Nuku Hiva is the largest f the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. It is where Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick, abandoned his whaling ship to live among the Typee people and found the inspiration to write his first book, Typee, and it’s sequel, Omoo. Robert Louis Stevenson also spent time here, stopping by on his way from San Francisco to Hawaii. Finally, it’s where the fourth season of the reality TV show, “Survivor” took place. That’s a lot of claim to fame for an island covering a mere 127 square miles.
Interestingly, an American Army Captain came upon the island in late 1813. The Polynesians were at war. The Captain and his troops overcame first one group and then another, holding them prisoners or enlisting their help in overthrowing others until all of the Polynesian factions had been beaten. The Captain named the islands the Washington Islands and claimed them for the U.S. When he eventually returned to the U.S. and shared the good news with his government, however, they did not approve of his methods or behavior and refused to have anything to do with the islands. The people were essentially left alone until the French came along in 1842 and took possession of the island, including it in the islands that make up French Polynesia.
We were tendered from the ship and greeted by native dancers when we arrived at the island’s dock. As we stepped onto the island we saw a huge statue on the hill in front of us. Our first mission was to make our way to the top of that hill and learn more. When France took over Nuku Hiva, they brought the Roman Catholic Church to the island. The church forbid many of the cultural traditions, such as native dress, dancing and chanting, tattooing, and embalming the dead. Much of the Typee culture was lost. France returned the island to its native people in 2013. In 2017, the local people erected this monument and others to re-establish their culture. The front of the statue is a woman’s face. The woman, Tiku Tuhiva, holds all the ancestral strength and knowledge of the Typee people. A young warrior has filled himself with this strength and knowledge and is stepping forward to master his future, just as the Typee people are now stepping forward to reclaim their future.
We also saw beautiful foliage, black sand beaches and a church with masterful carvings and wooden architecture. We were joined on the return tender by some of the crew taking loads of fresh fruit back to the ship, including bananas and breadfruit, an island staple. Later that afternoon on the ship we were treated to a traditional dance performance by the local people. A final highlight of the day for Pam was seeing multiple schools of Manta Rays swimming around our ship. She couldn’t get a good picture, so we’re borrowing some from the Internet to share.
It was a good day!
JodockWorldTravel 
Looks like a great day off the ol’ house boat.
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