 Flag of Marquesas Islands, 2017–present | |
| Proportion | 2:3 |
|---|---|
| Adopted | 30 November 1998 (last updated in 2017) |
| Design | A flag divided in to a top yellow half and a bottom red half with a white triangle in the hoist charged with the design of Maitiki. |
| Designed by | Motu Haka Association and Teiki Huukena |
The flag of the Marquesas Islands is the flag chosen by the regional government to represent the islands. However, it is not formally recognized by France, the administrative government of the region.
The flag is divided into two horizontal stripes with yellow on top and red on the bottom, with a white equilateral triangle emerging from the hoist. The yellow represents youth and joy, while the red and white are tapu, or sacred, to the chiefs and priests respectively. [1]
In the white triangle, a black design of Matatiki ("the gaze of Tiki") represents the first man in Polynesian mythology, and the inventor of sculpture and tattooing. The tattoo design on Tiki's cheeks are tapu symbols. [1]
The first version of the flag was revealed December 30, 1978 by the Motu Haka Association. The flag was formally adopted by the local government on November 30, 1998. The flag was used informally for many years, having been first raised on December 14, 1980, at the opening of the airport on Nuku Hiva. [2]
The design of Matatiki has appeared in several versions throughout the years. The design was most recently updated in 2017 by Teiki Huukena, a Marquesas Island tattoo artist. [3]
The flag of France is the only ensign officially recognized by the French government to represent the Marquesas Islands.
The overseas country which Marquesas Islands are a part of also has its own flag. It was adopted by the regional government in 1984. [4]
On June 1, 1835, French nobleman Baron de Thierry declared himself king of Nuku Hiva, the largest island of the Marquesas. The so-called kingdom was never formalized in any way and Thierry left the island shortly after. [5] A design associated with Thierry's claim has appeared in publications and throughout the internet, [6] but its origin and connection to the historical incident remain unverified.
The Marquesas Islands are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. Their highest point is the peak of Mount Oave on Ua Pou island, at 1,230 m (4,035 ft) above sea level.
The flag of French Polynesia is the civil and state flag of the French overseas country French Polynesia. It was adopted in 1984. According to the articles of adoption, the flag of French Polynesia must be displayed with the French tricolor, and may be displayed with the flags of the component archipelagos. The French Polynesian flag must be displayed to the left of the French flag, and the flag of the archipelago must be displayed to its right.
Fatu-Hiva is the southernmost island of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. With Motu Nao as its closest neighbour, it is also the most isolated of the inhabited islands.
Marquesan is a collection of East-Central Polynesian dialects, of the Marquesic group, spoken in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia. They are usually classified into two groups, North Marquesan and South Marquesan, roughly along geographic lines.
With its 320 square kilometres, Hiva Oa is the second largest island in the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. Located at 9 45' south latitude and 139 W longitude, it is the largest island of the southern Marquesas group. Around 2,200 people reside on the island. A volcano, Temetiu, is Hiva Oa's highest point with 1,200 metres.
Ua Pou is the third largest of the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean.
Eiao is the largest of the extreme northwestern Marquesas Islands. The island is uninhabited, but is administratively part of the commune (municipality) of Nuku-Hiva, itself in the administrative subdivision of the Marquesas Islands.
The Marquesas Islands were colonized by seafaring Polynesians as early as 300 AD, thought to originate from Tonga and the Samoan Islands. The dense population was concentrated in the narrow valleys and consisted of warring tribes.
Tahuata is the smallest of the inhabited Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is located 4 km (2.5 mi.) to the south of the western end of Hiva Oa, across the Canal du Bordelais, called Ha‘ava in Marquesan.
Ua Huka is one of the Marquesas Islands, in French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. It is situated in the northern group of the archipelago, approximately 25 mi (40 km) to the east of Nuku Hiva, at 8°54′S139°33′W.
The flag of Martinique consists of a red triangle at the hoist, with two horizontal bands, the upper green and the lower black. It was adopted on 2 February 2023. The flag of France, its parent country, is also flown with official standing due to Martinique's status as a French overseas department/region. The assembly of Martinique flies a flag with the collectivity's logo on it to represent the government.
Notre Dame Cathedral is a 20th-century church that serves as the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Taiohae or Tefenuaenata. It is located in the Meau Valley near the capital centre on the island of Nuku Hiva.
The Diocese of Taiohae is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in French Polynesia. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the Archdiocese of Papeete, yet still depends on the missionary Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
The white-capped fruit dove, also called kuku locally, is a species of bird in the family Columbidae. It was described by French naturalist and surgeon Adolphe-Simon Neboux in 1840. It is endemic to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. The name honours French admiral and botanist Abel Aubert du Petit-Thouars. Two subspecies exist on the islands, Ptilinopus d. dupetithouarsii and Ptilinopus d. viridior.
Nuku-Hiva is a commune of French Polynesia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The commune is in the administrative subdivision of the Marquesas Islands. Its population was 2,951 at the 2017 census.
Nuku Hiva is the largest of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas country of France in the Pacific Ocean. It was formerly also known as Île Marchand and Madison Island.
Joseph Kaiha is a politician of the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. He has been the mayor of the island of Ua Pou since 2001. He was Minister of Culture from 2008 to 2009, and founder and first president of the Marquesas Island Community (Codim).
The Marquesan Dog or Marquesas Islands Dog is an extinct breed of dog from the Marquesas Islands. Similar to other strains of Polynesian dogs, it was introduced to the Marquesas by the ancestors of the Polynesian people during their migrations. Serving as a tribal totems and religious symbols, they were sometimes consumed as meat although less frequently than in other parts of the Pacific because of their scarcity. These native dogs are thought to have become extinct before the arrival of Europeans, who did not record their presence on the islands. Petroglyphic representations of dogs and the archaeological remains of dog bones and burials are the only evidence that the breed ever existed. Modern dog populations on the island are the descendants of foreign breeds later reintroduced in the 19th century as companions for European settlers.
Joseph Kabris, his first name is sometimes given as Jean-Baptiste, and his family name is variously spelled as Cabri, Cabry, Cabris, Kabrit or Cadiche. He was a sailor who was shipwrecked in the Marquesas Islands in 1795 where he integrated into the local society as evidence by his full-body tattoos marked his acceptance. After leaving the island, he was presented to the courts of Europe as an object of curiosity. Falling onto hard times, he exhibited himself at fairs before dying of illness in the north of France at the age of 42.
Benoît Kautai is a French Polynesian politician and Member of the Assembly of French Polynesia. He is currently mayor of Nuku Hiva. He is a member of Tāpura Huiraʻatira.
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