domingo de Bonechea and José Andía y Varela, aboard the ships "Águila" and "Júpiter", recognized or discovered a dozen islands between the archipelagos of Tuamotu and the Austral Islands, and established a mission in Tahiti, which lasted only a couple of years. Domingo de Bonechea, whose health was weakened, died during this expedition.
The islands became a French protectorate in 1843 and a colony in 1880 under the name of French Establishments of Oceania (Établissements Français d'Océanie, EFO).
Geography
The islands are divided, both geographically and administratively, into two groups:
Windward Islands (Îles du Vent) (listed from east to west) Mehetia Tahiti Teti'aroa Moorea Maiao Leeward Islands (Îles Sous-le-Vent) Huahine Raiatea Taha'a Bora Bora Tupai Maupiti Mopelia Motu One Manuae
Combined, the Society Islands have a population of 275,918 inhabitants (as of 2017) and a land area of 1,590 square kilometres (610 sq mi). They represent the most economically important of the five archipelagos of French Polynesia. The highest point is Mount Orohena, which reaches 2,241 meters, located on the island of Tahiti. The population of the islands is concentrated in the coastal regions and becomes increasingly sparse towards the mountainous center of the islands. The main island of Tahiti (Îles du Vent), where 50% of the inhabitants live, is also home to the capital of French Polynesia, the city of Papeete.
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