Hiva Oa, The Marquesas, French Polynesia
This morning upon landing in Puamau Bay we boarded an assortment of local 4-WD vehicles and drove over to visit Me’ae Oipona, one of the largest sacrificial altars of the Marquesan culture.
The Me’ae were sacred places of burial, and where human sacrifices were offered to the tribal gods. They were always tapu (taboo), but particularly so during the time of performance of ritual in its precincts and at no time was a woman allowed to go near it unless she was an inspirational priestess, and on certain occasions not even the chief and warriors were allowed to enter. Commoners would stay away from a tapu place but would go there when sacrifices were offered, remaining on the outside of the sacred precinct.
This Me’ae was one of the most sacred in the valley, and it was in use until the late 19th century. Oral tradition says that it was built by the Naiki tribe, which was obliged to escape across the island and seek refuge in Ta’aoa valley after loosing a war against the coordinated forces of several southern tribes. Their conquerors decided to adopt the Naiki gods because they were so impressed by their beauty and size. In Puamau valley human sacrifices were frequently made in order to bring rainfall and fertility to the land. The victims were offered to the tribal god Tau ‘a mata-mata, a deified inspirational priest, who was supposed to cause things to grow. The natives mentioned to the missionaries that after such a rite the whole country would be green and water abundant. The last human sacrifices were carried out during a severe drought that took place in 1891.
When human sacrifices were to be offered to break a famine or draught, warriors were first dispatched to capture sacrifice victims: men, women and children. When two or three had been seized, they were presented to the inspirational priest, adults were carried, alive or dead, slung naked on a pole like a pig. Children under three years of age were strangled, placed on the heads of old men, and carried to the inspirational priest. The drums would also sound at the temple, the sign that all fire should be extinguished, and the chanting and beating of drums was continued during the sacrifice. At certain points during the chanting, according to Father Jean, an early Catholic Missionary to Puamau valley, the inspirational priest took out the eyes of the victim one at a time and ate them, thus acquiring the power to “see the spirit land, where ancestors lived.” He then cut open the body and took out the heart, which he ate immediately. In the same way he devoured the breast, the soles of the feet, and palms of the hand; the reasons for this have not been explained. The body was then cooked, cut up, and divided among the participants in the rite.
The most important of the platforms was the one that held the images. As a rule this was placed in a position dominating the rest, commonly in such a location as to make it the rearmost of the group of platforms that constituted the Me’ae as a whole. In Oipona stands the largest stone statue of the Marquesas, named Takai’i, measuring 7 feet in height, and two smaller Tiki. Another crouching figure represents a woman that died in childbirth and became a family god. There are also several ornamental blocks carved as human heads, that would represent the heads of chiefs and important enemy warriors that were sacrificed upon this altar.
We do not know for certain the use of the other platforms of this site, but it was customary to have a house for the inspirational priest and most probably the square platform was used for that purpose. The other structures should correspond to the houses in which the assistants lived during the rites and a special house in which they kept the numerous sacred paraphernalia, such as drums, conch shells, flutes, secondary god images, capes, etc. used during the rites.
There were also temporary shrines, or small platforms that were built expressly to expose the corpse of a deceased chief, which was partially mummified. Such corpses were then exposed until they decayed. Then the bones were washed and collected in a bundle and carried to the summit of the basalt spire that rises next to this altar, where they were laid in small recesses in the rock face. From this me’ae we then drove up to the ridge that separates the valley of Puamau from that of Eiaone to admire the view of both valleys.
During lunchtime the ship sailed over to Tahauku Bay where we landed and boarded “le Truck” (typical local transportation) and drove up to the cemetery where painter Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) and Belgian singer Jacques Brel are buried. Later some of us walked down into Atuona village to visit the Gauguin Museum that had been specially opened for our visit that Sunday. The Museum does not hold any of Gauguin’s originals, but has a very instructive display. A house similar to that occupied by Gauguin has been built next to his well, and in close vicinity lays the Brel Museum where his plane “Jojo” is placed upon a pedestal simulating flight. Favourite Brel songs are played and numerous photos illustrate his stay upon this island.
This morning upon landing in Puamau Bay we boarded an assortment of local 4-WD vehicles and drove over to visit Me’ae Oipona, one of the largest sacrificial altars of the Marquesan culture.
The Me’ae were sacred places of burial, and where human sacrifices were offered to the tribal gods. They were always tapu (taboo), but particularly so during the time of performance of ritual in its precincts and at no time was a woman allowed to go near it unless she was an inspirational priestess, and on certain occasions not even the chief and warriors were allowed to enter. Commoners would stay away from a tapu place but would go there when sacrifices were offered, remaining on the outside of the sacred precinct.
This Me’ae was one of the most sacred in the valley, and it was in use until the late 19th century. Oral tradition says that it was built by the Naiki tribe, which was obliged to escape across the island and seek refuge in Ta’aoa valley after loosing a war against the coordinated forces of several southern tribes. Their conquerors decided to adopt the Naiki gods because they were so impressed by their beauty and size. In Puamau valley human sacrifices were frequently made in order to bring rainfall and fertility to the land. The victims were offered to the tribal god Tau ‘a mata-mata, a deified inspirational priest, who was supposed to cause things to grow. The natives mentioned to the missionaries that after such a rite the whole country would be green and water abundant. The last human sacrifices were carried out during a severe drought that took place in 1891.
When human sacrifices were to be offered to break a famine or draught, warriors were first dispatched to capture sacrifice victims: men, women and children. When two or three had been seized, they were presented to the inspirational priest, adults were carried, alive or dead, slung naked on a pole like a pig. Children under three years of age were strangled, placed on the heads of old men, and carried to the inspirational priest. The drums would also sound at the temple, the sign that all fire should be extinguished, and the chanting and beating of drums was continued during the sacrifice. At certain points during the chanting, according to Father Jean, an early Catholic Missionary to Puamau valley, the inspirational priest took out the eyes of the victim one at a time and ate them, thus acquiring the power to “see the spirit land, where ancestors lived.” He then cut open the body and took out the heart, which he ate immediately. In the same way he devoured the breast, the soles of the feet, and palms of the hand; the reasons for this have not been explained. The body was then cooked, cut up, and divided among the participants in the rite.
The most important of the platforms was the one that held the images. As a rule this was placed in a position dominating the rest, commonly in such a location as to make it the rearmost of the group of platforms that constituted the Me’ae as a whole. In Oipona stands the largest stone statue of the Marquesas, named Takai’i, measuring 7 feet in height, and two smaller Tiki. Another crouching figure represents a woman that died in childbirth and became a family god. There are also several ornamental blocks carved as human heads, that would represent the heads of chiefs and important enemy warriors that were sacrificed upon this altar.
We do not know for certain the use of the other platforms of this site, but it was customary to have a house for the inspirational priest and most probably the square platform was used for that purpose. The other structures should correspond to the houses in which the assistants lived during the rites and a special house in which they kept the numerous sacred paraphernalia, such as drums, conch shells, flutes, secondary god images, capes, etc. used during the rites.
There were also temporary shrines, or small platforms that were built expressly to expose the corpse of a deceased chief, which was partially mummified. Such corpses were then exposed until they decayed. Then the bones were washed and collected in a bundle and carried to the summit of the basalt spire that rises next to this altar, where they were laid in small recesses in the rock face. From this me’ae we then drove up to the ridge that separates the valley of Puamau from that of Eiaone to admire the view of both valleys.
During lunchtime the ship sailed over to Tahauku Bay where we landed and boarded “le Truck” (typical local transportation) and drove up to the cemetery where painter Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) and Belgian singer Jacques Brel are buried. Later some of us walked down into Atuona village to visit the Gauguin Museum that had been specially opened for our visit that Sunday. The Museum does not hold any of Gauguin’s originals, but has a very instructive display. A house similar to that occupied by Gauguin has been built next to his well, and in close vicinity lays the Brel Museum where his plane “Jojo” is placed upon a pedestal simulating flight. Favourite Brel songs are played and numerous photos illustrate his stay upon this island.
