Raiātea or Raiatea (Tahitian: Raiātea) is the second largest of the Society Islands, after Tahiti, in French Polynesia, in the South Pacific Ocean. The island is widely regarded as the "centre" of the eastern islands in ancient Polynesia, and it is likely that the organised migrations to the Hawaiian Islands, and other parts of East Polynesia, started at Raiātea.
A traditional name for the island is Havai'i, homeland of the Māori people. Situated on the southeast coast is the historical Taputapuatea marae, which was established by 1000 CE. The site was the political and religious center of eastern Polynesia for several centuries, and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017 for its historical significance.
The main township on Raiātea is Uturoa, the administrative centre for the Leeward Islands (French Îles Sous-le-vent). There are also colleges which serve as the main educational location for secondary schools for students from the regional islands of Bora Bora, Tahaa, Huahine and Maupiti.
Etymology
The Tahitian language name means bright sky. "Ulitea" is an obsolete transcription commonly used in the 19th century.
The extinct Raiatea starling inhabited the island; there is only one drawing of it in the world – in the Natural History Museum, London.
History
The Polynesian navigator Tupaia, who sailed with explorer James Cook, was born in Raiatea around 1725. Cook visited Raiatea in 1769 and again in 1773–1774. He named the island "Ulitea". Omai (c.1751–1780), another young man from Raiatea, travelled with European explorers to London in 1774 and also served as an interpreter to Captain Cook on his second and third journeys.
Prehistory In ancient times the island was called Havai'i, a sacred name in Polynesian culture and related to the names of Hawaii; Savai'i, in Samoa; and Havaiki, the ancient name for Fakarava in the Tuamotu. According to recent findings, the Society Islands were colonised from Samoa and Tonga around 200 BC, about the same time as the Marquesas. Together with the Marquesas, they formed the heart of Polynesia and thus the springboard for the settlement of Hawaii, New Zealand and Mangareva.Patrick V. Kirch: On the Road of the Wind – An Archaeological History of the Pacific Islands Before European Contact; Berkeley, Los Angeles, London 2000; S. 231 A major ancestor who lived on the island was Ohomairangi, who was the protector of the Taputapuatea marae. The Maori tribal identity Ngā Oho was formed among his ancestors.
According to traditional histories, two Māori migration canoes, the Tainui and Arawa, left Raiatea for New Zealand in the late 13th Century or early 14th Century. Many Māori can trace their lineage to these canoes, including the Tainui and Te Arawa tribes.
Favored by Raiatea's geography, with valleys bounded by rocky ridges and open to the sea, nine independent tribal principalities emerged, which in turn subdivided into individual clans. This led to a strictly stratified social pattern: Society was divided into several separate social levels. At the top were the ariki or ari'i, the noble chiefs whose claim to leadership was legitimized by their descent from the founding ancestors. They were landowners and undisputed political and religious leaders.
In the Society islands they exercised great religious and cultural influence. The great temple (in Tahitian marae) of Taputapuatea, dedicated to the god Oro, was the most important religious center of the islands. His cult supplanted other traditional gods such as Taaroa and Tane, and the different marae were subsidiary to that of Taputapuatea. Around him the Arioi sect was formed, a religious, aristocratic, warlike and festive mixture, which was respected in all the islands and achieved, only with its presence and its taboo character, a truce in the tribal wars.
European colonization
Raiatea was discovered for Europe by British explorer James Cook on 20 July 1769 during his first voyage. Coming from Tahiti, he sailed onboard HMS Endeavour through the Avamo'a Reef passage, sacred to the Polynesians, anchored in Opoa Bay and landed near the Marae Taputapuatea. He hoisted the Union Jack and took possession of the island for the British Empire in a brief ceremony. To expand the Spanish Empire, Charles III of Spain ordered expeditions to be sent to the South Pacific. Manuel de Amat y Junyent, the viceroy of Peru, sent the Spanish Navy officer Domingo de Bonechea to Raʻiātea. Bonechea, commanding the frigate El Águila, arrived there in 1772, and he named the island "Princesa" and took possession of it for the Spanish Empire. However, the annexation had no political consequences.
Although neighboring Tahiti was already under the influence of European powers in the late 18th century and formally came under French protectorate in 1842, the clans of Raiatea fiercely resisted annexation efforts. However, Christian missionaries managed to gain increasing influence, which led to religious wars between followers of the traditional and Christian faiths. With the support of the Europeans, King Pōmare II was able to declare himself sovereign of the entire archipelago. On November 12, 1815, Pōmare's adversaries, the followers of the old faith, were decisively defeated at the Battle of Feipi.Karl R. Wernhart: Auswirkungen der Zivilisationstätigkeit und Missionierung in den Kulturen der Autochthonen am Beispiel der Gesellschaftsinseln. In: Grete Klingenstein u. a. (Hrsg.): Europäisierung der Erde? Studien zur Einwirkung Europas auf die außereuropäische Welt, Oldenbourg Verlag München 1981
In 1828, the Marae Taputapuatea was destroyed. In 1831, the Mamaia sect, successor to the already banned Arioi, again succeeded in expelling the missionaries from Raiatea. In 1832, the Mamaia were finally defeated and banished.Wilhelm Emil Mühlmann: Arioi und Mamaia; Wiesbaden 1955; S. 247 f. Missionaries, including George Platt, returned and France tried to gain more and more influence. As early as 1842, Rear Admiral Abel Aubert du Petit-Thouars had claimed the Society Islands on behalf of France. However, King Louis Philippe I initially hesitated to sign the annexation announced by Petit-Thouars, fearing conflicts of interest with Britain, which also claimed them. As Queen Pōmare IV of Tahiti was pro-British and more attached to the Protestant missionaries, she allowed herself to be taken to Raiatea in this ambiguous situation in 1844 and ruled from there until 1847.
In 1880, France proclaimed a provisional protectorate over Raiatea and Tahaa. In 1887, at the request of European traders, the French bombarded the island, before occupying it and deposed its government. The island was formally annexed by France on April 21 1888. However, rebellions continued to occur in Raiatea. In 1888, the tribal chief Teraupo'o entrenched himself in the Avera Valley on the east coast and resisted French intervention. It was only in 1897 that he fell into captivity and was exiled to New Caledonia. 190 of his followers were forcibly relocated with their families to the island of Ua Huka.Karl von den Steinen: Die Marquesaner und ihre Kunst, Berlin 1925, Band 1, S. 12 King Tamatoa VI was the last monarch, reigning over Raiatea and Tahaa from 1884 to 1888.
Geography
With a total area of 175 km2, it is the second largest island of the Society archipelago, after Tahiti. Tahaa lies north of Raiatea, the two islands are separated by a 3 km strait. According to legend, it is the work of an enchanted moray eel possessed by the spirit of a deceased princess. A coral barrier reef surrounds the islands of Raiatea and Tahaa which share the same lagoon. The boat trip from Raiatea to Tahaa across the lagoon only takes about 20 minutes.
Raiatea's landscape is characterized by rugged peaks, a heavily indented coastline with deeply indented bays, and numerous small, tiny islands located in the lagoon.
There are three main mountain masses on the island, connected by lower ridges. The central mass includes Mount Tefatoaiti (1,017 m), the island's highest peak. The northern mass is known as the Temehani Plateau. The plateau generally undulates between 600 and 650 metres elevation, rising higher in places including the plateau's highest peak Tepahu (821 m).Fosberg, F. Raymond (1992). Vegetation of the Society Islands. Pacific Science (1992), vol. 46, no. 2: 232–250. Oropiro is the highest peak in the southern mass.
The total population was 16,438 inhabitants in the 2002 census, distributed in three communes: Uturoa (the capital), Taputapuatea and Tumara'a. Uturoa is also the administrative capital of the Leeward Islands and the second urban center of French Polynesia, after Papeete.
The main island is of volcanic origin and consists mainly of igneous rocks. On the barrier reef and in the lagoon there are numerous white coral sand motu – low barrier reef islands – and rubble. The most beautiful sandy beaches are found on these motu, while the rocky coastline of the main island of Raiatea has no beaches worth mentioning. From the peaks, the highest of which is Toomaru at 1032 m,10 steeply sloping valleys and gorges open out to the sea, separated by narrow rocky ridges. The numerous streams often form spectacular waterfalls. The eastward-flowing Apoomau River rises in the 1017 m high Tefatoatiti,11 and flows into Faaroa Bay. It is the only navigable river in Polynesia and, depending on the water level, can be traveled a few kilometers in small boats.
Cultivated land and settlements are found in a narrow coastal strip; the interior of Raiatea is largely uninhabited.
Climate The climate is tropical and humid. The average annual temperature is 26 °C, with negligible differences between months. The average annual rainfall is about 1800 mm. The rainiest month is December, but the rains are, as usual in the tropics, intense and of short duration. The (winter) months of August and September are quite dry.
Flora
The vegetation of French Polynesia has a high proportion of endemic plants and a relative scarcity of species. The isolated location of the islands and the fact that they have never been connected to a continental landmass explain the high number of endemic plants. In the South Pacific, plants range from west to east. This caused the biodiversity of the islands to decrease eastward. For example, the islands of New Guinea and New Caledonia, located in the west, have a much higher number of species compared to Raʻiātea. In contrast, the islands of the Tuamotu Archipelago, the Pitcairn Islands and Easter Island in the far eastern Pacific are much less species-rich.
In almost 2,000 years of settlement history, humans have changed the flora of Raʻiātea with cultivation, especially in the fertile coastal areas. Coconut palms, breadfruit trees, taro, yams, cassava, sweet potatoes and various tropical fruits are grown as food crops. Pineapple and vanilla fruits are exported and grown on small family farms.
Significant remnants of the original vegetation have survived in the inaccessible, lush interior of the island, although the native plant communities are now threatened by guava bushes, bamboo thickets and other anthropogenic plants.
The remaining natural vegetation on the island consists mostly of savanna and evergreen forest, with areas of coastal strand and hillside scrub. Raʻiātea has more savanna than the other Society islands. Most savanna is dominated by the bright green fern Dicranopteris linearis, which can form dense patches up to two metres high, interspersed with clumps of darker trees. Drier areas, including lower slopes and ridges on the north and northwest sides of the island, are dominated by Miscanthus floridulus, known as aiho or sword grass, a tall coarse bunch grass. The introduced molasses grass (Melinis minutiflora) is also common, forming lower gray-green patches among the bunchgrasses.