History of Tahiti

The exact history of Tahiti like the rest of French Polynesia till today remains unknown, mainly because there are no written documents or logs that are there to pinpoint the exact time these islands were inhabited. What is known of Tahiti’s history is that it was created by a series of volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Tahiti Nui was formed around three million years back, while Tahiti Iti is said to have been formed just a million years before, thus making Tahiti a fairly young island in geological terms.

Although Tahiti is a major island in the French Polynesia today, it is said that this island was not the first one to be inhabited. In fact, historians believe that the smaller islands including Raiatea were first settled on by the initial Polynesians settlers who came here in around 300 AD. It is thought that many inhabitants from Raiatea migrated to the Society Islands including Tahiti in 800 AD, over 500 years after they came to the region. The first European to discover Tahiti was an English Captain named Samuel Wallis in 1767. Followed by Frenchmen Louis-Antoine de Bougainville in 1768, while he was circumnavigating the globe, perhaps the most famous visitor to the island came in 1769, when English Captain and explorer James Cook landed here. Tahiti was made further famous after this when the crew of the HMS Bounty mutinied, shortly after leaving the islands shores in 1788.

Soon Tahiti’s importance grew as it became a preferred island for the many Europeans who landed here. Ruled by the Pomare dynasty, this island became the center for court intrigues and conspiracies especially between the British and the French, who fought for control of the island. However, by the 1840’s the French took the upper hand and from 1844 to 1847 a war of independence was fought between the Tahitians and the French. The Pomare dynasty’s rule ended in 1847, when its Queen accepted French protectorate status.

In 1880, the island became a French colony, after the Queen died and King Pomare V ceded over power to France. In 1957, French Polynesia became a French Overseas Territory and in 2003, this status changed to Pays d'outre-mer, which means 'overseas country' and is now internally autonomous from France.

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